Date of Award
5-2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
College/School
College of Education and Human Services
Department/Program
Counseling
Thesis Sponsor/Dissertation Chair/Project Chair
Muninder Kaur Ahluwalia
Committee Member
Matthew Shurts
Committee Member
Angela I. Sheely-Moore
Committee Member
Milton Fuentes
Abstract
Race-based cultural centers (e.g., Black Cultural Centers) were established on college campuses in the 1960s in response to the neglect experienced by Black students (Chessman & Wayt, 2016; Gorski, 2019; Gorski & Chen, 2015; Hurtado et al., 1998; Joseph & Hirshfield, 2011; Smith, 2008). During the multiculturalism movement of the 1980s, some institutions eliminated race- based cultural centers and established Minority Student Services (MSS) to support all historically marginalized students under a centralized center (Patton, 2011; Patton & Hannon, 2008). Since the establishment of these cultural centers, scholars reported that directors experienced institutional roadblocks (e.g., lack of funding) and resistance from faculty, staff, and students (Harris & Patton, 2017; Hypolite, 2022a; Jenkins, 2016; Marcy, 2004; Patton et al., 2019; Reid & Ebede, 2018; Stewart & Bridges, 2011). However, the presented scholarship continued to focus on single race-based cultural centers. Therefore, the goal of this dissertation study was to understand the lived experiences of multicultural center directors of color. A total of 16 multicultural centers directors completed interviews, and data were analyzed through Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Theory of Racial Tasks (TRT). Findings suggest that multicultural center directors of color are hired by institutions of higher education to carry out racial tasks. As a result, employee inequities in higher education remain. Implications for counselor education programs, senior administrators, and researchers are provided.
File Format
Recommended Citation
Ayala, Sherlene Iris, "Carrying the Weight : The Racialized Labor of Multicultural Center Directors of Color in Higher Education" (2023). Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects. 1289.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/etd/1289