Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how the gender of female academic library directors affects their leadership. The theory guiding this study was Acker’s theory of the ideal worker, as it offers a framework for examining the impact of worker gender in the workplace. The central research question of this study examined how the gender of female library directors at medium nonprofit private universities and colleges in the U.S. affected their leadership. This study utilized a phenomenological approach, conducting semi-structured interviews of female academic library directors at medium nonprofit private universities and colleges in the U.S. The results were then analyzed via data coding to identify major themes across the participants’ lived experiences. The study resulted in four major themes: (a) Relationships, (b) Service Orientation, (c) Identity, and (d) Emotional Labor. Overall, the identified themes center around women’s lived experiences as communally-oriented leaders. Although this offers career satisfaction to these female leaders, it also puts them in the conflicting position of being expected to align with the agentic ideal leader paradigm on a university-wide level while being rewarded for behaving communally on a library level.

This mixed-methods study examined how U.S. Army chaplains experience and facilitate the free exercise of religion. The research explored compelling narratives of best-case facilitation experiences, identified leadership qualities associated with successful religious support, and analyzed similarities and differences between best and worst-case scenarios. Using Brinkerhoff's Success Case Method, the study distributed a quantitative survey to 1,478 active-duty chaplains (achieving a 23% response rate) followed by twelve guided interviews with participants representing diverse ranks and faith traditions. The research revealed six major themes: significant gaps in education for pluralistic ministry, tension between personal religious convictions and professional duties, crucial impact of leadership on religious support culture, importance of proactive support approaches, systemic challenges in standardization and resource allocation, and transformation of understanding through direct experience. Analysis employed multiple theoretical frameworks, including Socio-Technical Systems Theory, Open Systems Theory, and Schein's organizational culture model. Findings indicate that successful religious support requires comprehensive education, psychologically safe environments for dialogue, standardized processes, and intentional leader development. The study demonstrates how chaplains navigate supporting diverse faiths while maintaining religious integrity, often experiencing significant personal transformation through engagement with service members. The research contributes to understanding how religious professionals balance personal convictions with institutional requirements in pluralistic settings.