Women's leadership within higher education continues to be the focus of research and essays. A look into the lives of past women leaders in higher education can provide a potential "road-map" for aspiring women to follow as they develop their leadership style to aid in their upward mobility. The study of the first woman to lead a public four-year college or university provides a historical perspective of women's leadership in higher education. Looking into the career path, challenges, mentoring activities, leadership style and traits of the first woman to serve as president of a public four-year college or university may aid in the development of future leaders and the development of mentoring programs. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]