Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn: A Collaborative Syllabus for Higher Education Leadership book cover with bright geometric shapes in background

Open access PDF

doi.org/10.36284/celelon.oa11

Metrics: 113 views

Drawing on decades of administrative leadership experience, Alexander describes the sometimes uneasy relationship between his identity as an academic leader and as a publicly queer person and scholar. In the former role, he is expected to uphold the norms of the institution and normalized expectations for what higher education is for and produces. But as a queer administrator, he is committed to questioning and challenging these same norms. Instead of trying to reconcile these identities, Alexander writes about the ways in which he uses this irreconcilability to produce new understandings and practices—for example, regarding what counts as “student success.”   

Discussion Questions

Alexander’s chapter revolves around his complex relationship with institutional and cultural norms. What norms inform your work as a leader? What is your relationship to them and how do they shape your work? Whose interests do they serve? Do you ever seek to change or challenge norms, and if so, how and with what results?