Institutional Priority for Diversity at Christian Institutions

The Intersection of Race and Spirituality: Underrepresented Students' Spiritual Development at Predominantly White Evangelical Colleges

“…Despite the evidence that suggests the great value of integrating multiple forms of diversity into the learning environment, evangelical colleges lag behind their public and private non-sectarian counterparts (Haralu, 2005;Paredes-Collins, 2009). Although the CCCU, a consortium of 111 evangelical institutions of higher education, has an average minority enrollment of 16%, actual diversity enrollments at typical CCCU schools are much lower, as a few non-traditional, non-residential outliers skew the overall average (Paredes- Collins, 2009).…”

“…Although the CCCU, a consortium of 111 evangelical institutions of higher education, has an average minority enrollment of 16%, actual diversity enrollments at typical CCCU schools are much lower, as a few non-traditional, non-residential outliers skew the overall average (Paredes- Collins, 2009). Further, many schools within the CCCU do not identify campus diversity as an institutional priority, resulting in a lack of allocated resources or the basic policies and practices necessary to promote a multicultural learning experience for students (Paredes-Collins, 2009). Unfortunately, the issue of diversity on evangelical campuses across the country is an understudied subject area (Haralu, 2005).…”

“…Hundreds of private, evangelical schools note a more narrow definition of spiritual growth as a primary goal. Conversely, while many of these schools excel in their commitment to spiritual development, they are quite homogenous in makeup (Paredes-Collins, 2009). …”

“…Although significant research has found that a diverse learning community yields positive outcomes for students of all backgrounds (Allen, 2006;Bok, 2006;Chang, 1999;Hurtado, 2007Hurtado, , 2006Hurtado et al, 1998;Ibarra, 2001), many evangelical colleges do not identify the development of a diverse learning community as an institutional priority (Paredes-Collins, 2009). As such, evangelical institutions intentionally engage students in spiritual growth and development, but lack emphasis on promoting a diverse learning community.…”

“…As such, evangelical institutions intentionally engage students in spiritual growth and development, but lack emphasis on promoting a diverse learning community. In terms of structural diversity, an evaluation of 101 evangelical universities (all of which were members of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities) revealed a conglomerate picture of the student body that is 84% white (Paredes-Collins, 2009).…”