African American university and college presidents, vice presidents, and deans offer firsthand reflections on their encounters with racism in higher education and the strategies they use to overcome obstacles they face.

Grass Roots and Glass Ceilings offers observations and reflections on the experiences of African American leaders in predominantly white institutions of higher education. These current and past presidents, vice presidents, and deans relate frankly and in detail their personal experiences in the academic setting. They discuss their perseverance over obstacles such as racism and sexism, and examine the current and future state of higher education in America. Grass Roots and Glass Ceilings debunks the prevalent myth that academia is a setting where race is irrelevant, and where people are judged only by their intellectual capability.

Contributors include Vera Farris; Wesley Harris; Althia deGraft Johnson; Horace Judson; Reatha Clark King; Marie McDemmond; Charlie Nelms; and Barbara Solomon.