American Council on Education addresses gender disparity in college leadership

The American Council on Education convened a summit featuring college presidents, academic leaders, and industry associations to address gender disparity in higher education leadership.

The event, dubbed “Moving the Needle: Advancing Women in Higher Education Leadership,” sought to improve three higher education models that aim to diversify the route to the college presidency – a role that currently does not mirror the demographic makeup of the student body.

Data from the recently released American College President Study by ACE underscores the progress made over the years in promoting women to leadership roles. The number of female college presidents increased from 23 percent in 2006 to 33 percent in the latest survey. However, this figure is still incongruent with the fact that women now constitute the majority of all college graduates. Even more concerning is that women of color account for fewer than one in ten college presidents.

Gailda Davis, ACE’s assistant vice president and executive director of ACE Connect, set the tone for the event, emphasizing the urgent need for gender parity. “Advancing women in leadership has been at the core of ACE’s mission from its inception. There’s much work yet to be done,” Davis stated.

The event featured a series of enlightening discussions. Among them was a conversation between Pamela Eddy, associate provost for faculty affairs at William & Mary, and Kenya Ayers-Palmore, president of Tarrant County College.

Ayers-Palmore discussed the demanding nature of college presidencies and emphasized the necessity for resilience, particularly in the wake of challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Several proposed prototype models emerged from the discussions, focusing on different facets of leadership:

• Life Cycle of the President: A proposed study would invite current and past presidents to explore their paths to the presidency, their experiences in the role, and their reasons for stepping down.
• Institutional Readiness and Assessment: This model would involve a thorough review by boards and institutions of their preparedness to foster the success of new leaders.
• Equity-minded Transition Plan: Aimed at streamlining the onboarding process for new presidents, this toolkit would assist boards in implementing a more inclusive approach.

The next step for ACE is to pilot one of these prototype models later this year, with more information to be released to encourage continued work in this crucial area.

The summit was a significant stride towards addressing systemic issues affecting the gender balance in higher education leadership, furthering the conversation and paving the way for concrete actions.