Graduate Students' Perceptions of Servant Leadership at a Private Christian University

Servant leadership is gaining recognition as a viable model for addressing challenges in highereducation. The literature highlights how servant leadership is implemented, practiced in various settings, andembraced by people of different faiths and institutions across various organizations. Multiple studies haveexplored the influence of servant leadership in higher education settings from the perspectives ofadministrators, staff, faculty, and undergraduate students. However, studies investigating the impact of servantleadership from the perspectives of graduate students still need to be included in the literature. This qualitativedescriptive single case study sought to address this gap in the literature and advance knowledge about theinfluence of servant leadership in higher education settings by exploring graduate students' perceptions of theimpact of servant leadership at a private Christian university in the Southeastern region of the United States.Greenleaf's servant leadership theory was utilized as the guiding theoretical framework for this study. Thirteenparticipants who met the eligibility criteria were recruited for the study through purposive sampling. Thethematic analysis of the study's one-on-one interviews and focus group data, using NVivo 14, identified fourthemes. The study's findings indicated that servant leadership is relevant and practical within the context andculture of a private Christian university. The results showed that graduate students possessed variedperceptions about the servant leadership behaviors exhibited by their campus leaders. They perceived servantleadership as Christ-centered leadership, a student-focused approach, and a community-based approach.Future research should broaden the sample to include graduate students from Christian colleges anduniversities nationwide, overcoming the limitations of a small purposive sample.