Rethinking and Reframing Leadership of Historically Black Colleges and Universities: A Distributed Perspective

De Witt Scott, Resche Hines

Education in Educational Leadership Department, Chicago State University, Chicago, USA.
Institutional Research and Effectiveness Department, Stetson University, DeLand, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/ce.2014.513128                

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.

Keywords

HBCUs, Higher Education Leadership, Distributed Leadership, Higher Education Administration

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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