Theses and Dissertations
Issuing Body
Mississippi State University
Advisor
Molina, Danielle
Committee Member
Briscoe, Kaleb
Committee Member
Wallace, Jason
Committee Member
Walker, Tommy
Date of Degree
12-13-2024
Original embargo terms
Worldwide
Document Type
Dissertation - Open Access
Major
Educational Leadership (Higher Education Leadership)
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
College
College of Education
Department
Department of Counseling, Higher Education Leadership, Educational Psychology, and Foundations
Abstract
This qualitative narrative inquiry study examined the narratives and experiences of White women admissions officers at predominantly white institutions (PWIs) and explored how they engaged with the development of their white racial identity throughout their professional careers. Using Critical Whiteness Studies (CWS) and Helms’ (1990) white racial identity development model, the research questions were: What are White women admissions officers’ narratives of their experiences with whiteness at predominately white institutions? How do White women's admission officers make meaning of their racial identity? Data was collected from seven White women admissions officers through a demographic survey and two 45-60-minute interviews. The findings were displayed using narrative summaries. Participants’ narratives described how the White women admissions officers acknowledged the existence of whiteness and its effects on campus practices and policies and offered examples of how they worked to decenter the white experience from their campus. Additionally, participants highlighted how they were more engaged with ally work once they accepted their white privilege and how the system of whiteness had structured their personal and professional lives. Most of the participants believed white privilege and the systems created to protect it existed on campus at PWIs and shared examples of how they had benefited from these practices. Nearly all participants expressed feelings of discomfort when first introduced to white privilege but understood it had to be confronted if systems of whiteness could ever be dismantled. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are shared, and specific ways admissions and recruitment can better assist White women admissions officers in being equitable with their practices and policies are outlined.
Recommended Citation
Walker, Kelsey Aline, ""We don't say that, Margaret!" : Narratives of white women admissions officers and their exploration of whiteness and white racial identity" (2024). Theses and Dissertations. 6389.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/6389