Chapter 11: The Invisible: Administrators and Their Work at Hbcus

Administrators at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are an essential part of the daily operation and success of these institutions. The culture at HBCUs is unique and staff members are deeply entrenched in and committed to sustaining that culture. Indeed, these institutions could not function without hard working administrators at every level, in every functional area, and in every division. So it is curious that they garner so little attention from scholars. Much of the research on HBCUs surrounds the experiences of students, faculty, and/or college presidents. Administrators at HBCUs are nearly invisible in the literature, especially those who work in student affairs. In Ellison’s Invisible Man (1952), the protagonist considers himself invisible because people never see his true self. Those who study higher education have failed to “see” administrators at HBCUs as worthy of empirical investigation—a research agenda that could yield important insights. We believe it is time to direct attention to this oft overlooked group of professionals. This chapter serves as a first step to shine a spotlight on this, heretofore, unrecognized constituency on the HBCU campus.