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Abstract

Over time, the roles, tasks, and even titles of the senior woman administrator (SWA) have evolved in a direction to suggest greater involvement with department decisions and governance. However, thirty years after the inception of the designation, a discrepancy persists between senior woman administrators and athletic directors (AD) regarding the extent to which SWAs are and should be involved in decision-making within athletic departments. Further discrepancies are noted towards training and mentoring support for SWAs. The purpose of this longitudinal study is to explore the current roles, tasks and support of the Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) from the perspective of both the SWA and the AD in a follow-up to a study completed in 2005. Perceptions of SWAs involvement in roles and tasks deemed important to the operational and strategic management of collegiate athletic departments were reported by SWAs (n= 681) and ADs (n= 601). The results indicated ADs more often perceived the SWA has greater involvement in nearly all 17 categories of administrative roles than SWAs perceive for themselves. The greatest discrepancies existed in the areas of budgetary planning and management and oversight of all (especially men’s) programs. Results also indicated that financial support for training and mentoring is not widely available or used by SWAs to enhance their career skills and advancement. Recommendations include continued efforts to involve the SWA in all areas of management, and to provide the necessary training and mentoring to enhance SWA effectiveness not only for their future, but also in their current position.

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