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“We Live in Two Worlds”: A Phenomenological Exploration of the Experiences of Foreign-Born U.S. College and University Presidents
The Qualitative Report
  • Kristie S. Johnson, Ph.D., CFRE, Martin University
  • Donald Mitchell, Jr., Ph.D., Molloy University
  • Jakia Marie, Ph.D., Grand Valley State University
Author Type
Executive
Publication Date
9-17-2023
Document Type
Article
Abstract

Within this phenomenological study, we explored the lived experiences of 15 foreign-born U.S. college and university presidents (USCUP) to determine how their cultural background and traditions may have influenced their leadership and prepared them to lead. We also examined the strategies foreign-born USCUPs, who also self-identified as people of color, utilized to navigate to and through the presidential pipeline. We used asset-based community development to theoretically frame the study. The following research questions shaped this study: 1) What are the experiences of foreign-born USCUPs in their journey to the college presidency, and how do foreign-born USCUPs perceive the influence of their cultural background on their journey to the presidency? 2) What strategies and approaches can be identified from the experiences of foreign-born USCUPs in navigating the presidential pipeline and advancing to the presidency? Five themes emerged: 1) Coming to America; 2) Living in Two Worlds; 3) Ready or Not, Here I Come; 4) Go Back To Your Country!; and 5) If I Ruled The World. We close with recommendations for practice and future research.

DOI
10.46743/2160-3715/2023.6191
Journal Title
The Qualitative Report
Volume (Issue)
28(9)
Journal ISSN
1052-0147 or 2160-3715
Comments

Original article can be found at https://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol28/iss9/11/

Document Version
Publisher's PDF
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International
Citation Information
Recommended APA Citation Johnson, K., Mitchell, D., & Marie, J. (2023). “We Live in Two Worlds”: A Phenomenological Exploration of the Experiences of Foreign-Born U.S. College and University Presidents. The Qualitative Report, 28(9), 2716-2738. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2023.6191