Women Administrators in North Carolina Higher Education Records 1977-2001

Women Administrators in North Carolina Higher Education (WANCHE) was founded in May 1977 in response to the American Council on Education's National Identification Project (ACE/NIP) for the advancement of women in higher education administration. Operating as a network rather than a membership organization, WANCHE is led by a state coordinator who is appointed by the ACE director of NIP and an executive board of administrators representative of public and private two- and four-year colleges and universities. Although participation in WANCHE is open to all women administrators as well as other women and men who support the organization's goals, WANCHE's coordinators, board members, panelists, institutional liaisons, and speakers are usually women and men already serving in upper-level administrative positions at North Carolina colleges and universities, including deans, chancellors, department chairs, vice presidents, and provosts. WANCHE members and officers come not only from North Carolina's state university system but also from private and community colleges around the state.

WANCHE's stated mission is to advance women in higher education administration and leadership by bringing visibility to women administrators on North Carolina campuses, providing support and encouragement for their efforts, assisting in their professional development, and identifying new career opportunities within North Carolina as well as around the nation. To that end, the organization presents workshops and meetings annually, focused mainly on leadership issues and career development, in locations throughout North Carolina. Although specific job placements are occasionally mentioned in these records, most of WANCHE's activities focus on more general strategies for advancement.

This collection was donated by Rebecca Leonard, a faculty member in the Dept. of Communication at North Carolina State University. Leonard served as assistant provost and facilitator of gender equity from January 1990 until January 2000 and as codirector of the women's and gender studies program during the 2001-2002 academic year.

The Women Administrators in North Carolina Higher Education (WANCHE) Records, 1977-2001, contain correspondence, meeting minutes, committee records, publications, memoranda, notes, member lists, and other items related to the activities of Women Administrators in North Carolina Higher Education (WANCHE), an organization dedicated to advancing the careers of women college administrators and supporting diversity in educational leadership in North Carolina. These records primarily document the planning of networking events, such as conferences, workshops, and forums.

Although participation in WANCHE programs is open to all who share the organization's goals, WANCHE's coordinators, board members, panelists, institutional liaisons, and speakers are usually women and men already serving in upper-level administrative positions at North Carolina colleges and universities, including deans, chancellors, vice presidents, provosts, and department chairs. WANCHE members and officers come not only from North Carolina's state university system but also from private and community colleges around the state. Although specific job placements are occasionally mentioned in these records, most of WANCHE's activities focus on more general strategies for advancement.

The material in this collection has been left in its original file units. The files have been rearranged slightly for easier access to related materials. Although no formal series have been established, the files are grouped by subject, as indicated in file names.

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The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.

This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which North Carolina State University assumes no responsibility.

[Identification of item], Women Administrators in North Carolina Higher Education Records, MC 00272, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC

• Ironside, Ellen M., "Career Paths of Women Administrators in Higher Education Institutions: Perceptions of Motivation and Opportunity" (PhD Diss., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1982). Ellen M. Ironside used WANCHE inventories and contact information to conduct interviews with women administrators in North Carolina.

Donated by Rebecca Leonard, 30 September 1999 (accession no. 1999-0014); Donated by Mary Cauley, March 2023 (accession no. 2023-0050).

Processed by Kelly Clark, April 2008; encoded by Kelly Clark, April 2008; updated by Hailey Mandel, 2023 April.