Women Administrators in North Carolina Higher Education

Women Administrators in North Carolina Higher Education (WANCHE) was founded in May 1977 in response to the American Council on Education's National Identification Project (ACE/NIP) for the advancement of women in higher education administration. Operating as a network rather than a membership organization, WANCHE works to provide support and create opportunities for women in higher education administration and leadership.

Women Administrators in North Carolina Higher Education (WANCHE) was founded in May 1977 in response to the American Council on Education's National Identification Project (ACE/NIP) for the advancement of women in higher education administration. Operating as a network rather than a membership organization, WANCHE is led by a state coordinator who is appointed by the ACE director of NIP and an executive board of administrators representative of public and private two- and four-year colleges and universities. Although participation in WANCHE is open to all women administrators as well as other women and men who support the organization's goals, WANCHE's coordinators, board members, panelists, institutional liaisons, and speakers are usually women and men already serving in upper-level administrative positions at North Carolina colleges and universities, including deans, chancellors, department chairs, vice presidents, and provosts. WANCHE members and officers come not only from North Carolina's state university system but also from private and community colleges around the state.

WANCHE's stated mission is to advance women in higher education administration and leadership by bringing visibility to women administrators on North Carolina campuses, providing support and encouragement for their efforts, assisting in their professional development, and identifying new career opportunities within North Carolina as well as around the nation. To that end, the organization presents workshops and meetings annually, focused mainly on leadership issues and career development, in locations throughout North Carolina. Although specific job placements are occasionally mentioned in these records, most of WANCHE's activities focus on more general strategies for advancement.

This collection was donated by Rebecca Leonard, a faculty member in the Dept. of Communication at North Carolina State University. Leonard served as assistant provost and facilitator of gender equity from January 1990 until January 2000 and as codirector of the women's and gender studies program during the 2001-2002 academic year.