Peer leadership opportunities are not formally recognized as a High Impact Practice (HIP) by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U); however, peer leadership has been described as a candidate for a next-generation HIP (Kuh 2017). In a previous blog post, we defined and discussed the benefits of these undergraduate student/peer leadership opportunities. Since peer leadership is a potential HIP and has positive impacts on student development, it is important that the equity of these opportunities is evaluated and discussed. 

With HIPs having such a profound impact on student development, it is important that HIPs are designed with an equity lens to ensure that all students have access to these experiences. Unfortunately, there has historically been a lack of equity in HIPs. Literature has found that historically marginalized populations of students, especially students of color and first-generation students, experience barriers in accessing HIP learning opportunities (Kuh 2017).  

Interestingly, research has found that there is more participation from racially marginalized students in service-learning activities compared to participation from white students; this is likely due to students of color valuing opportunities and spaces that cultivate a sense of belonging and in which they can support people that hold the same identities (Kuh 2017; Kinzie 2021).  

What are challenges and opportunities for marginalized students participating in HIPs?

In our previous blog posts, we discussed one of the qualities of HIPs, which is that they include an experience that provides a student the opportunity to develop cultural competency through connecting them with people who hold different identities (Kuh 2017). Given this quality, is an experience less impactful for marginalized students if they are using a HIP to connect with people that hold shared marginalized identities? We would argue that a HIP still has a high impact. Racially marginalized undergraduate students interact with the higher education system, which centers whiteness, an identity that they do not hold. Despite potential critiques of the effectiveness of HIPs that allow racially marginalized students to connect with those who hold similar identities, research has found that HIP experiences are extremely beneficial for student retention for adult learners, and for African American and Latinx students (Haywood 2021).   

Unfortunately, while racially marginalized students have had success engaging in service-learning opportunities, these students do not have the same positive experiences with other HIPs. Data from the 2013 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) revealed that far fewer African American and Latinx students participate in opportunities like internships, capstone experiences, study abroad, and undergraduate research (Kuh 2017). There are multiple reasons why we anticipate this might be the case, and future research could explore this further by uncovering specific reasons why racially marginalized students have a more difficult time accessing HIP experiences.  

Currently, equity within HIPs is not a requirement, but, given research that argues that HIPs increase retention, should it be? One could argue that, because one of the requirements of HIPs is to provide students the opportunity to connect and learn alongside those who hold different identities, that HIPs should be required to be equitable.   

Who has access to student leadership opportunities? 

Research has revealed that peer leadership opportunities are not very equitable. The results from a 2023  Student Voice survey on the college experience revealed that students from lower-income households and first-generation college students are less likely than those from middle-income and higher-income households to hold leadership positions (Flaherty 2023). Only 23% of first-generation college students have held a leadership position within their institution compared to 41% non-first-generation students (Flaherty 2023). This is likely due to the unique challenges that low-income and first-generation college students may face such as difficulty accessing resources to fulfill their basic needs, students feeling like an outsider at their institution, and students using their free time to work to assist in affording their educational career (Renn n.d.).  

Additionally, the Student Voice survey found disparities among racial groups and their leadership experiences on campuses, citing that Asian students (40%) are slightly more likely to hold leadership positions than white students (35%), Black students (34%), and Hispanic students (33%) (Flaherty 2023). Interestingly, the survey found that more LGBTQIA students (44%) hold leadership positions than their straight peers (31%) (Flaherty 2023).   

Why are student leadership opportunities unequal? 

Student leadership opportunities are inequitable for a variety of reasons. While more research needs to be conducted on what specifically causes inequity within student leadership initiatives, we anticipate that the inequities could be caused by a lack of reflection on what being a “good” leader means and by design flaws within leadership initiatives. The perception of what it means to be a “good” leader has shifted over time.  

Traditionally, people identified “successful leadership” in people who confidently and boldly overcome opposition and are consistent in their actions, views, and beliefs (Forrest 2016). Today, “successful leadership” more commonly refers to people who are able to adapt to their ever-changing environments (Forrest 2016). With a variety of different views on what it means to be a “good” leader and varying definitions of leadership, these biases and opinions may shape the way leadership initiatives are formed. Higher education professionals should interrogate their definitions of “good” leadership and design leadership initiatives that promote leadership development and uplift voices that have been historically marginalized and excluded.  

What are the barriers to becoming a student leader?

Design flaws likely cause inequities. For example, student organization student leaders often work alongside advisors to design and implement election procedures for determining who will hold leadership positions within their organization. While some may see the benefit of designing an election process that includes students speaking publicly about why they want the position they are running for, this may discourage students who feel unsafe doing so (students with social anxiety, students of color running for a position at a historically white institution, etc.). Additionally, student elections are often criticized for being “popularity contests” where students are voted for how well-liked they are rather than for their qualifications (Fugit 2006). For clubs and organizations that have historically held elections that feel like popularity contests, this can lead to students not interrogating their own biases before voting.  

It is the responsibility of higher education professionals to develop equitable leadership initiatives that give all students the opportunity to learn leadership skills.  

References 

Flaherty, Colleen. 2023. “Survey: Gaps in college students’ leadership creds.” Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs, September 29, 2023. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/student-success/college-experience/2023/09/29/survey-gaps-college-students-leadership-creds 

Forrest, Sharita. 2016. “How has the definition of “effective leadership” changed?” University of Illinois, November 2, 2016. https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/425208 

Fugit, Tempus. 2006. “Student Council is only a popularity contest.” NYRA – National Youth Rights Association, October 1, 2006. https://www.youthrights.org/student-council-is-only-a-popularity-contest/ 

Kuh, George, Ken O’Donnell, and Carol Geary Schneider. 2017. “HIPs at Ten.” Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning 49 (5): 8-16. 10.1080/00091383.2017.1366805 

Haywood, Jasmine. 2021. “Putting equity first in scaling high-impact practices helps Black, Latino, and adult students thrive.” Lumina Foundation, March 4, 2021. https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/putting-equity-first-in-scaling-high-impact-practices-helps-black-latino-and-adult-students-thrive/  

Kinzie, Jillian, Samantha Silberstein, Alexander C. McCormick, Robert M. Gonyea, and Brendan Dugan. 2021. “Centering Racially Minoritized Student Voices in High-Impact Practices.” Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning 53 (4): 6-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/00091383.2021.1930976  

Renn, Kristen A. n.d. “Low-Income, First-Generation College Students.” Footnotes: A Magazine of the American Sociological Association 50 (2). https://www.asanet.org/footnotes-article/low-income-first-generation-college-students/ 

About the Author 

Kate Campbell is a student in the Master of Arts in Higher Education program at Elon where they’re also a Graduate Apprentice in the Gender & LGBTQIA Center. As part of the MHE program’s coursework, Kate collaborated with fellow students to research and write this series of blog posts on leadership in higher education.  

How to Cite This Post 

Campbell, Kate. 2025. “Equity in Student Leadership as a High-Impact Practice.” Center for Engaged Learning (Blog). Elon University, March 14, 2025. https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/equity-in-student-leadership-opportunities/.