Maintaining diversity in the shadows of conformity: Can a systematic attempt to maintain a university's distinctive mission override societal pressures for conformity?

• Main Author: Clarin, Delrina Marie
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: W&M ScholarWorks 1996
• Subjects: Higher Education; Other Education
• Online Access: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1539618622; https://scholarworks.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1832&context=etd

The purpose of this study was to analyze the components of the University of Scranton's systematic program to develop and maintain a distinctive mission through Tierney's framework of organizational culture, and to analyze the congruence between the mission of the University of Scranton and the faculty's perception of the mission and their institutional activities.;The University of Scranton was chosen for three reasons: (1) Sporadic efforts to maintain its Catholic/Jesuit mission and identity had already been in place since 1977; (2) With the appointment of a Task Force on Identity and Mission in 1994, the administration is attempting to bring previous efforts together in a more concerted way; and (3) The University is a part of a larger group of twenty eight Jesuit colleges and universities throughout the United States working on this same issue.;The case study method was used. The researcher studied pertinent data from 1989 through the academic year, 1995. The mission statement of the University was used as the formal expression of distinctiveness of mission and identity. How this statement is being promoted by the administration was gleaned through a content analysis of documents and by the use of an interview protocol used with key administrators. Faculty congruence was assessed through the use of a survey instrument constructed after the interviews and the document analysis had been completed.;It was concluded that a high level of congruence existed in Tierney's categories of environment, mission, socialization, information, and leadership. There was less congruence in the area of strategy.;Further study is needed to evaluate this effort on a long-term basis. It would also be beneficial if case studies could be performed on the other 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States making similar efforts as well as other types of distinctive colleges and universities.