The involvement and participation of African-American women college presidents in out-of-class activities during their collegiate experience: A descriptive study

This descriptive study describes the involvement and participation of African American women college presidents in out-of-class activities during their collegiate years and ascertains their perceptions of the influence of participation on their leadership development. Out-of-class activities in this study extends Kuh's (1994) definition of out-of-class activities beyond co-curricular experiences to include extracurricular activities (e.g. sorority, student government, part-time or full-time employment); community service activities (e.g., tutoring, fund-raising for charitable organizations, elder care); and, religious activities (e.g., attending religious services, teaching Sunday school, choir membership). Data were collected from 28 African American women college presidents who participated in this study. They represent 61% of the total population of 46 African American women college presidents in 1996. The presidents completed the Extracurricular Involvement Inventory (EII) which was modified to gather information on the numbers and types of out-of-class activities in which the presidents participated, offices held in the activities and the intensity of their involvement in out-of-class activities. The areas covered by the mail survey were undergraduate data, role models and mentors, and out-of-class activities. Additionally, ten of the presidents participated in follow-up telephone interviews. The data were analyzed using qualitative analysis techniques. Conclusions from this study are: (a) African American women college presidents actively participated in a variety of out-of-class activities including performing groups, social sororities, and part-time and full-time work experiences; (b) they experienced gains in self-confidence, communication skills, public relations skills, team building skills, and networking skills; (c) undergraduate factors such as year of degree, place of residence, type of institution, and major field were not perceived as obstacles to participation in out-of-class activities; and (d) role models and mentors on-campus as well as off-campus were considered important influences on leadership development. The results indicated that African American women college presidents shared many common out-of-class experiences as undergraduates. The findings suggest that student affairs personnel can play a key role in assisting aspiring black women leaders in recognizing the potential value of involvement in out-of-class activities during their undergraduate experiences. Additional topics for further study and research are suggested.