virginia gordon as servant leader · 2019-12-17 · as leader.’’ servant leadership is a...

Virginia Gordon as Servant Leader

Elizabeth M. Higgins, University of Southern Maine

Susan M. Campbell, University of Southern Maine

Virginia Gordon was a teacher, scholar, practi-tioner, and leader who also served as a rolemodel and mentor to others. Her insight andresearch informed the many innovative initiativesshe pursued on behalf of the student advisingexperience. Gordon’s scholarly and evidence-based approach set the stage for academicadvising as a field of scholarly inquiry andhelped shape the growth and direction of theprofession. Virginia Gordon’s work was other-directed. Her goal was always to support thegrowth and development of others. This qualita-tive study tried to capture Gordon as understoodby the higher education professionals who knewher, worked with her, and/or studied with her.That she was other-directed supports our viewregarding Virginia Gordon as a servant leader.

[doi:10.12930/NACADA-19-015]

KEY WORDS: servant leadership, VirginiaGordon, scholar-practitioner

Virginia remained a down-to-earth woman . . .She readily accepted each and every partic-ipant as a friend and colleague in spite of hercelebrity . . . I recall one such instance whenan admiring graduate student who worked inthe NACADA Executive Office asked me ifshe could have her picture taken with Virgin-ia. I said that I was sure that Virginia wouldnot mind and upon seeing Virginia, I askedher. Her response surprised even me. Shesaid, ‘‘Why does she want a picture with me?’’(Roberta ‘‘Bobbie’’ Flaherty, personal com-munication, December 2, 2018)

This is a classic question from a woman whosecareer was dedicated to improving the collegestudent experience and the institutional conditionsinvolved in shaping that experience. Dr. VirginiaN. Gordon’s life was intentional and well-lived.

Perhaps the greatest legacy Virginia Gordon leftwas the impact she had on so many lives aroundher. Not only was Gordon a prolific author andresearcher, she was also a practitioner who used herresearch and scholarship to inform the develop-

ment of academic advising programs and servicesin an effort to improve the college student learningexperience. As George Steele (2019) revealed inanother manuscript in this dedicated issue of theNACADA Journal, Dr. Gordon’s contributions tothe field of academic advising were numerous andsignificant. Through her research, Gordon helpedus better understand and support students whoentered college without a declared major bydeveloping a continuum of undecidedness toindecisiveness. Gordon also modeled the wayacademic advising professionals could engage inthe research and scholarship necessary to advancethe field and, in the process, helped to shape thefield as central to the student academic experience.She believed that academic advising was adevelopmental process and was, in fact, teaching.She engaged with her professional associations,was a charter member of NACADA, and served asthe association’s president from 1983 to 1985. Asan administrator, Gordon introduced and imple-mented the concept of a university college at OhioState University. As a teacher, she developedcurricula to guide student exploration and devel-opment of educational plans (Steele, 2019). Herwork on integrating academic and career advisingforeshadowed current discussions and initiatives.That she had an influence on the lives of manypeople throughout her career was an understate-ment. In fact, her influence served as themotivation for this study, as we sought tounderstand the impact Gordon had on some ofthe higher education professionals who knew herbest.

Our goal in this study was to explore the waysin which Dr. Gordon touched and influenced thelives of higher education professionals who workedwith her, studied with her, and/or professionallyengaged with her. How did others experienceVirginia Gordon as a colleague, teacher, andfriend? What might we learn from their collectivevoices about her as a person, professional, andleader? We chose servant leadership as theconceptual framework for this phenomenologicalstudy because of its emphasis on growth anddevelopment. Evidence of Gordon’s leadershiprevealed itself in several ways, including the manyprograms and services she designed and

NACADA Journal Volume 39(2) 2019 5

implemented at Ohio State University and herefforts to support the development of NACADA,an association dedicated to academic advising.However, it seemed that underpinning all of herwork was her passionate commitment to the growthand development of others—one of the hallmarksof servant leadership. Through data collected inthis study, it is clear that Dr. Gordon’s actions andbehaviors match the characteristics of a servantleader.

Although we both have met Dr. Gordon, weknow her best through her written work. Asadvising practitioners and administrators, we haveused her many works to influence advising on ourown campuses, campuses that we have visited,presentations we have facilitated, and pieces wehave written. We acknowledge the subjectivity ofour perspective regarding Virginia Gordon and thatit is a potential limitation of this work.

Conceptual Framework: Servant Leadership

The extant literature on leadership examines avariety of perspectives and is extensive. Forexample, Bennis (2009) posited that leadership islearned and identified critical behaviors, such asself-awareness, risk-taking, and forward-thinking,that are important for effective leaders. Bennis ismost known for his often-quoted phrase, ‘‘Leadersare people who do the right thing; Managers arepeople who do things right’’ (‘‘Warren Bennis

Quotes,’’ n.d.). Others more deliberately addressleadership in relation to the context, such as Herseyand Blanchard’s (1982) work on situationalleadership. Bolman and Deal (2003) argued thatleaders should examine organizational issuesthrough multiple lenses to better match theapproach to the nature of the issue at hand as wellas its context. In their most recent work, Kouzesand Posner (2017) explored the mindset of theleader. Servant leadership is about all these things,and it is also about the altruism of the leader. Theservant leader’s intention is to promote the growthand development of others. This notion of altruismdrew us to consider servant leadership as theconceptual framework for this study.

Robert Greenleaf (1977/2002) introduced ser-vant leadership in 1977 in his essay, ‘‘The Servantas Leader.’’ Servant leadership is a complexconcept grounded in a perspective that placesserving ahead of leading and makes leading aconscious decision. Service to others or service insupport of others is fundamental to the servantleader. ‘‘A servant-leader focuses primarily on thegrowth and well-being of people and the commu-nities to which they belong . . . The servant-leadershares power, puts the needs of others first andhelps people develop and perform as highly aspossible’’ (Robert K. Greenleaf Center for ServantLeadership, 2019, para. 4). It could be argued thatservant leadership is a philosophical stance

Table 1. Characteristics of servant leadership

1977 Greenleaf,Practices of

Servant Leadership

1991 Graham,5 Characteristics ofServant Leadership

1995 Spears,9 Critical Characteristics of

Servant LeadershipServant firstGrowth and well-being of

othersNeeds of others firstDevelopment of individualsInsists on highest

performance

HumilityRelational powerAutonomyMoral development of followersEmulation of leaders’ service

orientation

ListeningEmpathyHealingPersuasionAwarenessForesightConceptualizing commitment to

growthStewardshipCommunity

Greenleaf (1977) Graham (1991) as cited in Focht &Ponton, 2015, p. 2

Spears (1995) as cited in Focht& Ponton, 2015, p. 2.

Elizabeth M. Higgins & Susan M. Campbell

6 NACADA Journal Volume 39(2) 2019

grounded in social justice principles (Ferch, 2005).

Although Greenleaf does not directly echo this

view, his thesis seems to support it. ‘‘This is my

thesis: caring for persons, the more able and the

less able serving each other, is the rock upon which

a good society is built’’ (Greenleaf, 1977/2002, loc

754, para. 1). Therefore, literature seems to posit

that servant leadership is service to others for their

growth and good.

However, the true test of leadership is the actual

growth of those served. Greenleaf (1977/2002)

argued that, to create a better and more just society,

capacity must be built within institutions (where

caring is now largely mediated) to serve and

perform as a servant. Leadership follows service in

this model. Indeed, as Focht and Ponton (2015)

stated, ‘‘Servant leadership is the only form of

leadership that places service as its first priority’’(p. 4). This, they say, distinguishes servant

leadership from other leadership constructs.

The motivational element of servant leader-

ship (i.e., to serve first) portrays a funda-

mental presupposition which distinguishes

the concept from other leadership thoughts.

This presupposition forms the mental model

of the servant leader, that is the ‘‘I serve’’ as

opposed to ‘‘I lead’’ mentality. The primary

reason why leaders exist is to serve first, not

to lead first. (Sendjaya & Sarros, 2002, ascited in Focht & Ponton, 2015, p. 4)

From Greenleaf’s (1977/2002) perspective, the‘‘test’’ of servant leadership is manifested in theevidence of the growth of others. ‘‘The best test,and difficult to administer, is this: Do those servedgrow as persons?’’ (p. 351).

The single question of the ‘‘best test’’ view hasnot prevented the pursuit of further efforts toexplore and more precisely define servant leader-ship. In their 2015 work, Focht and Pontonpresented a summary of the exploration of servantleadership and the scholarship that exists aroundattempts to bring clarity and preciseness to theconcept. They suggested that the list is long andvaried. They also noted that consensus aroundcharacteristics—the overlap notwithstanding—re-mains elusive. Table 1 provides a visual represen-tation of the characteristics of servant leadershiprevealed by researchers and scholars. The works inthis table are not exhaustive, and indeed, subse-quent research on servant leadership underpins andreaffirms its complexity and the myriad attempts todefine and explain the construct (Blanchard, 2018).However, the works in Table 1 seem to representthe landscape of thought regarding servant leader-ship and thus acceptably serve as the basis for ourconsideration of Virginia Gordon as a servantleader.

Table 1. Characteristics of servant leadership (extend.)

2000 Russell,2002 Russell & Stone,

Functional Attributes ofServant Leadership

2015 Focht and Ponton,12 Characteristics of

Service in ServantLeadership

2013 Yukl,7 Characteristics of

Ethical Leadership-includesServant Leadership

VisionHonestyIntegrityTrustServiceModelingPioneeringAppreciation of othersEmpowerment

Value peopleHumilityListeningTrustCaringIntegrityServiceEmpoweringServe others’ needs before their ownCollaborationLove, Unconditional loveLearning

IntegrityAltruismHumilityEmpathy/healingPersonal growthFairness/justiceEmpowerment

Russell (2000) Russell &Stone (2002) as cited inFocht & Ponton, 2015, p. 3

Focht & Ponton (2015), pp. 6-7 Yukl (2013), p. 348.



Methodology

The design of this study was qualitative andphenomenological. The purpose was to explore,understand, and describe the ways in whichVirginia Gordon, as a servant leader, influencedthe lives of other higher education professionals,particularly regarding their personal and profes-sional development. We further sought to under-stand, through the perspectives and experiences ofothers, the influence Virginia Gordon had on thefield of academic advising. We chose a qualitativeresearch design for reasons outlined by Marshalland Rossman (2016, p. 2):

Qualitative research typically:

� takes place in the natural world,� draws on multiple methods that respect

the humanity of the participants in thestudy,

� focuses on context,� is emergent and evolving rather than

tightly prefigured, and� is fundamentally interpretive.

This study is a quest for understanding andmeaning derived from the lived experiences ofothers, which made a qualitative research designappropriate (Creswell, 2009).

Phenomenology was selected from the manydifferent genres of qualitative research (Marshall& Rossman, 2016). Creswell (2009) noted:‘‘Phenomenological research is a strategy ofinquiry in which the researcher identifies theessence of human experiences about a phenom-enon as described by participants’’ (p. 13). Thegoal of phenomenological research is to identifypatterns and relationships of meaning from themyriad of experiences of others. The focus of thisstudy was to understand leadership as it waspracticed by Virginia Gordon. The participantswere individuals in higher education who had arelationship with Dr. Gordon and who sharedtheir perspectives about those relationships withus.

ParticipantsBased on the recommendation of Creswell

(2012), a purposeful sample of individuals whocould offer insight regarding Virginia Gordon’sinfluence on their lives and the field of academicadvising was developed in collaboration withcolleagues also involved in writing manuscriptsfor the dedicated issue of the NACADA Journal.One of the colleagues had a continuing personal

and professional relationship with Dr. Gordonand was considered a close family friend; otherswere professional colleagues or former students.In all, eight academic advising professionalsassisted in refining the interview instrumentquestions employed in this study. The sampleselection goal was to identify individuals whocould respond to the questions from the vantagepoint of a colleague, student, friend, or scholar.While the intention was to have individuals inunique categories, in reality, participants indicat-ed that their association with Dr. Gordon spannedmultiple categories. In all, twenty individualswere identified and contacted, and two more wereadded and contacted after the initial list wasdeveloped. A third individual was contacted aftera review of the responses revealed an area ofimportance in Dr. Gordon’s career (i.e., the first-year seminar) for which we had not identified aparticipant. This reflexivity is consistent with aqualitative design.

Ten individuals agreed to participate, sign, andreturn the consent form. The consent form gaveus permission to reveal their identities within themanuscript. Thus, in this narrative, we refer to allrespondents by their names. Appendix B ac-knowledges and thanks those who responded toour questions and includes their self-identifiedrelationship with Dr. Gordon.

Interview InstrumentTo allow time to reflect on the questions being

asked, participants were invited to provide writtenresponses to a series of open-ended questions. Itwas believed that this would result in richer, moredescriptive data. The open-ended questions weresent with the invitation to participate and theconsent form via e-mail. The questions (seeAppendix A) sought to explore each person’srelationship with Dr. Gordon as a friend,colleague, student, or scholar. It was importantto capture responses as understood by theparticipant through each participant’s own expe-riential lens (Rubin & Rubin, 2012; Seidman,2006). We asked to receive responses within amonth. Those not received by that time were re-contacted and reminded via e-mail.

Data AnalysisTranscripts of the responses masked the

identities of the respondents to mitigate research-er bias in the review and coding process. Bothresearchers separately analyzed respondents’transcripts, identifying emergent categories and



themes using in vivo coding methods (Saldana,2013). After the initial coding was complete, theresearchers re-reviewed the data and identified themost dominant categories and themes using axialcoding (Saldana, 2013). The researchers devel-oped a consensus around a set of categories forfurther exploration. Additional refinement of thecategories/themes occurred as each author putpen to paper. Finally, the categories/themes werereviewed in relationship to the literature onservant leadership to determine the appropriate-ness of using them to describe Virginia Gordonand to add to the literature.

Results

This study invited friends, colleagues, scholars,and former students in higher education to sharereflections and thoughts about Virginia Gordon’sinfluence on their personal and professional livesas well as their views regarding Gordon’s contri-bution to academic advising. From the responses tothe interview questions, a number of categories/themes emerged from the coding. Dr. Gordon wasdescribed by her higher education peers andcolleagues as an innovative expert and leader andan inspirational role model who was authentic andother-directed in life and work. Let us explorethese characteristics of Virginia Gordon as aservant leader through the contributions of thestudy participants.

Innovative Expert and LeaderVirginia Gordon was a leader in the field of

academic advising who developed programs tosupport student success, researched and wroteprolifically about topics of interest to her, andsupported the growth of NACADA by workingtirelessly on its behalf. Dr. Gordon helpedestablish the foundation for academic advisingas a field and area of scholarly inquiry. Herstandards were high, and her goals transcendedthe present and directed attention toward thefuture of what academic advising could be or, inher view, what it should be.

As one of the longest-serving members ofNACADA, Dr. Gordon volunteered many hoursto build, legitimize, and improve the organization.Former NACADA president, Dr. Eric White,highlighted this commitment when he said,‘‘Virginia never stopped. She was constantlybusy. She was writing, making presentations,running workshops, volunteering for NACADA,all the while working a full-time job at Ohio

State’’ (personal communication, November 14,2018). Dr. Diana Kline worked with Dr. Gordonat Ohio State when NACADA was in its infancyand spoke of her commitment to the associationand to the field:

I think she has solidified the profession ofacademic advising. When I was workingwith her in the 1982–87 range, NACADA(National Academic Advising Association)was in its infancy. She worked tirelessly towrite, research, attend conferences, editjournal articles, serve in leadership positions,and network with others throughout thecountry and overseas; and it never seemedto be a burden for her. She loved what shewas doing, and she was ‘‘in her element.’’(personal communication, November 28,2018)

NACADA colleague and friend, Dr. ThomasGrites, agreed that Dr. Gordon had a ‘‘tremendousimpact’’ on academic advising and that her workwas cutting edge. As he noted:

She was writing about the career aspect ofacademic advising before the latter becamerecognized as a force in facilitating studentdevelopment . . . She was always seekingnew theories, approaches, strategies thatcould be applied to the advising process,and she continued to advocate for thatprocess as a way to achieve student devel-opment. (personal communication, Novem-ber 27, 2018)

Dr. Gordon’s influence on the association andthe field seemed to be matched only by theinspiration she provided as a role model andmentor.

Inspirational Role Model and MentorThe concept of role model was one that

continually emerged in the comments of manyof the participants. Role model was used inrelation to her influence on other professionalsand in relationship to the field of academicadvising. Dr. Gordon served as a mentor and rolemodel for many. Former graduate studentsattributed their association with Dr. Gordon asfoundational to their own future careers. As Dr.Kline said, upon reflecting on her graduate schoolexperience, ‘‘Now that I look back, I realize that



watching her in these two roles [coordinator ofundecided students and faculty member] providedthe foundation that I needed to launch my owncareer as a higher education administrator andinstructor’’ (personal communication, November28, 2018).

As a working woman, Dr. Gordon served as arole model to women who wanted to pursuefamilies and careers. Dr. Kline once asked Dr.Gordon whether or not she had done anyvolunteer work, to which Gordon replied, ‘‘Oh,yeah, I did volunteer work. But I got bored withit.’’ For Dr. Kline,

I saw myself like Virginia in many ways—I

wanted what she had—a husband, children,

and a career. So, when she said that to me,

that made sense to me. She had already done

the traditional role of a female—a volun-

teer—and she knew she wanted more than

that to have a fulfilling life. (personal

communication, November 28, 2018)

Perhaps most telling is that Dr. Gordoncontinued to serve as Dr. Kline’s role model, ‘‘Ihave worked with countless women now over thecourse of my 30-year career in higher education,and she continues to hold one of the brightestcandles’’ (Diana Kline, personal communication,November 28, 2018). Dr. Kline respected Gor-don’s constant ‘‘pursuit of excellence and pro-duction’’ and noted that ‘‘she did not stop foranyone, and she pushed through with joy andenthusiasm for what she was doing’’ (Dr. Kline,personal communication, November 28, 2018).

In addition to serving as a role model for otherprofessionals, Virginia Gordon was a role modelfor academic advising. Dr. White credits Dr.Gordon with putting academic advising ‘‘on thepath to professionalism.’’ He further indicated:

She showed us all that issues in advising

were capable of being studied and written

about. She helped us to understand that

advising had a history that should be

acknowledged, while she also continued to

shape the practice with new concepts of

practice. (Eric White, personal communica-

tion, November 14, 2018)

For NACADA Executive Director, CharlieNutt, Virginia Gordon was academic advising:

What has Virginia NOT impacted in aca-demic advising? First, she was one of thefirst women who conducted research in thefield that was respected and valued and, inmy opinion, began the path toward academ-ic advising . . . as a profession and as a fieldof study. It is her extraordinary workfocused on exploratory students that firstbrought to light there were theories, ap-proaches, and concepts about academicadvising that were not prescriptive. Andlast, Virginia is one of the primary reasonsthat NACADA exists as it does today. Sheenvisioned our association as more than anetworking group, but a group that shouldhave an impact on research and highereducation. (Charlie Nutt, personal commu-nication, December 11, 2018)

More than anything, Dr. Gordon was alwaysthe teacher-scholar-practitioner. She enacted theseinterconnected roles almost simultaneously and,in the process, empowered others to engage inadvancing the field of academic advising.

Empowering teacher-scholar-practitionerParticipants used the phrase teacher-scholar

and scholar-practitioner repeatedly in their re-sponses. As a scholar-practitioner, Dr. Gordonsought out research and scholarly opportunities tosupport the advising profession and to advocatefor student learning. One participant describedDr. Gordon as a mentor and ‘‘an effective andknowledgeable trailblazer’’ in the field of aca-demic advising whose actions were always‘‘based on the evidence’’ (Gary Kennedy, personalcommunication, November 21, 2018). FormerNACADA president and friend, Dr. Wes Habley,corroborated these statements by sharing that Dr.Gordon’s ‘‘work opened the door on academicadvising as a field of inquiry’’ (personal commu-nication, November 13, 2018). These commentsshowcased Dr. Gordon as a teacher-scholar whowas committed to evidence-based practices andvalidated her ‘‘strict sense of truth’’ (GaryKennedy, personal communication, November21, 2018).

Dr. Gordon influenced the professional careersof participants in this study through empower-ment and support. She was known for herwillingness to ‘‘teach and mentor anyone whocared to learn from her’’ (Gary Kennedy, personalcommunication, November 21, 2018). Reflectingon how Dr. Gordon helped her over the years,



friend, colleague, and mentor Betsy McCallaWriggins said, ‘‘Virginia . . . [was] a teacher, acounselor, a colleague who was never too busy tosupport an aspiring professional and leader’’(personal communication, November 28, 2018).

Virginia Gordon consciously and unconscious-ly sparked interest in others in the profession ofacademic advising. Dr. Habley described Dr.Gordon’s influence as an ‘‘epiphany.’’ He contin-ued to explain how Dr. Gordon ‘‘triggered’’ hiscuriosity, crystalized his ‘‘understanding of theimpact that academic advising could have on thelives of students,’’ and helped him to understandhow academic advising is a core student function(personal communication, November 13, 2018).Dr. Nutt credited Dr. Gordon with helping himrealize that his faculty role ‘‘was needed in theassociation because [he] brought somethingunique to the table and discussion’’ (personalcommunication, December 11, 2018).

Virginia Gordon had a knack for empoweringothers and creating the collaborative space tosupport their success. Evidence of this came fromNACADA past president Betsy McCalla Wrig-gins in a conversation with Dr. Gordon aboutwriting a chapter in an advising handbook:

‘‘Virginia, I don’t know enough about thattopic to write a chapter.’’ Without hesitation,she said . . . ‘‘Yes, you certainly do.’’ I stillwasn’t convinced because I replied, ‘‘ButVirginia, my writing is not good enough.’’She responded with ‘‘Then I will help you,’’And with that interchange and encourage-ment, a whole new chapter in my profes-sional development began. Virginia . . . amentor, a coach, and a friend. (personalcommunication, November 28, 2018)

By all accounts, Dr. Gordon was an excep-tional scholar and teacher who applied herresearch to her academic advising practice. Shewas also viewed by others as an authenticindividual who was motivated by a deep desireand commitment to support the growth of others.

Authentic and Other-Directed in Life and WorkA recurring theme in the participant responses

indicated that Virginia Gordon was authentic.Individuals described her as a down-to-earth,humble person who expressed a deep concern forand interest in others. As friend and formerNACADA president Dr. Nancy King recalled,

A characteristic that stands out for me is the

fact that Virginia never felt that she was more

important than others . . . I will never forget

how she listened to a ‘‘first-timer’’ at a

NACADA conference. I also observed her

many times as she talked to other beginners

and to students . . . Again what struck me

most was Virginia’s deep concern for others

and her willingness to help. (personal


Dr. Gordon was also reported to have a playful

spirit that sometimes surprised those around her.

Three participants shared their ‘‘memorable

moments’’ with Virginia Gordon. For Dr. Habley:

The most memorable moment came at a

Summer Institute (SI) in the mid-eighties

when the SI was held at the University of

Iowa. Somehow, Virginia’s luggage never

arrived and after a day or two she went

shopping (in a college town with the latest in

coed fashions). At least for that week,

Virginia was the height of youthful fashion.

(BTW...she never got her luggage). (personal


For Dr. Nutt, there was the yodeling experi-

ence at a different summer institute,

We spent an afternoon finding [a ski resort

for dinner]—I was driving . . . All of the

sudden out of nowhere in the quiet I heard

yodeling coming from the back seat—not

yodeling done for humor or fun . . . true

amazing yodeling with a pitiful pitch and

sound . . . and it was Virginia. (personal

communication, December 11, 2018)

Friend and colleague Roberta ‘‘Bobbie’’ Flah-

erty recalled the Viking helmet fashion statement,

We were taking in the shops in Breckenridge

before a faculty dinner and found ourselves

in a shop that sold a variety of hats that one

might see on skiers on the slopes. As I

rounded the corner of one aisle into the next,

there stood Virginia in a Viking helmet

complete with blond braids hanging down to

her shoulders! (personal communication,

December 2, 2018)



Apparently, there are pictures of ‘‘Virginia asViking’’ in NACADA’s Executive Office. Eachstory shared highlighted an appreciation of Dr.Gordon as a humble, authentic, and acceptingindividual: ‘‘Amid all of her celebrity, Virginiaremained a down to earth woman . . . She readilyaccepted each and every participant as a friendand colleague in spite of her celebrity’’ (BobbieFlaherty, personal communication, December 2,2018).

That Dr. Gordon was other-directed seemedalmost an understatement to Dr. Grites, whotalked about her passion and drive, ‘‘She alwaysseemed to be on a mission to improve theacademic life of undergraduate students, graduatestudents, faculty, administrators, researchers, andultimately the entire profession/field of academicadvising as the best vehicle for this goal’’(personal communication, November 27, 2018).

Further evidence of Virginia Gordon’s other-directedness was in the way she envisionedmembership in NACADA. As Dr. Nutt said,

Virginia encouraged me in ways no one didto become involved in NACADA . . . Shecreated for me a vision for what I might orcould do FOR the Association, not just whatI could get from the Association. It isbecause of her . . . that I continued to focuson what I could bring to the association.(personal communication, December 11,2018)

Dr. Gordon’s career motivation was to improvethe undergraduate student learning experience incollege. This study’s purpose was to understandher leadership through the experiences of highereducation professionals. In his responses, howev-er, Dr. John Gardner articulated the significantinfluence Dr. Gordon had on students by sharinghis own experience as the type of student she wasmost interested in supporting - the undecidedstudent.

From my professional and personal perspec-tive, she gave intellectual dignity andimprimatur to the huge sub population of‘‘undecided,’’ ‘‘undeclared,’’ ‘‘exploratory’’students. Coincidentally, I was such a studentduring the same period of the 1960’s whenshe was at Ohio State and I [was] at thediametrically opposite kind of place also inthe same state of Ohio: the small, private,

liberal arts college. But it was her work thatlegitimized students like me, who affirmedour rights and needs to be open and were‘‘exploratory.’’ Her research, writing, andadvocacy was hugely influential in lifting thestigma from students like me. She persuadedmany in the academy to stop looking at us asbeing more ‘‘at risk’’ or less intelligent, lessmotivated, less focused. She articulated whyfor many students it was actually a good andadaptive thing to be more open and delaymajor selection. Her work in this regard wastruly transformative. It even helped my self-esteem! Thanks to Virginia students like mewere finally able to achieve a status otherthan being regarded as ‘‘deficient.’’ (personalcommunication, January 2, 2019)

Our findings reveal a friend, mentor, col-league, and leader who has been described as aninnovative expert that inspired others through herservant leadership, her example, and her authen-ticity. Virginia Gordon was a visionary whoempowered others to engage and contribute to thefield. As a leader, Virginia Gordon influencedmany individuals who have followed in herfootsteps of making a difference in highereducation and the field of academic advisingthrough the lens of servant leadership.

Discussion

We developed Table 1 to share the characteris-tics of servant leadership from a variety ofleadership scholars. This study identifies thesecharacteristics within the context of Gordon’sleadership. Additionally, these data offer a richdescription of Gordon’s leadership style, which weconclude is a servant leader style based on thecharacteristics outlined in Table 1. Through thesedata provided by the participants, we found severaloverlapping relationships, (some explicit andothers more implicit), that enhance our understand-ing of servant leadership as accomplished byVirginia Gordon. Some themes, (such as empow-ering), were identical; others, (such as innovativeand role model), while not identical, were similar.Others were more role-related and particular toGordon and her context and extended beyond thatwhich they described. For example, the constructof teacher-scholar-practitioner was used to describethe roles Dr. Gordon enacted; it was also used todescribe her. She was a teacher-scholar-practition-er. In the end, what made Virginia Gordon a



servant leader was the intentions underpinning herwork; her work and actions were intended tosupport the growth of others. Moreover, shepursued this work consciously and deliberately.

In servant leadership, the decision to lead is aconscious one. Dr. Gordon was relentless in herquest to improve the student experience, and shewas a pioneer for the field of academic advising.Her accomplishments as a university administratorare well-documented in other chapters in thisvolume. She used her position as a teacher-practitioner—and her scholarship—to developinitiatives that have become noted effective prac-tices in higher education. In this regard, sheestablished herself as an innovative leader andexpert. ‘‘She set the stage for others to research,write, speak, and advocate for quality academicadvising’’ (Wes Habley, personal communication,November 13, 2018). ‘‘[Virginia] wrote the book . .. Her work has clearly benefited all of us whofollow her. From my perspective, I would suggestthat she is the preeminent expert in the field ofacademic advising’’ (Nancy King, personal com-munication, November 30, 2018).

Conclusion

Virginia Gordon dedicated her professional lifeto student success and academic advising. She wasa humble individual who was never too busy tosupport her colleagues, friends, and students or tooself-conscious to reveal the playful side of herpersonality. Those around her learned from her,and she from them. She was a trusted professionalwhose vision for her work was ‘‘to improve theacademic life of undergraduate students, graduatestudents, faculty, administrators, researchers andultimately the entire profession/field of academicadvising’’ (Thomas Grites, personal communica-tion, November 27, 2018).

Her commitment was to the development ofothers and was reflected in her teaching, scholar-ship, and practice. Virginia Gordon adroitlyconnected theory with practice. This skill addedrelevance to her scholarship for academic advisorsand, through initiatives like her advising curricu-lum, served to ground the practice of academicadvising within teaching and learning.

True to servant leadership, Dr. Gordon workedto influence what Greenleaf (1977/2002) referredto as a ‘‘more just and more loving’’ society (para.1). Through her work, scholarship, teaching,mentorship, and friendship, Dr. Gordon ‘‘raisedthe capacity’’ (Greenleaf, 1977/2002) for others to

serve and further advance academic advising as aprofession and field of inquiry (para. 1).

As this study was, in large part, a tribute to thisremarkable woman, we end with a thank you toVirginia Gordon for her contributions to advancethe field of academic advising through herscholarship and commitment to the growth ofothers and to NACADA: The Global Communityfor Academic Advising. As Dr. John N. Gardner,CEO and president of the John N. Gardner Institutefor Excellence in Undergraduate Education, soaptly said:

Virginia was a great in her time. Sheachieved that rare status of being a prophetin one’s own land during her time. And nowafter her literal life, she remains a great in theannals of U.S. undergraduate education.(personal communication, January 2, 2019)

The quote at the beginning of this articlepresented a question asked by Dr. Gordon inresponse to a request for a photo: ‘‘Why does shewant a picture with me?’’ Our response: ‘‘Virginia,the answer to that question is a question in return—Who wouldn’t?’’

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Authors’ Notes

We express gratitude to Virginia N. Gordon’sfriends, colleagues, co-authors, students, andmentees who shared their thoughts, experienc-es, and stories. Their comments about VirginiaN. Gordon provided the rich data necessary toframe our manuscript.

Elizabeth M. Higgins, EdD, is the director ofacademic advising at the University of SouthernMaine. She also teaches a Foundations ofAcademic Advising graduate course in the Adultand Higher Education Department. Dr. Higgins’research focus is the faculty and student advisingrelationship, student retention, and processimprovement. Dr. Higgins can be reached [email protected].

Susan M. Campbell, EdD, is Chief Student AffairsOfficer, Emerita at the University of SouthernMaine. She currently serves as one of the Co-Managers of the Excellence in Academic Advis-ing project, a partnership between NACADA: TheGlobal Community for Academic Advising andthe John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence inUndergraduate Education. Dr. Campbell has heldseveral leadership roles in NACADA, includingserving as president in 2006–2007. Dr. Campbellcan be reached at [email protected].



http://www.greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership

http://www.greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership

https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/warren_bennis_385287

https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/warren_bennis_385287

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Appendix A. Invitation and agreement to participate



Appendix B. Participants



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