Join Dr. Crystal Chambers for an exploration of race, gender, and the systemic barriers to academic leadership.

The Lehigh ADVANCE Center, together with The Friends of the Lehigh University Libraries, invite you to a lecture and discussion by Dr. Crystal Chambers on Monday, March 30. The presentation, Climbing Broken Ladders: The Meritocracy Myth in Academia, will take place from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in HST L-185 (Community Room).

Dr. Chambers, an expert in law and policy in higher education, studies race and gender equity in higher education, especially in college choice and faculty advancement. The material is based on work in Dr. Chambers' book: Black Women's Pathways to Executive Academic Leadership: Lessons from Lived Experiences. Complimentary books are available for early registrants while supplies last. Additional orders may be placed onsite.

Register by March 25, 2026. This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

About the speaker

Dr. Crystal Renée Chambers, J.D., Ph.D. is the 2023 Barbara Townsend Distinguished Lecturer (Association for the Study of Higher Education, Council for the Advancement of Higher Education Programs) and Professor of Educational Leadership at East Carolina University where she examines matters of race and gender equity in higher education, particularly the areas of college choice and faculty advancement.

Dr. Chambers is the author/co-author of over 50 peer reviewed articles, book chapters, and monographs as well as the editor of eight book and journal volumes, including, most recently, Black Women’s Pathways to Executive Academic Leadership: Lessons from Lived Experiences (UWP Books, 2023). Dr. Chambers is a 2018 Carnegie Fellow and is a co-PI on THRIVE@ECU, an NSF ADVANCE Adaptation grant and has served as a Coach and faculty expert with the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity. She is a 2016 ECU Graduate Faculty Mentor and East Carolina University Women of Distinction Award recipient, and a fellow of the BRIDGES Leadership for Women (2020) and UNC System Executive Leadership Institute (2021-2022). Be on the lookout for her next volume, Colleague to Colleague: Just in Time Advice for Department Leaders (SUNY Press).

Sponsored by the Lehigh ADVANCE Center and The Friends of the Lehigh University Libraries. Presented in partnership with the Pride Center, the Center for Cultural Engagement, and the Gender Leadership Empowerment Center.