Leadership Practices and Diversity in Higher Education: Transitional and Transformational Frameworks

Abstract

Riverside. His research interests are in critical race theory, women and minority faculty in higher education, and class and racial inequality. Ruben Martinez is Professor of Sociology and Associate Provost at the University of Southern Colorado. His research interests are in racial inequality, minorities in higher education, and higher education in a global context. They are the authors of Chicanos in Higher Education: Issues and Dilemmas for the 21 st Century (ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No. 3)(Washington, D.

A Critical Look at Perspectives of Access and Mission at High Latinx-Enrolling Urban Universities

“…However, like all commodities, the value of diversity to an institution, as depicted by participants in this study, fluctuates. This somewhat co-optive approach to diversity (Aguirre & Martinez, 2002 raises questions about the ways in which market-based values have permeated the way we think about who is deserving of higher education.…”

Table of Contents

“…to empower students to become agents of positive social change in the larger society" (p. 9). As such, and for our purpose in this monograph, transformational leadership seeks to change values and preferences that promote an exclusionary organizational culture in higher education for diverse populations (Aguirre and Martinez, 2002).…”

“…A culturally responsive organization would thus reflect diversity as a principal component in its leadership. One manner in which institutions of higher education have responded to the need to lead for diversity is by increasing diversity among administrators and faculty (Aguirre and Martinez, 2002). Leading for diversity in higher education recognizes the need for developing cultural proficiency by incorporating multiculturalism in the curriculum and by diversifying the ranks of faculty and administrators (Andrews and Cavan, 2002;McNulty, 1995;Terenzini, Cabrera, and Colbeck, 2001;Vaughan, 1996;Winston, 2001).…”

“…As Mabokela and Madsen (2003) note, "Leaders who seek to create a community of difference will have to develop an understanding of power and control and recognize the need to negotiate and accommodate norms and shared purposes of both majority and minority groups" (p. 132). Aguirre and Martinez (2002) argue that higher education has been reluctant to embrace diversity as a core value and as a "necessary dimension toward building themselves into inclusive organizations" (p. 53). It does not mean that diverse groups have not made any gains in creating multicultural learning and working environments in America's colleges and universities.…”

“…Aguirre and Martinez (2002) argue that leadership focused on diversity in this context is stagnant, stripped of its potential to transform institutional culture and pedagogical practices in higher education, and limited to episodic, highly visible displays during special occasions (such as accreditation or trustee visits) when it is important to promote an institutional image of diversity. Similarly, Pavel (2003) argues that leadership supportive of co-optation diversity initiatives is often not enough to create a campus environment in which multiculturalism enhances student learning; instead, it is perceived as a superficial response to diversity and educational inequality.…”