Historically, women have been disenfranchised in many ways across societies around the globe. The US is no exception, especially when it comes to the role that women play as academic leaders in higher education. Women of color fare even more poorly across university campuses at a time when demographic changes pertaining to race, ethnicity, and gender are evolving. In this context, institutions of higher education (IHEs) committed to a more socially just agenda should do all that is possible to narrow the gap of who is securing academic leadership roles in higher education. Even when progress has been made to have more women in academic leadership positions, IHEs preparing to welcome a new student demographic need to be intentional about removing barriers that keep deserving women of color from advancing in academic roles.
At times, however, leaders may be missing the mark by not properly engaging in an in-depth internal scan of the human resources and capital already on their campuses. Leaders can provide opportunities to support faculty of color in their professional advancement, which can lead to increased faculty retention and employment satisfaction. Taking this action matters as students of diverse backgrounds want successful role models who look just like them. Stories of success intended to attract faculty, staff, and students of color need to be included and celebrated across the overall linguistic landscape of university campuses. Only then may the new student demographic start believing that academic and professional success can be, indeed, achieved.
