The journey and the destination: Lay women becoming presidents of Catholic colleges

With the decline of women entering the convent, there is a dearth of women religious who can or will serve as presidents of Catholic colleges and universities. The vacancies will be filled by lay women and lay or religious men. This dissertation is about the journey of 11 lay women who became presidents of Catholic colleges and universities in the United States. It highlights the people and events that influenced them. It also describes how the relationship between the presidents and the church hierarchy could help these presidents. Research revealed that there were four defining historical events that paved the way for the 11 leaders to become presidents of Catholic colleges: the education of women, the 1960s feminist movement, the passage of Title IX, and the convocation of Vatican II. The presidents were also influenced by their upbringing, education, and gender, and by their fathers, mothers, grandparents, religious sisters, and teachers. Fit with an organization, timing and going beyond their job descriptions were important elements in their rise to the presidency. They identified role models, mentors, advocates, nominators and people who legitimized them. Each president was the guardian of the mission of her institution and embraced it. Key findings included: a non-linear route to the presidency was more typical for ten of the 11 presidents; it was not possible to rise through the ranks of an organization and become a president without advice, support, and mentoring from others along the way; and, leadership opportunities early in their career, exposure to influential people and participation at national and international conferences contributed to their rise to the presidency