Dissertation Defense Announcement Ed.D. Program: Sandile Chad Manzini “Navigating the Ivory Tower: Black Men’s Experiences of Leadership and Anti-Blackness in the Academy”

This dissertation explores the experiences of Black men in higher education leadership, focusing on those in administrative positions at four-year, research-intensive (R1) universities across the U.S. Though they make up only 3% of higher education administrators (Employees in U.S. Higher Education Administration, by Race/Ethnicity and Sex 2020, 2023), Black men occupy a critical yet understudied role at the crossroads of race and gender in academia. Employing constructivist grounded theory methodology, this study investigates how Black men in higher education leadership roles describe their leadership experiences, covering challenges and barriers they encounter, the strategies they employ to overcome them, the key factors they see as vital for career progression
and retention, and how gendered and racialized institutional contexts have influenced their leadership styles.

Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 Black men holding titles of Assistant Dean, Assistant Director, or higher, each with at least 3 years of experience in higher education leadership. Black Critical Theory (BlackCrit), as conceptualized by Dumas & ross (2016), served as the guiding theoretical framework, centering anti-Blackness and the tensions Black men face within neoliberal-multicultural institutional structures. Data analysis revealed how participants experienced and responded to institutionalized Whiteness, navigating racialized professional environments while sustaining their leadership effectiveness and Black identity.

The findings highlight how Black men navigate systemic racism, gendered racialization, and institutional anti-Blackness by relying on mentorship, bicultural strategies, Black networking, self-efficacy, and a strong sense of purpose to continue and lead. In alignment with grounded theory methodology, this research introduces an emerging theoretical framework for Black Men’s Leadership Theory, emphasizing the combined impact of race and gender while focusing on resilience, authenticity, and collective support. The results urge institutions to go beyond superficial diversity efforts and implement structural reforms including dedicated mentorship programs, fair promotion policies, and inclusive leadership cultures that enable Black men to succeed and be catalysts for transformative change.