Reviewing and revising the institutional vision of U.S. higher education

This article reviews the literature on the institutional vision of higher education in the United States – that is, the philosophical template through which colleges and universities define and communicate the kinds of human beings they are attempting to cultivate. Key linguistic components found to constitute a well conceived, viable, and easily diffused institutional vision are identified and significant issues, controversies and problems associated with these guiding, governing, and self-promotional mission and vision statements are examined. Particular attention is given to those types of schools recognized in the literature as the most maligned in the academic community or misrepresented in the popular press. A comparative analysis revisits the data of a subset of these investigations with the intention of generating greater insight into the institutional vision of higher education and offering a prescription for how these statements can better serve their institutions

An Assessment of the Institutional Vision of Catholic Colleges and Universities

Institutional vision is a philosophical template”a concept of what, at its best, a college or university is like and the kinds of human beings that institution is attempting to cultivate. A content analysis of the institutional vision of a nation-wide sample of Catholic schools was performed and key linguistic components found to constitute a well conceived, viable, and easily diffused mission and vision were isolated. The prevalence of these components in comparison to other types of religious schools and secular four-year institutions is discussed. Findings suggest that Catholic schools are vision-driven institutions that communicate their priorities and defining characteristics by employing clear, highly optimistic, and inspirational language. They do little to articulate effectively a unification among the community of students, faculty, and staff, or coordinate their vision of the institution with that of the administration. They are less likely than other types of religious and secular schools to address the pragmatic benefits of their education

An Assessment of the Institutional Vision of Catholic Colleges and Universities

Institutional vision is a philosophical template”a concept of what, at its best, a college or university is like and the kinds of human beings that institution is attempting to cultivate. A content analysis of the institutional vision of a nation-wide sample of Catholic schools was performed and key linguistic components found to constitute a well conceived, viable, and easily diffused mission and vision were isolated. The prevalence of these components in comparison to other types of religious schools and secular four-year institutions is discussed. Findings suggest that Catholic schools are vision-driven institutions that communicate their priorities and defining characteristics by employing clear, highly optimistic, and inspirational language. They do little to articulate effectively a unification among the community of students, faculty, and staff, or coordinate their vision of the institution with that of the administration. They are less likely than other types of religious and secular schools to address the pragmatic benefits of their education