Women describe their personal journeys to top positions of leadership in higher education in the 20 essays collected in this book. Ten American and 10 British college and university heads tell their unique stories about passing through the "glass ceiling" that limits the career leadership opportunities for women in academe. Essays include: "Good Fortune Counts" (Tessa Blackstone); "A British/American Journey" (Paula Pimlott Brownlee); "The Mistress's Story" (Juliet Campbell); "By Thriving and Striving, 'Firsts' Are Secondary" (Carol A. Cartwright); "A View from One Presidential Office" (Martha E. Church); "An Oxford History" (Ruth Deech); "Against the Tide" (Mary Maples Dunn); "Overcoming Racism" (Vera King Farris); "Tough Mind, Warm Heart" (Carol C. Harter); "Nurturing Chance: An Accidental Life" (Bette E. Landman); "From Whitehall to Cherwell" (Elizabeth Llewellyn-Smith); "Two Afternoons on the Job" (Mary Patterson McPherson); "In Retrospect: Dame Rosemary Murray" (Karen Doyle Walton); "Life Is a Team Sport" (Diana Natalicio); "Happy Is My Lot" (Pauline Perry); "Oh, Poor You!" (Gillian L. Slater); "The Nature of Journeying" (Janet Trotter); "A Lifetime of Learning" (Dorothy Wedderburn); "Emphasize the Possible" (Anne Wright); and "The Web of Our Life Is of a Mingled Yarn" (Judith A. Sturnick). (Contains 12 references.) (JLS)