The Peculiar Status of Black Administrators in Educational Institutions

Abstract

Following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King and the subsequent riots in April of 1968, through about the end of 1972, educational institutions were faced with the necessity of hiring more Blacks to serve in various capacities. This need resulted from pressures which were exerted by the Black community through the potential threat of more violence and by the Federal Government through its threat to withhold funds from institutions whose staffs had few Blacks. The energies generated around this question resulted in more Blacks being appointed to administrative positions at various levels in a variety of educational institutions. In reviewing what has happened to Black administrators who were appointed during this period of time, it is now crystal clear that most of these appointments were made simply to appease the Black community and maintain the flow of Federal dollars into the institutions concerned. A cursory review of the situation indicates that a disproportionate number of Black administrators hired in the latter part of the sixties and early seventies are experiencing numerous problems and are highly frustrated in their efforts to perform their duties in a creditable fashion. In fact, the very nature of their jobs increases the possibility of failure and guarantees that their strengths will not be maximized. These problems are directly attributable to the reasons for which they were hired and are manifested by the lack of control these administrators have over significant operational aspects of the institutions. In most instances, Black administrators have been given responsibility but they have not been given power and authority in the formal administrative structure of the institution commensurate with that responsibility. Needless to say, one