Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, PhD Dissertation Chair for Mary Ann Springs, Doctoral Defense PPT

7/28/2019 Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, PhD Dissertation Chair for Mary Ann Springs, Doctoral Defense PPT.

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LIVING LEGACIES: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY

OF SEVEN AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE

EDUCATIONAL LEADERS AT A SOUTHWESTERN

HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITYIN TEXAS

A Dissertation Defense

By

Mary Ann Springs

Dissertation Chair: William Allan Kritsonis



William Allan Kritsonis, PhD

(Dissertation Chair)

Dr. Douglas S. Hermond

(Member)

Dr. Patricia Hoffman-Miller (Member)

Dr. Carl Gardine

(Member)

Dr. Solomon Osho

(Member)



Introduction

African American male leadership is crucial to

the African American community because of

the rise of Black-on-Black crime, poor

academic performance, the overrepresentation

of Black males in special education, and

disproportionate numbers of African American

male incarceration in comparison to other races (Child’s Aid Society, 2006; Ladson-

Billings (1999).



Without proper guidance programs and the

necessary mentors and coaches to help young

African American males, this group may lack

the resilience to work hard and become

productive citizens that will carry the legacy of

African American male leadership (Child’s AidSociety, 2006).



The consistent decline of African American

male participation and contribution to the

African American community could lead to the

absence of future leaders of HBCUs and public

schools in general (Jackson, 2001; Wiley,

2001; Woodson, 1933/2005).



Despite these social, political, and cultural

barriers that impede African American males,

many do succeed. In fact, African American

male educational leaders at HBCUs are

successful and have a significant influence on

African American male students throughmentorship.



The literature tells us little about the impactand influence of such men; therefore, the

researcher conducted a study that woulddescribe the impact of the centrality of CRT,what made the subjects of the study resilient inovercoming societal barriers, and thesignificance of mentorship on their journeytoward leadership.



The researcher utilized search engines such

as ProQuest, Sage Publications, and EBSCO

Host search engines to locate studies on the

emergence, essence, and influence of African

American male educational leaders who

survived societal barriers and becamesuccessful at an HBCU in Texas.



The researcher was approved to conduct a

phenomenological study devoted to examining

the emergence of African American male

educational leadership as perceived,

experienced, and exercised by African

American male administrators of an HBCU inSouthwest Texas



Research Questions

Research Questions

The following research questions guided the study.

According to Marshall and Rossman, as cited in Creswell

(2007), the central question of a phenomenological studyshould be explanatory in nature when little is known about

a particular phenomenon and descriptive when describing

patterns related to the phenomenon. Therefore, the

researcher developed the following research questions for the study:



Question #1

What was the evolution of leadership over the past three decades of seven African American

male educational leaders from a Southwestern

Historically Black College and University?



Question #2

What critical moments in history haveimpacted the educational leadership style(s)

of seven African American male educational

leaders from a Southwestern HistoricallyBlack College and University?



Question #3

Which leaders form the past have left animpression on seven African American male

educational leaders from a Southwestern




Question #4

In the face of social, political, or racialadversities, what influenced the decisions of

seven African American male educational

leaders at a Southwestern Historically Black

College and University?



Question #5

What is the essence of the leadership of sevenAfrican American male educational leaders at

a Southwestern Historically Black College and

University?



Question #6

How has the leadership of seven senior AfricanAmerican male educational leaders influenced

students, policy, the development programs,

strategies, and curriculum?



Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study was to conduct a phenomenological investigation that gave voice toseven African American male leaders.

The study examined the emergence of educational leadership and its impact on AfricanAmerican males as perceived, experienced andexercised by African American maleadministrators of a Historically Black College andUniversity HBCU in Southwest Texas.



Significance of the Study

Absence of Black leadership and Black mentors willnot only negatively impact public and post-secondaryschools that educate African American males but willimpact these young men by decreasing their influenceand visibility at the social, political, economical, andeducational levels (Stupak, 2008).

Failure in these areas could ultimately affect thenation as a whole when considering true and timelyreformation.



The researcher conducted a hermeneutical phenomenological study that focused on the lifeexperiences of seven senior African Americanmale educational leaders at an HBCU.

This study may serve as a tool to restore what"excellence in action" looked like in the form of phenomenology. Data collection includedinterviews, documents, and artifacts designed tocapture the essence of each participant.



The desired outcome was four-fold:

1. To foster the meaningful paternal relationships from senior

educational leaders to succeeding generations;

2. To teach and share leadership characteristics with young

male youth of all backgrounds;

3. To encourage African American males to graduate; and

4. To inspire and motivate African American males aspiring

leadership positions in public and higher education.



The study highlighted seven African American male educationalleaders and gave them opportunity to be heard with minimalinterpretation from the researcher.

This study did not reflect the thoughts and opinions of the entireAfrican American male educational leadership population; neither was the narrative experiences of the participants germane to allAfrican American male educational leaders but included the uniqueexperiences of the seven participants of the study.

The study added to the limited body of research on AfricanAmerican male educational leadership among HBCUs in theSouthwest region of the United States.



Personal Statement

According to Moustakas, as cited by Creswell(2007), “the first step toward "phenomenologicalreduction" in the analysis of the data is for theresearcher to set aside all preconceived ideas or experiences in order to best understand theexperiences of the participants” (p. 235).

The researcher therefore shared her experienceswith risk and protective factors that have framedher interpretation of leadership.



Delimitations of the Study

For the purpose of this study, the researcher chose the following criterion for participantselection:

This study looked at seven African Americanmale administrators, therefore eliminating theexperiences and contributions of AfricanAmerican female administrators. The participantsof the study have all served as educational leadersat a Southwestern HBCU.



In addition, the participants of the study arecurrently serving as a professor or

administrator at the university chosen for thestudy. The participants of the study haveserved the HBCU for 30 or more years in theuniversity. Based on the criterion, sevenAfrican American male educational leadersemerged as participants for the study.



Limitations

First, participant's narrative expressions may be limited to the researcher's ability to use

strong and descriptive language in order to

accurately report the experience.



Second, since the study and experiences arespecific to the participants in question, the

reproduction of this study for a larger

population with different demographic and

racial make-up could change the outcome.



Third, since participants shared experiencesfrom the past, their expressions may be limited

to their capacity to recollect information.



Fourth, the study depended upon the honestresponses of the participants while sharing

their experiences.



Fifth, since the four participants are activelyserving as leaders or as teachers, their

availability was limited when scheduling

interviews.



Sixth, the observational protocol asks for occupational information that could potentially

reveal the participants identity. The

participants were given the liberty to answer or

not answer any portion of the questionnaire.



Literature Review

In order to understand the phenomenon of African American male leadership, it is

important to understand their history as a people. The aftermath of slavery, racism, andinequality has left a negative impact on the plight of African American males at theeducational, social, and political levels(Woodson, 2005).



It is important to note that these risk factors

have significantly decreased the pool of

African American males as future leaders in

society (Eatman, 2000; Green, 2001; Wiley,

2001). Racism and inequality has had a major

impact on African Americans and continues toaffect many aspects of their lives.



The literature review began with the history of Black education in the South. The rise andsignificance of Historically Black Colleges andUniversities (HBCU) have led to theestablishment of African American male leadersat the national level.

Leadership styles of African American men wereexamined in addition to their barriers in higher education.



The review also revealed the significance of

mentorship for future generations of African

American males and discussed critical race

and resilience theories. The literature review

concluded by identifying risk factors that

potentially threaten African American males



In general, the following were examined relative to the literature review:

• History of Black Education in the South

• Cricitcal Moments in African American History

• Black Leaders and Politics

• The Jim Crow Laws and Sdegregation

• The Black Power and Civil Rights Movements

• The Black Family and Community

• The Rise of African American Leadership and National Leaders

• Leadership Styles of African American Men

• Frederick Douglas



• Henry Highland Garnet

• Marcus Garvey

• William Edward Burghardt DuBois

• Malcom X

• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

• Educational Leaders of African American HBCUs

• Black Faculty in Higher Education

• African American Male Administrators in Higher education

• A Brief History of a HBCU Educational Leaders

• Leadership Demands



• The Significance of Mentorship for African American Males

•

Critical Race Theory

• Resiliencey theory

• Risk Factors that Threaten African American Male Youth



Methodology

1. Chapter three described the methodology for this study by defining the research

design, participant selection and description, data collection method, and analysis.

2. The researcher described the qualitative methodology used for the study and gave the rationale

for the methodological selection. The research design and the role of the researcher were

also detailed.

3. Data collection included interviews, documents, and artifacts designed to capture the essence

of each participant.



Subjects of the Study

Seven participants were selected based upon criterion sampling

The following criteria were used to determine the participants for the study:

African American male, educational leaders or teachers who became leaders at a

Southwestern HBCU in Texas, served the university for 30 or more years, and currently

serves as an educational leader at the same Southwestern HBCU. Successful African

American male leaders would include the attainment of a doctoral degree, stabilization

of employment at the same institution, held or is holding an educational leadership

position at the university used in the study.



Instrumentation

1. The study required the use of four forms of data:demographic information, interview questions,observations, and vitas. The seven participants of the

study completed a demographic instrument thatincluded familial, educational, and occupationalinformation [see Appendix A].

2. Each participant was asked to complete ademographic instrument prior to scheduling interviews.The instrument includes 30 questions and took approximately 30 minutes to complete.



3. The researcher scheduled three face-to-face in-

depth interview sessions with each participant

comprised of open-ended and semi-structuredinterview questions.

4. The same questions were asked of each participant, and when necessary, a follow-up

question for clarification to a previous response.



5. For the purpose of the study, interview

questions were experience or behavioral in

nature. The researcher interviewed African

American male educational leaders who shared

their past and present experiences and

behaviors which led to their success.



6. Each interview session was audio taped

with the participant's consent. The researcher

used an interview protocol that included the

research questions and space to write notes or

responses. The audio tapes were later

transcribed by the researcher.



7. The observations included artifacts such as photos, letters of excellence in leadership fromsupervisors, peers, and former students, plaques,

awards/programs honoring the participants, and public documents were video-taped at the participants’ office or home.

8. In addition, each participant was asked to provide an updated vita that included work history, publications, and honors.



Data Analysis

Table 1 includes the six research questions thatguided the study and the data collection

instruments. The letters "IQ" represent eachinterview question as they align with eachresearch question.

An X represents data used for triangulation. Theresearch questions were answered in thefollowing manner:



Research question one was answered by interview question one of

the interview instruments. The observations, artifacts, and vitas were

used for triangulation and verification purposes.

Research question two was answered by interview questions two.

Research question three was answered by interview question four.



Research question four was answered by interview question three.

Research question five was answered by interview questions seven

and eight.

Research question six was answered by interview question six. Theinformation from the participants' observations, vitas, and artifacts

were used for triangulation purposes.



Table 1 Data Collection __________________________________________________________________________________

Question No. Interview Instrument Observations of Artifacts Vita __________________________________________________________________________________

Research Question 1 IQ 1 X X

Research Question 2 IQ 2Research Question 3 IQ 4

Research Question 4 IQ 3

Research Question 5 IQ 7 & 8

Research Question 6 IQ5& 6 X X

__________________________________________________________________________________

Note. Research questions will be answered by the interview instrument (IQ). The X represents data that will be used for

triangulation. Demographic information and a Vita will also be collected.



The analysis of the data was guided by CriticalRace, Resilience, and mentorship theories. The

process began by bracketing or suspending theresearcher's personal bias concerning leadership.

The researcher read and horizontalized the

transcribed interview responses and observations by describing how the participants hadexperienced leadership.



Triangulation was employed to validate thefindings. The researcher used secondary data,

such as observations, demographicinformation, artifacts, and vitas.

Once the data was analyzed, the results werereported through a combination of narrationand tables.



Data Analysis

Chapter four contains the narration of the

historical, social, and reflective aspects of

leadership among seven African American maleeducational leaders and how they overcame

barriers in the attainment of their career goals.

The seven participants currently serve at an

HBCU as administrators, educators, or both.



The data analysis process began with uploading allaudio-taped interviews into the researcher’s computer.

An individual file was created for each participantwith the letter A representing participant1, letter B for

participant 2, letter C for participant 3, letter D for participant 4, letter E for participant 5, letter F for participant 6, and letter G for participant 7. A similar file was created for the participants’ observations of artifacts.



• Unclear Information????????

• Pg. 17



The Participants

• ????????????????????



Research Questions The researcher of the following questions for the study:

1. What is the evolution of leadership over the

past three decades of seven African American





2. What critical moments in history have

impacted the educational leadership style(s) of


leaders from a Southwestern Historically

Black College and University?



3. Which leaders form the past have left an

impression on seven African American male





4. In the face of social, political, or racial

adversities, what influenced the decisions of






5. What is the essence of the leadership of






6. How has the leadership of seven senior

African American male educational leaders

influenced policy over the years/ helped

develop program, strategies, curriculum, or

theories?



Narrative Responses

1. When and how did your journey toward leadership begin?

2. Throughout your life, what social, educational, or political risk factors did you

experience as potential road-blocks in the pursuit of your career goals and how did

you overcome them?

3. What do you contribute to most of your ability to overcome barriers throughout your career as an

educational leader?

4. During your life as a young man, who were the leaders that inspired you, whatqualities did they

possess and how did these qualities influence your leadership?



5. How do you think African American male educational leadership adds value to the mainstream

of society?

6. Provide examples of how your legacy has impacted the lives of students/former

students by implementation of leadership programs, strategies, curriculum, and theories

targeted toward African American males. Describe policies, political office, or positions of

power that assisted seven educational leaders in becoming change agents of local, state, or

national policy.

7. Describe what it means to be an African American male in leadership position that helped

pave the way for African American males.



What keeps the seven African American male

educational leaders continuing their life of service at anHBCU? While in high school, I can't remember which

grade levels, my friend and I would rotate from being president and vice president of the class.

Of course, those were elected positions by the student body. So again, that was based on people encouraging

me along the way to always use my talents. My peersrecognized that I had something to offer. They were theones who actually elected me to those positions.



Research Question #1

What was the evolution of leadership over the

past three decades of seven African American





Participant A

I believe my journey toward leadership actually started when I

was probably in elementary school. I think some of my

teachers recognized that I had a gift for teaching. I wasactually, I guess, a kind of peer tutor. I didn't know what I was

doing back then in those days; I was just doing what I was

asked to do. When I think about it though, that's how they

utilized the gift that I had to support other students. I think thatwas when my journey toward leadership began.



Participant B

I suppose it began when I started participating as anathlete in school. It was in elementary school…physicaleducation, when I started playing sports. I found thatmy teammates asked me to do certain things, or be incharge of certain things. They would say such things as,“let me be on your team.” I guess you would call that

the quality of a leader, when others want to be withyou. That was where I first started noticing myself.



Participant C

I would say that my leadership journey began in

high school. When I was growing up in the rural,segregated South, I participated in a program which

was called the “New Farmers of America” (NFA).

As part of that we went through leadership training,

we were taught leadership skills and given

opportunities to participate in leadership training.



Participant D

Most of my interaction was with family, and I

think leadership kind of started from this

interaction. My great-grandfather was

instrumental in my pursuit of education because

he developed one of the first Black schools here

in Waller County.



Participant E

Unfortunately, my mother died when I was eight years old, so

my aunt, who was my father’s sister, came to live with us. She

was a teacher, and she really inspired me to be a teacher without a direct influence.

Apparently, somebody recognized leadership skills within me

and felt that I could make a contribution. I seized upon theopportunity to serve, and whatever I participated in, I always

gave it my best.



Participant F

Well, I think I was born a leader really. I always

wanted to do the best at whatever I set my mindto accomplish; it was just a natural thing.



Participant G

My journey toward leadership began in college

when I was exposed to one person in particular

coach. As a young boy, the coach would allow

me to watch the team practice. I had a great

amount of respect for him and the way he led

that team.




What critical moments in history have impacted

the educational leadership styles(s) of sevenAfrican American male educational leaders from


University?



Interview Question 2

What social, educational, or political risk factorsdid you view as potential road-blocks in the

pursuit of your career goals?



Participant A

Growing up, I can recall the separate water

fountains. I can recall having to ride in the back

of the bus. We always had to make sure we

carried food. When we were on trips, we couldn't

always and didn't know when we would have

places to stop.



There was nothing to compare it to because

you didn't know any other way of life. I was in

college. I couldn't understand why the Black

administrators, the counselors, and the senior

English teachers at the high school, were given

positions of lesser authority and prestige.



Participant B

Well, the Jim Crow Law itself was an unconstitutionallaw that said certain things about a human and I grew

up with that law. That law said that you were not equalto other people, but it afforded an opportunity for youto develop your potentials country. The fact that it wasa man, a male, it influenced many Black males to take

an opportunity to participate in manhood, to participatein standing for something that they felt was just andright



Participant C

Well, communities were segregated. We had Black

leadership in the Black community. We had Black

neighborhoods and Black businesses, even in the small

towns. You could easily identify leadership started with

the churches. The churches were always a powerful force

in the community. Those individuals were the outgoing people, the people with resources. So they were looked up

to as leaders in the Black community.



Participant D

During my formative years, racism was prevalent, but I

was never exposed to it. Even though we heard about the

racial turmoil of the nation, we were sheltered within our

communities and them in theirs. We just accepted it as a

way of life. If there’s something blocking my path, I

believed that I could still get there some kind of way. Onehas to work around the obstacles in order to reach their

destination. I never recognized the challenges of racism,



Participant E

In the era in which I grew- up, if you were aspiring to be a leader, you

were aspiring to be a leader in the context of a Jim Crow and not a

world situation. The Jim Crow Era afforded myriads of male rolemodels as teachers since career options were limited.

I think that the integration we fought for as a race hurt us as White

public schools took the best Black teachers and placed them where

predominately White students were taught. Before these moments inmy life, I believed in participatory democracy. I didn’t see any major

obstacle to keep me from getting to the point I wanted to be.



Participant F

One of the things I felt was awesome during segregation

was that we had the HBCUs. As a result of the Civil

Rights Movement, the doors opened and gave us an

opportunity to prove our capability of handling situations

that faced us. The negative part of the movement was that

some people probably would not have put us in positionswe had the capabilities of fulfilling. These moments in

history did not alter my leadership style.



Participant G

Growing up in the Black community had given us such a strong

foundation. Having strong mentors and role models that demonstrated

excellence in their field was a source of inspiration for me. The Civil

Rights Movement had a great impact.

It allowed African American males to demonstrate their leadership, Dr.

King used his logic and reasoning in understanding how to move the

African American community toward equality. I haven't changed my

leadership philosophy; so, if you ask me today what my leadership style is,

I'd say my leadership style is open and transparent.

R h Q i #3




Which leaders from the past have left an

impression on seven African American male





Participant A

There were the principals of the school that inspired

me, and certainly my father and mother. Mymentors were my minister, Dr. Martin Luther King

Jr., Presidents Kennedy, Eisenhower, and, later,

Ronald Reagan So, I think that the people that

inspired me were people who provided leadership in

such a way that got the job done.



Participant B

There is a laundry list of males who inspired me. There were

coaches, physical teachers, principals, spiritual leaders,

gentlemen in the community, presidents of my university, and presidents who were my fraternity brothers. Those were the

kinds of people that I gravitated to. For me, it goes back to the

people who were your mentors and those you respected and

wanted to be like. If I were to describe them…they all hadintegrity and self-discipline; their demeanor seemed to be so

fair and just.



Participant C

My father brought us up fearing God, and he taught us to work

for what you want. I was inspired in college when I started to

learn about Martin Luther King, Ralph Abernathy, JulianBond, Andy Young, and some of the mega-church leaders. The

thing that I saw was good, righteous, upstanding, family

values, educated men. That’s what I wanted to be. And, I

remember watching Martin Luther King. He was willing tosacrifice all of that to help bring others along.



Participant D

While growing up in the country, I was exposed to Sam Tucker, a Black

cowboy. At a young age, I would have liked to have patterned my life

after his. He was a strong Black man, who would tell stories of how hegrew up. He was just a strong person. His demeanor was so calm...he

was just an outstanding person. He took responsibility for his wife,

worked at the ranch, and took care of his people. As a foreman, he

made sure everyone worked together well at the ranch. He was hard-

working. His style was not authoritative and you never heard himholler at anyone; he would just go to work.



Participant E

I, undoubtedly, attribute my ascension into administration

to the president of the university at the time. I had no

aspirations to be an administrator, but I rose to the

occasion when my talents and abilities were needed. He

had well-organized and well-defined goals. Once a task is

started, it must be finished. Dr. Thomas emphasized thesevirtues while he served as president for sixteen years.



Participant F

Well, my inspiration to be a leader came from my dad. He was

the embodiment of a champion. I had role models during high

school and college that had a great impact on me. Whileattending the university as a student, I had three Black

professors who became my mentors. I had an outstanding

example of leadership from the president of the university at

the time. They were caring. You could touch them, they wereapproachable, and they were all about the kids.



Participant G

Dr. Patterson was one of the leaders that I really admired. Patterson

then went on to become the president of Hampton University and he

helped organized the Negro College Fund. One of my professors of biology at the university was another mentor of mine. The president

was good at bringing quality leaders to the university. I was so

impressed with the administrators and teachers at the university. Their

educational level was second to none. So, I was exposed to many great

teachers and leaders who inspired me to become an educator. They justhad the winning philosophy.

R h Q ti #4




In the face of social, political, or racial

adversities, what influenced the decisions of

seven African American male educationalleaders from a Southwestern Historically

Black College and University?



Participant A

Whenever something comes up, I still kind of weigh the risks involved.

There are certain things you have to do, whether the risk is high or low, because it's something you have to do. I think I've been blessed with

abilities to recognize that I do have strengths and weaknesses.

I also recognize that barriers are often self-imposed. I guess I don't see

a lot of barriers. It may be a slight detour where it may cause you toslow down in pursuing something, but it's not a barrier.



Participant B

There may be a term called demands, but I don't see them as

barriers. I see them as demands to be successful. And, if you

wish to be successful in this arena, these are the demands youhave to meet.

For example: If you learn what is correct, even though the law

said I'm not privileged to mix with you, I'm not denied theopportunity to know what you know because leadership

qualities and skills are not owned by anybody.



Participant C

I would say my faith in God… I don't talk about it a lot, but that's been

the big stabilizer for me. Going through many challenges, I could

always know that going back to Bible scripture and reading myfavorites would give me comfort in knowing that in the end, I'm going

to be okay.

When I saw the direction, the impact that segregation, now

desegregation, was having, it made me change my thinking. These jobsare not going to be there for me in the future. So, I thought maybe I

should set my sights on the college level.



Participant D

It’s hard to answer why those experiences didn’t stop me… I

guess it’s like going from here to that building outside. I can

walk straight, or I can go around to get to the building. If there’s something blocking my path, I believed that I could

still get there some kind of way. Racism was one of those

factors. One has to work around the obstacles in order to reach

their destination. I never recognized the challenges of racism;I knew I would reach my goals one way or another.



Participant E

One has to keep a positive frame of mind. I’ve never been a

negative person. I speak positively and look on the bright side

of things. If you have confidence in your ability, then you willwork toward accomplishing your goals. When I was in

college, I went to Black schools and White students went to

White schools. I finished college in the 1950’s and went to

graduate school, but did not find this arrangement to be ahandicap; I discovered that it was strength.



Participant F

My dedication to education has helped students to understand

that they can't get anywhere without working hard and to be

the best that they can be. I teach those ideas, and demonstrateto them what it takes to be a great thinker. I teach them to have

a positive attitude, and that if anybody else could do it, they

could, too. We don't have that kind of enrichment of Black

professors anymore. It's scary that nobody cares about our Black. I put blood, sweat and tears into my students. I work

night and day trying to help them.



Participant G

Having knowledge and being educated were factors that

helped me to overcome challenges, in addition to and

having strong mentors and role models that demonstrated

excellence in their field. This was a source of inspiration

for me. So, yes, there were laws, and we knew those laws;

but we were intelligent enough to abide by them, and notallow the laws to subjugate us to inferiority.





What is the essence of the leadership of seven

African American male educational leaders at


University?



Participant A

I see it as a big responsibility. I think being in a position to

encourage younger Black males to do the best they can.

I'm trying to do is to make sure that younger Black males

get as many experiences and take advantage of

opportunities that come up. I just worry when I see Black

males that are being placed in positions where they maynot have that same kind of encouragement, which is why I

take mentoring very seriously.



Participant B

I would probably sum it up, for me… if I can help somebody,

let me do that. When a male sees me, I'd like for him to see

and desire to use many of those strategies that he sees withinme. We have to set examples as leaders to inspire them to

emulate the qualities of a leader; therefore, we must lead

correctly. There are many people who are leaders, but their

behavior is unacceptable. Therefore, African American maleswho are looking at those types of leaders need to be careful of

what they choose.



Participant C

In my graduate school days, we talked about how we were

treated different, had different expectations, but at the same

time, we had a responsibility to stand strong. What I mean wasthat there was always been a double or triple standard.

Standards are not the same if you're a Black man. So, I learned

that it's not really as much of the position that you're in; it's

what you do with the one you have. The example I set was todo all I could to the best of my ability wherever I was.



Participant D

Serving as an African American educational leader means having the

ability to impact the lives of people. The heart of my leadership has

been the power to “impact”. If you look at a medical doctor, while hemay be the one who is making the impact, he can only touch one

person at a time.

But, as an educator, you have the potential to reach twenty, thirty,

forty, or perhaps a hundred people at one time. So, impacting the livesof people... that is the key. That is what educational leadership means to

me.



Participant E

I think we are here to make a contribution. You have to

make some type of impact on society. And if you’re going

to do it, you give your best to the people with whom you

are interacting.

The students are our clientele. If you made any impact,then you should certainly inspire the student to pursue the

profession to which they aspire.



Participant F

It feels great. It's a joy. It's outstanding, considering the impact

that I've had on young people at the University and beyond. I

have encouraged them to come to my alma mata.

The journey has been great and as I sit back and reflect, I

know I didn't cheat my students. They were successful all

across the country because they had the backgroundknowledge. I thank God for that and it's a blessing for me.



Participant G

“I think it was an accomplishment.”





How has the leadership of senior African

American male educational leaders influenced

students, policy, the development of programs,

strategies, and curriculum?



Participant A

For society, in general, I think the African American

population brings the ability to solve problems that may

come from a different perspective. How did we survive

during the Jim Crow era?

How did we survive when people thought we were lessthan human? I think just that “survival instinct” is

something we can bring to the table.



Participant B

The importance of that is to serve as a role

model. There is a disconnect in what I think theyoung Black male today, based upon the period

in time in which they are growing up, in that

they have tried to redefine some basic things like

respect, integrity, and honesty.



Participant C

Well, even now, we’ve made a lot of progress, but there’s still

a lot of work to be done with this whole issue of race. As

African Americans, we were taught to get an education, butthat was still not enough...opportunities still won’t be equal.

So you basically have to out work your competition, and be

twice as good; you have to understand going in. You canovercome some of that, but you've got to be willing to work

extra hard to overcome the inequality.



Participant D

The truth is “uncompromising” discipline…That’s probably

the best description of what African American male leaders

offer. In my opinion, this quality kind of sums up whatPresident Obama represents: truthful, uncompromising

discipline, which indicates that he knows what needs to be

done. The President has people challenging him in many

different ways, yet he demonstrates the strong ability to listento them. Even as President of the United States of America,

Barack Obama is still denied the respect he deserves.



Participant E

First of all, there is a great need for the representation of role models

among all ethnic groups. I believe that seeing various ethnic groups in

leadership roles provides hope and the possibility of being successful in

life.

If young adults have never witnessed someone from their ethnic

background in certain positions of authority, then their aspirations

could be limited. For example: witnessing President Barack Obama asthe President of the United States of America was a historical event for

African-Americans.



Participant F

When people of other groups recognize our accomplishments

as African-Americans, they are amazed. Schools don't teach

Black history to White students, Asians, or whatever, so theydon't know that Black people have made significant

contributions to society.

President Obama has made an impact now, but the struggle toovercome had already been established by Dr. King and others

in what they had done for society.



Participant G

The first thing that educational leaders must

understand is that they're not bosses, they’releaders. Leaders command they don't demand.

As a leader, you have to clearly understand and

become familiar with the people that you're

working with and the people you're serving.





How has the leadership of seven African

American male educational leaders influenced

students, policy, the development of programs,strategies, and curriculum from a Southwestern




(part two-policy/programs, etc)

Participant A

Well, I’ll give one example: the Capital

Campaign…. We raised $33 million when the

economy was down. I was on the Faculty Advisory

Committee. We suggested policies for the school;

and I was also on the district’s Consultation

Committee.



Participant B

In my case, individuals are privileged to write an acknowledgment in their research

papers in my class. I have just hundreds of acknowledgments that express their

appreciation for helping me to conduct research correctly.

For the 55 years that I've been here, I've been able to lead in some of the highest

levels of leadership because of the reputation that I have developed in high school

and by men who served as my mentors. I've been privileged to have a reputation of

someone that knows how to get a job done as it relates to leadership. When you

look at my legacy, when you look at my background, people have voted me into

those positions.



Participant C

I'm proud that I was responsible for a program that started back in the early

80s in 1982, the Research Apprentice Program (RAP). Now, We also exposed

the students to role models and mentors, field trips, industries, and other

places; A lot of PhDs, MDs and JDs have come to the program and are very,very successful.

Probably one of the highest positions that I've served, I served as chair of a

committee called the Experimental Station Committee on Policy back in 2005-

2006. We had a lot to do with the formation of the 2008 Farm Bill, in whichwe set policies and programs that impacted agriculture; I was an integral part

of writing that.



Participant D

Well, some of my former students have went on to obtain their Ph

Ds . I guess over eighteen years, I can say that I helped in the

development of the electrical engineering curriculum and pushedfor the establishment of seven engineering labs; When I was

serving as the interim dean, I presented the administration with

the Masters in Electrical Engineering with the possibility of

designing a PhD in a few years. So, I introduced the concept and

the information on how to get the program started.



Participant E

In fifty-eight years I have touched a lot of students. I

imagine, at that time, I am sure there are at least 400 or

500 physicians that I have taught, and it’s something to be

proud of. At one time, every student that went to medical

school had to take my class. As the department head, I

was involved in curriculum changes in biology, whichincluded faculty members.



Participant F

Just about all the kids in engineering were

influenced by me because they were required to take

my class. This number also included high schools

across the state of Texas and other schools in the

nation. As a faculty, we have been able to write

proposals and get grants for millions of dollars to

sponsor programs and the students in the programs.



Participant G

I have a list of students who have graduated and gone to

medical school from 2000-2011, and it reads as follows: the

University of Texas Medical Branch, Tulane University,Baylor College of Medicine, Boston University College of

Medicine, Brown University Program of Medicine, Howard

University, Indiana University, John Hopkins School of

Medicine, Meharry Medical College, Michigan StateUniversity of Medicine, New York College of Osteopathic

Medicine,.



Ohio University, Oklahoma State School of

Osteopathic Medicine, Philadelphia College of

Osteopathic Medicine, Russia Medical,Temple University, Texas A&M University,

Texas Tech University,



The University of California, University of

Cincinnati School of Medicine, University of

Florida College of Medicine, the list goes onand on. Participant G has a list of over 200 of

his former students who have gone on to

medical schools across the nation

Findings, Implications, and Recommendations

A l i



Data Analysis

The analysis yielded six common themes thatwere identified as protective factors to the successof the seven participants of the study:

a. Recognition of and opportunities for leadership;

b. Recognition of the positive and negativeimpact of segregation integration;



c. Community, family, and national leaders as mentors;

d. Negative risk factors were not acknowledged as

roadblocks;

e. African American males impact and continued service to

youth;

f. Influence inside and outside of the school community

(See Figure 1).

Common Themes



A. Recognition and Opportunities for Leadership

The evolution of the leadership of all seven participants seems to have

originated during their formative years as early as elementary school.

Six out of the seven participants pointed out that significant

individuals such as teachers, peers or administrators recognized their talents and leadership qualities and appointed or elected them into

leadership positions.

It was during segregation in Black schools that

each participant was given the opportunity to recognize experiences

and exercise their leadership ability.



• Insert Chart (common themes)



These men pursued education as a career path by

influence or limited job opportunities. During their tenure at the University, as young men, they were given

the opportunity to fill leadership positions at an HBCU.Some participants were thrust or allowed opportunitiesto fill positions without full pay.

They took on the responsibilities and title of a specific position yet did not receive the pay for the position.



B. Recognized Negative and Positive Impacts of Segregation and Integration

All seven participants agreed that the Jim Crow era had

accomplished its mission of establishing a culture of inequality

and separatism that eventually became the norm.

On the contrary, all seven of the participants agreed that

segregation and the laws became a protective factor by

providing African American males the opportunity to exercisetheir leadership and manhood by solving political and social

problems that the nation's leaders would not address.



Although the aftermath of discrimination and

inequality were experienced throughout their lives, theseven participants did not view such critical momentsin history for African Americans as risk factors or

barriers to their success.

Five out of the seven participants agreed that thestruggles that they had to endure did not affect their

philosophy of leadership because it had already beenestablished through their list of mentors and rolemodels.



Two out of the seven participants noted that during the

early stages of their leadership, they were autocratic in their approach to later developed as a more democratic andeclectic approach.

The issues that were presented during their livedexperiences were viewed as challenges that could bedefeated through faith and belief that they could overcome,financial independence, knowledge, taking risks for the sake

of the cause, in dynamic examples who understood themission to cultivate a strong African American nation.



C. Community, Family, and National Leaders as Mentors

The seven participants stated their mentors and

role models were a kaleidoscope of local and

national leaders at the familial, community,educational, spiritual and national level. Family

members and educational leaders/teachers had the

most significant impact on four out of the seven participants that mentioned family as a variable.



Out of the seven participants, five identified

teachers and educational administrators as

mentors and role models. The participantsexpressed how their mentors lead by example

by way of integrity, discipline, teamwork, goal

orientation, perseverance, education, andcompassion.



The lives of these men and women were so

compelling that the seven participants were

inspired to imitate the qualities andcharacteristics they saw exercised by their

mentors and role models, which became the

foundation and later, the bedrock of their leadership.



The majority of the participants of the

researchers study also attributed their career success in the field of education to parents,

teachers, administrators, and national leaders

during pivotal moments in Black history.



According to the participants of the

researcher’s study, African American

communities were powerful and developedoutstanding educational values when they

embraced the same ideals as a collective group

with 100% buy-in.



Five out of the seven participants compared

the current state of the African Americancommunity to that of their youth and

recognized the potential reasons for the drastic

change.



One participant felt strongly that the African

American community lost some of its sense of

direction when national leaders wereassassinated. No alternative leader was in

place that practiced King’s non-violent

movement. This caused the African Americancommunity to lack a sense of direction.



Another participant concluded that after African

Americans gained a degree of rights and equality,though not complete, the struggle to fight for a

just cause diminished.

He believes this slowed the momentum of

continuing to gain knowledge, exercising anddemanding excellence from oneself and the valueof community and church.



Although all seven participants are actively

engaged in mentoring African American makeyouth, the degree, impact and results of their

mentoring has not been quantified.

The study revealed that mentoring was a strong

predictor of success for African American males.Further study on the practices and roles of university’s mentorship programs was needed.



D. Negative Risk Factors Not Acknowledged as Roadblocks

As it pertains to social, political, and racial barriers

that had the potential to serve as a roadblock to the participant success, five out of the seven participants did

not recognize barriers as a force to circumvent their career

goals but as opportunities to exercise their faith, acquire

their knowledge to meet the demands of unjust laws, the

positive, and develop strong work ethics.



Two out of the seven mentioned the

importance of role models and faith in God as

protective factors in overcoming barriers tosuccess. The participants of the study had

access to an array of positive role models and

strong family connections.



E. African American Males Continued Service to Impact Youth

When asked about the importance of African

American males as educational leaders to

society, the commonality among the seven

participants' responses was the “survival

instinct” in overcoming challenges.



The participants describe such instinct asresiliency, role modeling for assurance of corevalues, education, double standard work ethics,uncompromising discipline, and effective people skills. Possessing the ability toovercome barriers from a different cultural

perspective enabled Participant A to bounce back from the impact of unjust laws.



Participants B, C and D felt that serving as role

models helps to guide and preserve values that

define manhood. Participant F postulated thatthe absence of African American history in

mainstream schools have robbed society of the

rich contribution and intellect of AfricanAmericans.



The participants of the researcher’s study who

stepped down from their administrative roles

and are back in the classroom reported havingmore satisfaction and an even greater potential

to touch the lives of students who need to see

examples of successful African-American maleleaders.



F. Influence Inside and Outside of the School Community

Over 30 years of experience in educational leadership in the area of the

endowments and grant proposals were represented by four out of the

seven participants such as the “Capital Campaign”, agriculture and biology grant proposals.

These funds provide scholarships for students and fund programs and

research projects. Seven out of the seven participants either developed

policy or curriculum at the university, state, or national level.



All seven participants expressed their

fulfillment in serving as mentors/role models to

their students. The medical profession/schoolsacross the nation have accepted a myriad of

students because of the reputation established by

two of the participants.



The same is true of the engineering program.

One of the seven participants of the study had

the opportunity to impact his son who nowserves society as a medical doctor. Six out of

the seven participants had former students who

started in their program and have earneddegrees at the Master’s and PhD level.



While only a few participants of the

researchers study have had an impact onsociety at the local, state, national andinternational levels, however, all seven of the participants agreed that influencing, serving,and shaping the lives of students was their

primary goal and the reason they lookedforward to coming to work every day.

HBCUs Helped Prepare Students for Success



According to the participants, HBCUs werehavens during segregation because provided

examples of great educational role models,

exposed African Americans to what was taking place in mainstream society as it related to the

establishment of new organizations (i.e. Boy

Scouts, scholastic events) and major

educational events among African American

community across the nation.



• Resilience Factors ??????????????



Numerous articles confirm the researcher’sfindings that six out of the seven participants

began their career in leadership/ teaching at an

HBCU and thus, have made significantcontributions to the university and have

mentored and influenced numerous students’

in the actualization of their career goals. Four

out of the seven participants considered...



Dedication to Excellence and Strong Work Ethics

According to Fraizer (2009), African American male

administrators have gone through many challengesduring their leadership journey as it relates to racism and

injustice, yet maintained their resiliency in

attaining their career goals.



This study confirms the researcher’s findings

in that such barriers encouraged the

development of resiliency through faith, strongwork ethics, a positive mental attitude,

education, a strong self-concept through

segregated schools, and access to educationand powerful role-models and mentors.



Many participants were not privileged to

have their college tuition paid for, so they had

to work and save the money or join the service.This concept goes back to the idea that nothing

in life is free. True success means putting forth

a significant amount of effort and mentaldiscipline.



These men’s goals were crystallized as well.

They knew they wanted to pursue education but didn’t realize they would end up aseducational leaders at an HBCU. Many participants have held and continue to hold anadministrative position. Most are back in the

classrooms as teachers and some as leadersand teachers.



Injustice Gave Birth to the Demand to be Successful

Five out of the seven participants did not

recognize barriers as a force to circumvent their career goals but as opportunities to exercise their

faith, acquire their knowledge to meet the demands

of unjust laws, the positive, and develop strongwork ethics.



Taking Risks for What One Believes is Fair and Just

The participants similarly overlooked societal

barriers and channeled their knowledge effortstoward the acquisition of their personal goals

and aspirations.



Faith in God, Education and Role Models

At the high school and collegiate level, and

beginning of PhD level, participants had

successful male role models who believed,

advised, and interacted with them. Some African

American national and state leaders had an

indirect impact that helped frame some

participants’ journeys toward leadership.



The participants of this study also found that

parents, role models, and teachers/instructors

played a significant role in their decision to become an educator, while some had no

choice.



Having a solid family structure was a positive

factor to the success of 27% of the participants.

Having a father that led by example by way of teaching hard work ethics, commitment tocompleting a task, supporting and providing for

the family, modeling excellence, and maintainingtheir integrity through the times of social, political, and educational challenges.

Summary Conclusions/ Impact on Researcher



The participant’s resilency speaks tosubsequent generations that life is aboutaccessing proper guidance and making rightchoices. The lives of these men also taught thatlife comes with its set of challenges and set- backs, but faith, dedication, and hard work;

one can develop the resiliency to overcome barriers to success.



Their leadership qualities were recognized

during their formative years by family, peers,teachers, and coaches, which played a critical

role in their leadership development.



The participant’s example of integrity,

dedication, and commitment to excellence has become an instrument to those whom they

serve and have served.



Through this phenomenological experience,

African American males as a whole, can beviewed in a positive light because there is aleadership attributes within each of them as professional educators. I found these sevenleaders to be strong, bold, confident, yet a

gentle composition of the human race…livinglegacies…the essence of leadership.

Opportunities to Demonstrate Leadership



Just like these powerful men were given

opportunities to demonstrate leadership at the

primary, secondary, and collegiate levels, andschool officials should build supportive

relationships and get to know the strengths of

their African American male population tocreate opportunities to exercise their talents.



Adolescents need to believe that they are valued and

can make a difference in the world in which they live by having the opportunity to serve others.

Educational practitioners would help set the foundationfor building a strong self-image by developingleadership characteristics, which would enhance the

support of African American male peers. This couldincrease the chances of African American males stayingin school and completing high school.

African American Mentorship Program



Most of the participants mentor students

either in the classroom, as advisors, or on aone-on-one basis.



In order to reach more young Black males and

increase the retention/graduation rates, perhapsa mentorship program can be developed at theuniversity that would build positivecollaboration between the university's pool of African American male educational leaders

and African American male students from thefreshman to the senior level.

Impact and Influence/ “Dual Role in Education”



African American male educational leaders

should consider balancing administration in

creating opportunities to teach at theUniversity as well. Dual roles could increase

the chances of impacting more male students

to stay on the right track and not be susceptible

to making wrong choices.

Recommendations for Further Study



1. A study could be conducted on African

American male educational leaders who have

served 30+ years at a PWI.

2. A study could be conducted on African American

male educational leaders’ contributions and

influence at national private institutions.



3. A study could be conducted on AfricanAmerican male educational leadership and

influence at community colleges across the

nation.

4. A study could be conducted on the students’

perceptions of African American male

educational leaders at an HBCU.



5. A study could be conducted on African Americanmale students’ perception of African American

male educational leaders as mentors and role

models.

6. A study could be conducted on the contributions

and influences of African American female

educational leaders who have served 30+ years atan HBCU.



7. A study could be conducted on thecontributions and influence of African

American female educational leaders at a

PWI.

8. A study could be conducted on African

American female educational leaders and their

role as mentors and role models for African

American female students at an HBCU.



9. A study could be conducted on African Americanfemale educational leaders and their role as

mentors and role models for African American

female students at a PWI.

10. A study could be conducted on the African

American female students and their perceptions

of African American female educational leadersas mentors and role models.



11. A study could be conducted on minoritystudents’ perceptions of African American male

educational leaders as mentors and role models

at an HBCU.

12. A study could be conducted on the minority

students’ perception of African American male

educational leaders as mentors and role modelsin the South of North America.



Thank You



Documents

Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, PhD Dissertation Chair for Mary Ann Springs, Doctoral Defense PPT