Q. How does one get a job heading up an LGBT Center? What sort of training is helpful? Do I need a Ph.D.? What fields of study best prepare you for this work?

A. It is hard to say that any one type of training or field of study best prepares one to direct a campus LGBT Center or Office. This is a relatively new profession, and those who currently direct such programs come from a variety of academic backgrounds. The situation is also complicated by the fact that some director positions are in student affairs divisions, while others are in academic divisions, and still others are joint academic/student affairs positions. And, as you will note in the answer to a question about combining these jobs with faculty appointments, some directors, but not all, have faculty appointments in addition to their administrative positions.

It is possible to generalize to some extent about the sort of knowledge and experience that will best prepare one for a job as a center director. Most important is some experience working in a higher education setting, whether in an academic or a co-curricular area. In addition, a thorough knowledge of and experience with a wide variety of lgbt people, issues, and politics, especially but not exclusively on a college campus, is absolutely necessary. It is also important to have some knowledge of the issues that members of racial/ethnic and other minority groups face on college campuses, as well as of gender theory and women's issues.

As for education, the vast majority of people who direct campus LGBT Centers or Offices have at least a masters degree. For example, of the 14 people who responded to a salary survey, Ronni Sanlo posted to this site in November 1997, five had Ed.D.s or Ph.D.s, eight had masters degrees, and only one had a bachelors degree. In terms of fields of study, most have degrees in higher education administration, student affairs administration, counseling, or counseling psychology; a smaller number have degrees in a humanities discipline like English or history. Whatever your field of study, do take courses in the relatively new field of lesbian/gay/queer studies during the course of, or in addition to, your regular graduate program, if this is at all possible. The knowledge you will gain is invaluable preparation for directing a campus LGBT resource center.

[This question was answered by Dr. Saralyn Chesnut, Director of Emory University's Office of Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender Life]

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