Table Of ContentSt. John Fisher College
Fisher Digital Publications
Education Doctoral Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education
5-2014
Navigating Straight Waters: Te Lived Experience
of How Out, White Gay Males Have Successfully
Navigated the College Presidential Search Process
Bil Leipold
St. John Fisher College
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Leipold, Bil, "Navigating Straight Waters: Te Lived Experience of How Out, White Gay Males Have Successfully Navigated the
College Presidential Search Process" (2014). Education Doctoral. Paper 170.
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Navigating Straight Waters: Te Lived Experience of How Out, White
Gay Males Have Successfully Navigated the College Presidential Search
Process
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department
Executive Leadership
Subject Categories
Education
Comments
Lesbians and gays are one of the most ostracized and marginalized groups in the U.S. (Rankin, Weber,
Blumenfeld, & Frazer, 2010). With a limited number of out, gay leader to study, minimal research has been
conducted on how gays have navigated their way into visible leadership positions (Fassinger, Shullman, &
Stevenson, 2010; Snyder, 2006). Te purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the lived experience of
how out, White gay males have successfully navigated the presidential search process. Te study utilizes the
framework of social dominance theory, queer theory, and co-cultural theory in exploring the historical and
current environment for lesbian and gays within the U.S. Tis national study utilized a qualitative,
phenomenological approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 participants. Study fndings
included: (a) most gay men have a non-traditional career pathway to the presidency; (b) mentoring and
networking plays a signifcant role for gay men in the pursuit of a career as a college president; (c) while gay
men are resilient in overcoming the dominant heteronormative culture impacts, dominant culture beliefs
continue to play a signifcant role in the search process; (d) gay men believe that being out during the search
process speaks to their integrity and character; (e) gay men strategically utilize two communication
approaches when communicating with the dominant culture in an efort to assess if the heteronormative
environment will be afrming; and, (f) in deciding on institutional ft, gay men seek to synergize their skill set
and values with that of the hiring institution.
Tis dissertation is available at Fisher Digital Publications: htp://fsherpub.sjfc.edu/education_etd/170
Navigating Straight Waters: The Lived Experience of How Out, White Gay Males Have
Successfully Navigated the College Presidential Search Process
By
Bil Leipold
Submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree
Ed.D. Program in Executive Leadership
Supervised by
Dr. Claudia L. Edwards
Committee Member
Dr. Mary Alice Donius
Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education
St. John Fisher College
May 2014
Copyright by
Bil Leipold
2014
Dedication
I would like to thank the LGBTQ Presidents’ Organization and the research
participants for their contributions to this study. Without your participation and support,
this study would not have been able to be completed. My sincere love and thanks to Dr.
Claudia L. Edwards and Dr. Mary Alice Donius for all of their guidance, patience, and
support. You both knew how and when to challenge and support me. Not once did you
waiver in your confidence in me, and I cannot thank you enough for your unyielding love
during this process. There are not enough words to express my gratitude and admiration
for you. I will forever be humbled in your presence. To the faculty of St. John Fisher
College (CNR), thank you for pushing me in every conversation to go beyond my limit
and to encourage me to think larger than I had ever thought possible. For my teammates
in CT3—simply put—I love each and every one of you. You have each made this
journey remarkable, and I never could have done this without you. To my cohort
members, I have learned to trust the process.
To my Rutgers family, Dr. Raphel Caprio, Dr. Bonita Veysey, Dr. Barry Qualls,
and Dr. Susan Shurman, I would have never begun this journey or succeeded without
you. Each of you pushed me to enroll, and each of you pushed me to graduate. Each of
you gave selfless numbers of hours for conversations about this research, and each time I
came away from our conversations a better scholar. To my Rutgers UHR colleagues,
thank you to you all for stopping by my office to check in and ask how it was going.
iii
To my neighbors and friends in Wanamassa, New Jersey, thank you for all of the
laughter and glasses of wine. More than once during this journey, you provided me with
humor and great experiences on the front porch. Furthermore, you all never once said no
when I asked you to help with items around my house when I had to sneak off to write.
To my Mom, Linda Gibbons, and my father, Patrick Gibbons, I know that you
have sacrificed so much for me to get an education. Your endless love and support are
perhaps the greatest gift that I have ever been given. I know that the last three years you
have not seen much of me, but I promise more time now that the writing has been
completed. Jennifer, Lance and Sidney, and my family, thank you for your patience and
supportive phone calls. You are all loved.
To my immediate family, my four furry children: Livingston, Wanamassa,
Zander, and Willouby, thank you for being supportive and patient as I went through this
journey. With every arrival home from a day out writing, you provided unconditional
love and happy faces. And finally, to my partner, Joe, thank you for being you. Your
endless support and encouragement during this process has touched my heart and soul. I
could not imagine this journey of life without you.
iv
Biographical Sketch
Bil Leipold is currently the Sr. Associate Dean for the School of Criminal Justice
at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Mr. Leipold attended Shippensburg
University of Pennsylvania from 1988 to 1992 and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
degree in English. He attended Norwich University from 2007 to 2009 and graduated
with a Master of Art Sciences degree in Organizational Leadership.
Bil has had a career in higher education for more than 25 years. Mr. Leipold has
had the opportunity to work in numerous administrative areas that include: student
services, athletics, human resources, and academic affairs. Over the past two years, Bil
has been a member of the team that provided oversight to the integration of Rutgers
University and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. During the
integration of these two institutions, Bil provided leadership and direction for the
integration of human resources. Bil also has had the opportunity to speak on issues of
social justice, homophobia, and leadership at hundreds of colleges and universities.
Throughout his speaking career, Bil has had the privilege to be the keynote speaker at
various national and regional student leadership and professional development
conferences. Bil had also been the recipient of the Diversity Arts of the Year awarded by
Campus Activities Magazine.
Mr. Leipold came to St. John Fisher College in the spring of 2011 and began
doctoral studies in the Ed.D. Program in Executive Leadership. He pursued his research
in Navigating Straight Waters: The Lived Experience of How Out, White Gay Males
v
Have Successfully Navigated the College Presidential Search Process under the direction
of Dr. Claudia L. Edwards and Dr. Mary Alice Donius and received the Ed.D. degree in
2014.
vi
Abstract
Lesbians and gays are one of the most ostracized and marginalized groups in the
U.S. (Rankin, Weber, Blumenfeld, & Frazer, 2010). With a limited number of out, gay
leader to study, minimal research has been conducted on how gays have navigated their
way into visible leadership positions (Fassinger, Shullman, & Stevenson, 2010; Snyder,
2006). The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the lived experience of how
out, White gay males have successfully navigated the presidential search process. The
study utilizes the framework of social dominance theory, queer theory, and co-cultural
theory in exploring the historical and current environment for lesbian and gays within the
U.S. This national study utilized a qualitative, phenomenological approach. Semi-
structured interviews were conducted with 10 participants.
Study findings included: (a) most gay men have a non-traditional career pathway
to the presidency; (b) mentoring and networking plays a significant role for gay men in
the pursuit of a career as a college president; (c) while gay men are resilient in
overcoming the dominant heteronormative culture impacts, dominant culture beliefs
continue to play a significant role in the search process; (d) gay men believe that being
out during the search process speaks to their integrity and character; (e) gay men
strategically utilize two communication approaches when communicating with the
dominant culture in an effort to assess if the heteronormative environment will be
affirming; and, (f) in deciding on institutional fit, gay men seek to synergize their skill set
and values with that of the hiring institution
vii
Table of Contents
Dedication .......................................................................................................................... iii
Biographical Sketch .............................................................................................................v
Abstract ............................................................................................................................. vii
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. viii
List of Tables .......................................................................................................................x
List of Figures .................................................................................................................... xi
Chapter 1: Introduction .......................................................................................................1
Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1
Problem Statement .......................................................................................................... 6
Theoretical Rationale ...................................................................................................... 8
Potential Significance of the Study ............................................................................... 27
Statement of Purpose .................................................................................................... 27
Research Questions ....................................................................................................... 28
Definitions of Terms ..................................................................................................... 28
Chapter Summary ......................................................................................................... 29
Chapter 2: Review of the Literature..................................................................................33
Introduction and Purpose .............................................................................................. 33
Topics Analysis ............................................................................................................. 36
Chapter Summary ......................................................................................................... 67
Chapter 3: Research Design Methodology .......................................................................70
viii
