Rethinking and Reframing Leadership of Historically Black Colleges and Universities: A Distributed Perspective
- 1 Education in Educational Leadership Department, Chicago State University, Chicago, USA
- 2 Institutional Research and Effectiveness Department, Stetson University, DeLand, USA
Abstract
In recent years, many Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have experienced a decline in enrollment and prestige. Several leading scholars attribute this to societal shifts that have challenged the historical mission of HBCUs. Higher education’s current environment demands a transformation of how HBCU leadership is administered if these institutions are to survive. Distributed leadership focuses primarily on the process of leadership rather than the traditional perspective of a single, dynamic leader at the top of a hierarchical chain, as is typically experienced at most HBCUs. This paper will contend that distributed leadership is an effective leadership strategy for the maintenance, sustainability, and advancement of HBCUs.
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