Archived

This content is available here for research, reference, and/or recordkeeping.

Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8182-4115

Date Available

4-30-2028

Year of Publication

2026

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College

Education

Department/School/Program

Educational Leadership Studies

Faculty

Amanda U. Potterton

Faculty

John Nash

Abstract

Since faculty off the tenure stream have steadily increased and now make up the majority of the professoriate in higher education, understanding their pathways to leadership is more critical than ever. Whether part-time or full-time, these faculty remain affected by the environment established for tenure-track faculty. The purpose of this three-article style dissertation is to examine the intersection of full-time VITAL (an acronym for visitors, instructors, teaching assistants, adjuncts, and lecturers) faculty roles (Levy, 2019) and leadership in higher education.

The first article is a narrative literature review that explores where, why, and how often VITAL faculty appear in the higher education leadership landscape. Since scant literature supports the notion that VITAL faculty are serving in leadership positions, there is little to no evidence of how they might have arrived there, what they are doing as leaders, or what might be keeping some of these faculty from pursuing leadership roles. Therefore, the second article develops a conceptual framework, drawing on Bourdieu’s field theory, to examine the leadership pathways available to VITAL faculty. This framework equips higher education organizations to design leadership pathways and development opportunities that may not have previously existed. Finally, the third article is an autoethnography that traces the researcher’s journey from a teaching-focused faculty member to a leader, offering an insider’s perspective.

Taken together, these three articles address the gap in the literature surrounding leadership and VITAL faculty, offering a comprehensive understanding of leadership trajectories and providing recommendations for institutions to better support this untapped leadership resource.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2026.186

Archival?

Archival

Download

Available for download on Sunday, April 30, 2028

Contact Author

Share

COinS