Voices from the Field: Women of Color Presidents in Higher Education
Women of color presidents and chancellors describe how their race and gender has affected their careers and suggest ways to diversify the college presidency.
In 2017 the American College on Education, in partnership with the TIAA Institute, released the eighth edition of the American College President Study, which provides a comprehensive view of the college presidency. Findings from the study show women’s representation in the presidency has nearly tripled since 1986, although women remain underrepresented. Moreover, only 5% of all presidents are women of color. To explore the reasons for this slow growth, ACE interviewed four women of color who currently serve as presidents or chancellors. The resulting report, “Voices from the Field,” captures those conversations and offers unique perspectives on ways race and gender shape attitudes and choices across academia.
The American Council on Education conducted semi-structured interviews with four women of color leaders: Roslyn Clark Artis, president of Benedict College (SC); Waded Cruzado, president of Montana State University; Judy Miner, chancellor of Foothill-De Anza Community College District (CA); and Judy Sakaki, president of Sonoma State University (CA). Transcripts of these interviews, edited for clarity, appear in this report.