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On the Market for a Deanship

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By Doris V. Pendleton

I have spent the last three years as the head of one of the largest departments at our small regional university. I accepted the position while still an untenured assistant professor -- a major gamble on my part, but I earned tenure and promotion during my first year as chairwoman.

I am entering the job market this fall in search of a position either as a provost or a dean. Lest you think I am overreaching, let me point out that as chairwoman, I have been responsible for overseeing our programs at four different locations and for managing more than 35 full-time faculty members and about 900 students. The magnitude of that work is greater than that of several of the deans on our campus and of the vice president at my daughter's small liberal-arts college in the South.

During my first year as chairwoman, colleagues in other departments questioned me about applying for deanships. They often expressed their belief that it would be easy for me to find such a position as an African-American female with my educational background, research abilities, and experience.

I assured them that one day I would apply, but that the timing had to be right for me and for my family. For several years now, I have been a single parent, rearing five children. At the completion of my doctoral program seven years ago, I vowed to give them the stability they needed in order to complete high school. By the end of this academic year, four of them will have graduated from school and two from college. The youngest will still be in elementary school. Suddenly the time seems as right as it will ever be.

Over the past two years, the university has invested in my development as a leader and a manager. However, I am convinced that my institution does not truly want leaders, but mere managers who have to ask permission to make small and often insignificant decisions about routine activities. That's one reason why, while I want to move up the ranks of academic administration, I don't necessarily want to do so at my current university.

I had an opportunity last summer to attend an institute that prepares women for leadership roles in higher education. Leaders of the institute encouraged us to aspire to become college presidents. Little did they know that I arrived at the institute with that idea in mind. My family had already begun to encourage me to start thinking about, and preparing myself for, such a position.

One of the assignments at the summer institute was to map out our career goals for the next 20 years or until retirement. That career map was to include all of the obstacles, both personal and professional, that could affect our attaining our goals. It also included acknowledging some of the limitations that women often face as we attempt to make career advances at our current institutions.

The exercise turned out to be one of the most meaningful activities of the summer. I was able to put into writing what I truly think I am capable of accomplishing, the activities I need to complete, and a timetable for reaching my goals.

Beginning the job search this fall is the first step. For months I have contemplated the pros and cons of making a move at this time in my life. I have thought about the effects that it will have on my department as well as on my family. I have sought to answer many questions about what life would be like at a different institution.

I have also thought about the experiences, talents, skills, and abilities that I will bring to a deanship or vice presidency. I have come to understand that those attributes, and not necessarily my race or gender, will help to open doors of opportunity for me as I conduct my search. While I do not consider myself to be cocky or arrogant, I am confident in my ability to lead and to make a difference for college students.

I welcome the challenge. I have discussed my career plans with my dean and with a mentor from my doctoral program. Both have encouraged me to go for it and have offered to write letters of recommendation on my behalf. I am fortunate to have their support as well as their friendship.

While my dean has expressed his concern about losing me, he thinks I am ready to take on a greater leadership role. My mentor continues to stress the need for individuals in leadership roles who are sensitive and fair in their dealings with others. Those are traits that he associates with me.

As I look for a new job this fall, I will use all of the resources available to me, including the contacts that I made at the summer institute. I learned at the institute that women often have to move in order to move up in academe. I am open to pursuing positions anywhere in the country and even overseas.

But I would like to land in an area with multiple institutions that could possibly be sources of future employment. I want to be able to advance my career without the necessity of continually relocating my family. Many times men are allowed to advance their careers within an institution without the hassle of moving their families. I want the same opportunity, although it may have to be crafted differently. I am looking forward to an exciting time as I go on the job market.