Asian/Pacific American Women in Higher Education Administration: Doubly Bound, Doubly Scarce. Issues in Policy, No. 9.

This policy brief examines the issue of Asian/Pacific American (APA) women in higher education administration. It reports that APA women face the "double bind" of discrimination because of their minority status and because they are female, and that compared to other minority women fewer APA women enter the education profession. The paper argues that in order to attract more APA women to higher education administration, colleges and universities must provide training programs in educational leadership that recognize cultural and gender differentiation, and also state their commitment to providing guidance and opportunities that make it possible for APA (and other minority women) to overcome the barriers that keep them from ascending the ranks of educational institutions. Higher education curriculum planners also need to enhance educational leadership programs by focusing the curriculum more on areas such as communication skills, goal setting, mentoring and networking, and organization and preparation. The paper also maintains that APA women who aspire to positions in higher education administration must actively participate in their own development. (Contains 20 references.) (MDM)