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White Senior-level Student Affairs Professionals' Experiences with Social Justice, Inclusion, and Whiteness

House Conrad, Brittany
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1647336468380538

Abstract Details

2022, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, Higher Education Administration.
White senior-level student affairs professionals are well-positioned to address issues of social justice and inclusion, oppression, privilege, power, and Whiteness within the field of student affairs. Their level of responsibility, scope of interaction and influence, and professional position provide senior-level student affairs professionals with the opportunity to both engage with social justice and inclusion in their practice and make a difference in their institutions and in the field of student affairs. As White individuals, these professionals have additional power within their divisions, institutions, and society. Although student affairs professionals are expected to be competent in the area of social justice and inclusion, there is a gap in the literature that examines these professionals’ experiences with this topic. The purpose of this study was to hear the stories of White senior-level student affairs professionals’ experiences engaging with social justice and inclusion and addressing Whiteness in their student affairs practice. The research questions are: 1) What stories do White senior-level student affairs professionals tell about their experiences engaging with social justice and inclusion in their student affairs practice? 2) What stories do White senior-level student affairs professionals tell about their experiences addressing issues of Whiteness in their student affairs practice? To address this gap in the literature and answer the research questions, I utilized narrative inquiry and a transformative paradigm. I interviewed six White senior-level student affairs professionals from across the United States. Nine key findings emerged from this study. These findings are summarized as: positional power and White voice, sense of responsibility, unpreparedness, personal connection, influence of current events on action and awareness, policy and practice, Whiteness as a systemic issue, increased opportunities, and choice to engage with and address. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the experiences of White senior-level student affairs’ professionals engaging with social justice and inclusion and addressing Whiteness in their student affairs practice. The findings offer implications for practice, future research, and policy. These implications apply to student affairs and higher education professionals, graduate preparation program faculty, student affairs and higher education professional organizations, and policymakers.
Maureen Wilson, Ph.D. (Advisor)
Madeline Duntley, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Katherine Stygles, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Ellen Broido, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
193 p.
Higher Education Administration
Critical Whiteness; student affairs; student affairs professionals; social justice; inclusion; senior-level student affairs professionals; whiteness

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • House Conrad, B. (2022). White Senior-level Student Affairs Professionals' Experiences with Social Justice, Inclusion, and Whiteness [Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1647336468380538

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • House Conrad, Brittany. White Senior-level Student Affairs Professionals' Experiences with Social Justice, Inclusion, and Whiteness. 2022. Bowling Green State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1647336468380538.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • House Conrad, Brittany. "White Senior-level Student Affairs Professionals' Experiences with Social Justice, Inclusion, and Whiteness." Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University, 2022. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1647336468380538

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1647336468380538
176
© 2022, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.