Student Activists' Characterizations of Administrators in Higher Education: Perceptions of Power in "the System"

This study investigated student activists' characterizations of administrators at a southern university in the United States. Findings from interviews with 26 activists indicate that they perceive administrators as gatekeepers, antagonists, supporters, and absentee leaders. Activists had limited understandings of the roles and responsibilities of administrators as leaders in higher education. They expressed a desire to develop stronger relationships with administrators, both to enhance their ability to participate in the campus community and to be an integral part of shaping the university and, through the university, society.