The Lack of Asian Leadership in Higher Education

Asian students and faculty are often portrayed as a success story in American higher education-a visible symbol of academic achievement, excellence, and upward mobility. Yet beneath this narrative lies a striking paradox. While Asians are well represented in classrooms, laboratories, and faculty offices, they remain significantly underrepresented in positions of institutional leadership. University presidents, provosts, deans, and department chairs of Asian descent remain the exception rather than the norm. This disparity raises an urgent and often overlooked question: How can a community so prominent within academia remain largely absent from its highest ranks? The Lack of Asian Leadership in Higher Education uncovers why, despite their substantial contributions to higher education, Asians often find themselves excluded from the highest levels of influence and decision-making. Through data, stories, and critical analysis, it examines how cultural perceptions, institutional bias, and systemic barriers intersect to create what has come to be known as the "bamboo ceiling" in academia. Covering topics such as gendered invisible labor, microaggressions, and institutional bias, this book is a critical academic resource for graduate and doctoral students, Asian senior leaders, aspiring and current Asian faculty members, higher education leaders, and more.