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Abstract
This qualitative study focused on the life journeys, transitions, and pathways to the presidency of leaders at selected United Methodist-affiliated historically Black colleges and universities through the specific qualitative design of narrative inquiry. Narrative inquiry enabled participants to tell stories and organize their understanding of experiences through narratives. Specifically, the use of the paradigmatic form of narrative inquiry enabled the researcher to explore the life journeys of presidents at the selected institutions using personal narratives. The personal narratives were gathered through a series of up to three sequential interviews, where the participants shared their lived experiences through uninterrupted stories. Using thematic analysis that involves coding and text reduction, the following themes were found: 1) the significance of role models/mentors in each participants journey; 2) the importance of social awareness and an understanding of the politics at an organizational level; and 3) the abiding sense of being a president at these institutions as a calling or vocation in life. There are implications from this study for both aspiring United Methodist-affiliated historically Black college and university presidents and governing boards at these institutions. These implications include the benefits gained from forming significant mentoring relationships with seasoned presidents. Implications for governing boards include the benefit that can be gained from understanding the connections between presidents decision-making processes and their life journeys.