Secularization and National Universities: The Effect of Religious Identity on Academic Reputation

Mixon, Stephanie Litizzette; Lyon, Larry; Beaty, Michael

doi:10.1353/jhe.2004.0023

Cited by 27 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 43 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…These colleges' use of terms like ''Christcentered'' to describe their student development philosophy or curriculum were boldly inconsistent with USMS that typically sought to appeal to the greatest possible number of prospective students. This finding is consistent with other academic studies that emphasized Res High Educ (2010) 51:483-503 501 the centrality of the language of faith in the mission statements of religious colleges (Mixon et al 2004;Smith and Jackson 2004). Further investigation of these colleges' philosophies in recruiting students could build upon this scholarship to explore the processes by which these organizations tie religious and academic elements into their missions.…”

Section: Implications For Future Studysupporting

confidence: 87%

An Analysis of Baccalaureate College Mission Statements

Taylor

Morphew

2010

Res High Educ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We examined baccalaureate colleges mission statements to better understand how these organizations represent themselves to potential students and other external constituent groups. We drew these documents from two sources, the colleges' official web sites and an archive constructed and maintained by U.S. News and World Report. Most sampled colleges submitted revised or different mission statements to U.S. News than published officially on institutional websites. Our findings suggested that the communication patterns of baccalaureate colleges are both vague and idiosyncratic. Official mission statements often proved descriptive or appealed to normative concepts. The statements submitted to U.S. News, by contrast, often utilized ''strategically deployed shifters.'' These terms suggested legitimate content but eluded precise definition. Mission statements submitted to U.S. News thereby proved amenable to student recruitment efforts.

show abstract

Section: Implications For Future Studysupporting

confidence: 87%

An Analysis of Baccalaureate College Mission Statements

Taylor

Morphew

2010

Res High Educ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…According to Mixon, Litizzette, and Beaty (2004), the irony of the meeting's venue was that Harvard had been founded by Puritan Christians in 1636 and given the motto Christo et Ecclesiae. By the 19th century, the Calvinists were ousted from control of Harvard and replaced by Unitarians.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Institutional Vision in Christian Higher Education: A Comparison of ACCU, ELCA, and CCCU Institutions

Abelman

Dalessandro

2009

Journal of Research on Christian Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Princeton, Chicago, and Duke are additional examples of early universities that emerged from Protestant denominations. Although all of these national universities are widely recognized for their academic excellence, their religious identity eroded over time and is now essentially an afterthought (Marsden, 1994;Mixon et al, 2004).…”

Section: Historical Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For many years scholars have argued that increased prestige can come only at the expense of religious identity and retaining their convictions means "they must accept academic mediocrity and dwell in the backwaters of academic culture" (Mixon et al, 2004, p. 401). Although secularization theory offers an explanation for much of the trajectory of religious higher education, an empirical study found that the need to secularize was not required to maintain or pursue a strong academic reputation (Mixon et al, 2004). However, Swezey and Ross (2012) argue there is a perception that "explicitly religious universities are de facto inferior in reputation to secular institutions" (p. 94).…”

Section: Secularization Of Higher Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The pursuit of academic prestige causes many institutions to mimic secular institutions (Dosen, 2012;Swezey & Ross, 2012;Warner, 2013) although there is some evidence this can be achieved without secularization (Benne, 2001;Mixon et al, 2004). Christian universities seek to maintain a foothold in both the academic and religious worlds but struggle to find their balance (Taylor, 2015).…”

Section: Summary: the Role Of Christian Universities In Higher Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Withstand or succumb : Christian universities and the implications of Obergefell v. Hodges

Pickering¹

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Most Christian universities support a traditional view of human sexuality. It is uncertain if they can survive with their religious identity intact, given the rapid increase in societal acceptance of same-sex marriage. The 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision legalizing same-sex marriage increases pressure to be more affirming. Thirty-four presidents at universities in the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) participated in a survey, and twelve were interviewed to explore their perceptions regarding that pressure and potential responses. The study was framed by institutional isomorphism theory, and data were analyzed using basic qualitative research methods. The results show that coercive isomorphism is the strongest mechanism, with current pressure to conform emanating from state and federal government.Regional variance is considerable as institutions in the South report little pressure while those in blue states like California report strong local pressure. It is experienced in actual or implied threats to remove student access to state and federal financial aid and eliminate tax-exempt status at universities that discriminate based on sexual orientation. Liberal voices within the Church, accrediting agencies, LGBT advocacy groups, and changing student values are other sources of pressure. Universities seek compromise solutions but are prepared to mount a legal challenge based on the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. They are not prepared to deal with changing student values, the strongest long-term source of pressure. To withstand pressure to conform, Christian universities must craft a unified response; find alternative sources of funding; engage and educate their boards; and find a way to assure young people that it is possible to be kind and loving while holding non-affirming policies related to same-sex marriage.

show abstract

Secularization and National Universities: The Effect of Religious Identity on Academic Reputation

Cited by 27 publications

References 43 publications

An Analysis of Baccalaureate College Mission Statements

An Analysis of Baccalaureate College Mission Statements

Institutional Vision in Christian Higher Education: A Comparison of ACCU, ELCA, and CCCU Institutions

Withstand or succumb : Christian universities and the implications of Obergefell v. Hodges

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About