Perception of Mission

The Idea of a Catholic College Found in Student Perception of Mission

Ellen Boylan, Ph.D. Marywood University

Suzanne Crockett, M.A. Marywood University

Abstract

The impact of a Catholic college on students springs from its identity. For any college or university, identity is shaped by the mission statement and made real in a learning environment that reflects mission goals. Although Catholic and Independent colleges alike are guided by mission statements, there may be differences in student perception of identity relative to the mission statement of their institution. To investigate for differences by group, a 20-item Mission Perception Inventory (Boylan, 2008) was administered annually over a four year period (2009-2012) to Catholic and Independent college consortia in order to obtain data on college student perceptions of their engagement in mission. Results indicate there are distinct differences in student perceptions of mission constructs by consortia type, with Catholic colleges scoring significantly higher mean results on items such as spirituality and respect for diversity. It is concluded that student perception of engagement in the Catholic identity of their institution is related to the manifestation in the campus environment of constructs of mission that are distinctly Catholic.

The Idea of a Catholic College Found in Student Perception of Mission

Introduction

The impact of a Catholic college on students springs from its identity. It is found in a mission shaped by the Catholic ethos and serves to guide the institution in every manner. Estanek, James & Norton (2006) remark that the best way to assess the identity of an institution is to base research on its mission statement. For Catholic colleges and universities, “Catholic” is the primary descriptor chosen to begin the mission statement, its position a tribute to the critical importance of this identity. In order to illuminate the distinct impact of identity on Catholic college students, this study explores data obtained from Catholic and Independent college student responses to identical question items on mission and compares the results by consortium. The purpose was to gain insight into the components of college student experience that contribute to their sense of engagement in the Catholic identity of their institution, in contrast to students at non-Catholic institutions.

Efforts continue to cultivate an elegant methodology for describing and measuring the distinct assets of Catholic Higher Education and how they enrich students’ lives. One measure is the Mission Perception Inventory (MPI), a set of custom questions about mission that has been available for use as an attachment to the annual National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) by a Catholic College

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Consortium since 2004 and the Mission Engagement Consortium for Independent Colleges since 2008. The research presented here is the product of comparative analyses of Mission Perception Inventory results by Catholic and Independent colleges between 2009 and 2012.

Research suggests that maintaining identity can be positive for an institution of higher education (Estanek, James & Norton, 2006). A longitudinal study of 824 private colleges from 1975 to the present found that religious colleges are more likely to survive than secular institutions (Porter and Ramirez, 2009). For example, at the 2009 conference of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU), the focus of presidents gathered there was on two issues they believe most important to their institutions today: the impact of the United States economy on students and the Catholic identities of their institutions (Ziegler, 2009). This illustrates how administrators of Catholic institutions are well aware of the importance of communicating and sustaining the mission and identities of the institutions they serve. The purpose of this research is to aid that effort by articulating in some measure the distinct character and resonance of Catholic identity within the college student environment.

Research described here uses data from several administrations of the annual National Study of Student Engagement (NSSE) with the extra Mission Perception Inventory questions attached. Colleges and Universities register for consortia dedicated to using the added Mission Perception Inventory questions, choosing either the Catholic College Consortium (CCC) or the Mission Engagement Consortium for Independent Colleges (MECIC). Consortium participants receive not only their own results but aggregated comparison data on consortium schools. Data assembled from results of several years of consortia administrations of the Mission Perception Inventory are used for this research.

Results from the ongoing Mission Perception Inventory study are shedding light on the unique ways Catholic identity, in the form of constructs of institutional mission, are affecting students’ perceptions of their experience. For this research, it was hypothesized that there are differences in outcomes within and between institution groups relative to student perception of their engagement in the mission and, indeed, this is borne out. Comparative analyses of Catholic versus Independent college consortia results are presented here and observations made about the relative differences by group. The potential for using the Mission Perception Inventory to compare additional consortia or institutional types in future research is discussed.

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Literature

Content analysis of mission statements by Abelman & Dalessandro (2009) revealed the existence of shared themes across many institutions, as well as consistent use of what the researchers call “visionary” terminology. The Mission Perception Inventory study described here began in 2004 with content analysis, as well, and a host of common constructs among the mission statements of Catholic colleges were discovered. Further, many of those in-common constructs, like leadership and academic excellence, were found in independent college mission statements, as well. The observed constructs were developed into religion-neutral Mission Perception Inventory questions, thus allowing for future comparative analysis by consortium type, i.e. Catholic versus Independent.

Despite similarities in institutional mission statements, the kind of strategic and programmatic activity they pursue to carry out mission imperatives may be different. Consider the finding of Borne et al. (2000) that institutions that clearly articulate their missions are more effective at strategic planning. Inversely, the appearance in this research of differences in perceptions between consortia may be explained by differences in the strategic initiatives chosen, which are essentially derived from institutional mission statements.

Morphew and Hartley (2006) point out that mission, regardless of an institution’s affiliation, helps distinguish institutional imperatives and has the capacity to inspire and motivate those within to communicate its characteristics, values and history to key external constituents. “Ultimately, the life force of any institution is its mission” (Scott, 2006).

In this study, ratings of students’ perceptions of mission engagement are the units of measurement. When answering the NSSE/Mission Perception Inventory questions, students rate their level of engagement in mission as it is manifest in the people and programs of the institutional environment. “Student engagement has been defined as participation in educationally effective practices, both inside and outside the classroom, which leads to a range of measurable outcomes” (Kuh et al., 2007). Further, student engagement is, “the time and effort students devote to activities that are historically linked to desired outcomes of college and what institutions do to induce students.”

Estanek, James, and Norton (2006) said the optimum way to assess mission and identity in higher education is “best grounded in the mission of the individual institutions” (p. 205). Mission statements from a host of colleges across the nation were examined using content analysis. It was concluded that, since mission statements firmly convey the goals and objectives of a postsecondary institution, they could appropriately be employed as bases for assessing the presence of mission and identity within the community and programs of institutions. Prior research recommends that institutions communicate mission via administrative operations, student services, academic programs and student services (Ferrari and Cowman, 2004).

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An instrument known as the Mission and Values Inventory, developed at DePaul University (Ferrari and Velcoff, 2006), has been used to study mission and identity as perceived by university staff. The majority of respondents to the Mission and Values Inventory report they understood the institution’s mission, Catholic values, and mission-driven activities, and believed that institutional mission is conveyed throughout the institution via the administration, academics, policies, and student services. It is presumed herein that both the Mission and Values Inventory and Mission Perception Inventory instruments, despite being administered to different populations, are similar in their ability to measure institutional mission within the campus environment.

Chickering (1993) points out the importance for an institution to have clearly articulated objectives for student learning and development. Ideally, the objectives pervade the institution’s programs and climate, and are widely shared and emphasized in oral and written communication. A strong sense of college mission that unifies the educational experience of students can reduce ambiguity and define purpose for students and others in the institution. For example, some of the constructs embodied in the mission statements of institutions participating in this research include: education as empowerment; a community of learning; moral character; leadership in service; career preparation; and appreciation for diversity.

Definitions

National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Through its student survey, The College Student Report, NSSE annually collects information at hundreds of four-year colleges and universities about student participation in programs and activities that institutions provide for their learning and personal development. The results provide an estimate of how undergraduates spend their time and what they gain from attending college, and have been shown to be related to a number of institutional outcomes, including retention and graduation rates (Pike, 2013).

Mission Perception Inventory (MPI). A set of 20 question items (Appendix A) that measure college students’ self-reported level of engagement in their institutions’ mission, as they perceive it in the campus environment. The Inventory items are attached to the NSSE as custom questions and have been available to a NSSE Catholic College Consortium (CCC) annually since 2004 and a NSSE Mission Perception Consortium for Independent Colleges (MECIC) annually since 2008.

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Assumptions

The assumptions of this study relate to ways of evaluating the measures, replicability, item validity and reliability, populations, representativeness of institutions and comparative sample sizes.

With regard to assumptions about the instruments, the National Survey of Student Engagement and the Mission Perception Inventory are both indirect measures of student outcomes. The data are self- reports of students’ attitudes and perceptions about aspects of the college experience. Although results are not direct measures of student learning outcomes, there is research indicating that NSSE results can be proxy measures of learning outcomes and therefore equally effective as assessments of student progress while in college (Pike). Although it cannot be asserted that results from this study indicate behavioral outcomes, results are assumed here to be proxy measures of student outcomes important to the college experience as a whole.

The National Survey of Student Engagement has been administered annually for successive years since 2000 and shown to be a valid and reliable measure of student perceptions about engagement in the college environment http://nsse.iub.edu/html/validity.cfm. The validity and reliability of the MPI have also been confirmed. It is assumed for the purposes of this research that use of these instruments here will demonstrate the same validity and reliability.

A limitation of this study is reliance on research conducted in closed consortia of Catholic and Independent colleges and universities participating in one or more administrations of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) from 2009 through 2012. Although the results may not be generalizable to all postsecondary institutions, the methodology may be adapted to explorations of institutional mission at other colleges.

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Methodology

A quantitative research methodology was employed for this study. The data were obtained by attaching Mission Perception Inventory question items to the National Survey of Student Engagement and administering it during successive years to two separate consortia in 2009 to 2012.

The National Survey of Student Engagement is an assessment instrument that measures levels of engagement of first-year and senior students in the college learning environment. It is administered annually at hundreds of participating postsecondary institutions. Results are meant to inform quality assurance and accreditation endeavors and enable national and sector benchmarking. Additional custom questions may be added to the NSSE each year and, since 2004, a Mission Perception Inventory consisting of 20 questions has been added and made available for use by a Catholic College Consortium and, since 2008, a Mission Engagement Consortium for Independent Colleges (MECIC).

The Mission Perception Inventory is a 20-item instrument consisting of one demographic question about religious affiliation and 19 items querying first year and senior students about their perceptions of institutional mission within the college learning environment. The Inventory questions were initially constructed via qualitative analysis of mission statements of Catholic institutions participating in the NSSE, with the most potent themes then developed into question items. After piloting items to test for face validity, best items were assembled into the Mission Perception Inventory for subsequent administration. In this way, the first year of MPI research employed a mix methods research methodology (Creswell, 2003) with later administrations confined to just quantitative techniques. The Mission Perception Inventory was modified in 2009 following exploratory factor analysis of data collected in 2004 through 2007 administrations (Boylan, 2011).

Constructs of mission were developed from results of repeat administrations of custom Mission Perception Inventory Mission Perception Inventory questions appended to the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and given to first year and senior college student participants. Factor analysis performed on results of data produced four scales representing constructs of mission – Values Development, Sense of Mission, Respect for Diversity, and an overall Mission Perception Inventory with all 19 items.

Although MPI data exist for years 2004 through 2013, this research uses results for four administration years, 2009 through 2012. The reason for selecting these years alone is attributable to two factors. One, the Independent college consortium began in 2008. It was desired that a sufficiently large number of Independent participants be available to make it worthwhile to conduct analysis, so results from 2009-2012 were selected. Second, there were large changes in the NSSE instrument in 2013, so only data before that year were used, to ensure longitudinal comparability.

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Results from 83 unique institutions are analyzed for this research, representing 59 Catholic colleges and universities and 24 Independent colleges (Appendix B). The data set contains case level results for 25,011 respondents who participated in one or the other consortium during the years 2009-2012. Some institutions administered the NSSE/MPI multiple times during that four-year period, so only the most their most recent administration year data were used in order to avoid overrepresentation of a single institution in results. Table 1 shows the distribution of Catholic and Independent consortia colleges across the span of years of the study.

Table 1: Institution frequency by Consortium 2009-2012 Consortium 2009 2010 2011 2012 Total Catholic 7 10 17 25 59 Independent 4 7 7 6 24 Total 11 17 24 31 83

In order to confirm the reliability of the scales demonstrated in prior MPI research, reliability analysis was performed on these data. Table 2 reports measures of internal consistency for the Mission Perception Inventory, its subscales and an additional measure, the NSSE Beliefs and Values subscale. The NSSE Beliefs and Values scale was constructed by the principal investigator on an a priori basis when the study originated in 2004, out of curiosity about the merit of using the NSSE alone as a measure of mission perception, compared to the MPI. The results of reliability analysis in Table 2 show a high degree of internal consistency for both the Catholic and Independent Consortia, as indicated by strong Cronbach’s alpha values for each.

Table 2: Cronbach’s alpha results for the MPI and subscales by Consortium 2009-2012

2009-2012 Subscales Catholic Independent

Values Development 0.849 0.817 Sense of Mission 0.911 0.874 Respect for Diversity 0.896 0.876 MPI 0.940 0.922 NSSE/BV 0.788 0.797

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Results

Data were broken out by class level and one-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs) were conducted to identify significant differences between Consortia. There are significant differences between Consortia on the results of three scales, Sense of Mission, Respect for Diversity and the overall Mission Perception Inventory (Table 3). For both first and senior year students, the Catholic consortium means (4.17 and 4.06, respectively) are higher than the Independent consortium means (3.96 and 3.81, respectively). For seniors only, differences emerged on the Respect for Diversity subscale and the Mission Perception Inventory (MPI) scale overall, such that at the senior level, the Catholic consortium means were higher than the Independent consortium means on both the subscale and the inventory overall.

Additional analyses were conducted to assess the strength of mean differences by observing effect size. Effect size is a determination of the practical significance of the mean difference between an institution and the comparison group. Generally, an effect size of .2 is considered small, .5 medium. A healthy Effect size2 is observed where there are significant differences by scale.

Table 3: MPI and NSSE Subscale Means 2009-2012 by Consortium and Level First Years Seniors CCC MECIC Effect CCC MECIC Effect Subscales (N=59) (N=24) Sig.1 size2 (N=59) (N=24) Sig.1 size2

Values Development 3.97 3.97 4.02 3.94

Sense of Mission 4.17 3.96 .000 0.90 4.06 3.81 .000 0.98

Respect for Diversity 4.16 4.13 4.07 3.94 .003 0.69

Mission Perception 4.13 4.08 Inventory (MPI 4.06 3.90 .000 1.03

NSSE Beliefs and Values 2.67 2.72 2.69 2.73 Scale: 1=Strongly disagree, 5=Strongly agree 1Mean differences that are larger than would be expected by chance alone are noted with one, two or three asterisks, denoting one of three significance levels (p<.05, p< .01, and p<.001). 2Effect Size – Determines the practical significance of the mean differences between an institution and the comparison group. Generally, an effect size of .2 is considered small, .5 medium, and .8 large. A positive sign indicates that an institution’s mean is greater than the mean of the comparison group; a negative sign, smaller (Cohen, 1988).

A two-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted to identify possible interactions between institution affiliation and class level. Significant differences were found for the Mission Perception Inventory (Table 4), such that seniors at Independent Colleges reported lower scores than seniors at Catholic Colleges.

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Changes in consortium means by class level are represented graphically in figure 1. Shown are differences in four-year average mean scores on the MPI scale by consortium and level. For Catholic institutions, the four-year average mean scores by level decline from first (4.13) to senior (4.06) years, a .07 change. Independent college means also decline from first (4.08) to senior (3.90) years, a .18 change. Although the 2009-2012 average means by group drop between first and senior years, the Catholic change is smaller.

Mission Perception Inventory means by Consortium and class level 4.3

First Year 4.1 Senior

3.9 Senior

3.7 First Years Seniors Catholic Independent

Figure 1. Mission Perception Inventory means 2009-2012 by Consortium and class level

T-tests were performed on individual MPI question items (19) by consortium and student level in hopes of determining why there are differences in the MPI scale grand means. Significant differences are observed (Table 4) between Catholic and Independent college means on eight items.

To explore for the source or sources responsible for MPI scale mean differences by consortium (figure 1), t-tests were performed to determine differences by MPI scale items by consortium, broken down by class level (Table 4). At the first year level, significant differences were found between Consortia on questions pertaining to the perceived presence of the founding community’s heritage and opportunities for spiritual commitment, such that the Catholic consortium means on these items were higher than the Independent consortium means. Similar patterns emerged for the same questions at the senior level, but these differences were even larger in effect size. Furthermore, an additional six items were found to be significantly different between the Consortia. At the senior level, the Catholic consortium mean was higher than the Independent consortium mean for items regarding the respect for one’s own spirituality and different religions and sexual orientations by faculty, staff and students, the presence of mission in the course offerings, and the presence of discussions of ethical values by faculty.

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Table 4: Mission Perception Inventory Item Means by Consortium and Level Mean Mean Cath Indept Effect Cath Indept Effect N = 59 N = 24 p size N = 59 N = 24 p size 1 The mission of this institution is widely understood 3.84 3.85 3.63 3.57 by students. 2 Ethical and spiritual development of students is an 4.08 3.99 4.04 3.80 important part of the mission at this institution. 3 This institution offers opportunities for 4.36 4.31 4.31 4.13 .033 0.84 volunteering and community service. 4 Social and personal development of students is an 4.14 4.17 4.04 3.93 important part of the mission at this institution. 5 This institution offers opportunities for 4.21 4.22 4.16 4.08 developing leadership skills. 6 Preparation for a career is an important part of 4.20 4.21 4.00 3.87 the mission of this institution. 7 The heritage of the founders/founding religious 4.27 3.86 .001 1.46 4.18 3.61 .000 1.63 community of this institution is evident here. 8 The faculty and staff here are respectful of people 4.33 4.25 4.25 4.08 .001 1.38 of different religions. 9 The students here are respectful of people of 4.13 4.05 4.06 3.89 .002 1.24 different religions. 10 Students at this institution feel free to express 4.11 4.09 4.01 3.88 .002 1.04 their individual spirituality. 11 The faculty and staff here are respectful of people 4.33 4.36 4.27 4.22 of different races and cultures. 12 The students here are respectful of people of 4.16 4.18 4.10 4.03 different races and cultures. 13 People of different sexual orientations are 3.97 3.84 3.80 3.56 accepted socially here. 14 The environment here encourages students to 4.13 4.13 3.99 3.89 develop an appreciation of diversity. 15 At this institution, there are opportunities for 4.32 4.11 .041 0.85 4.22 3.85 .004 1.25 students to strengthen their religious 16 commitment.The mission of this institution is reflected in its 4.10 4.04 4.01 3.81 .010 1.03 17 courseAs a result offerings. of my experience here, I am more 3.86 3.85 3.92 3.83 aware of social justice (fairness and equality) 18 issuesThe faculty in the at world. this institution discuss the ethical 3.96 3.94 4.02 3.90 .024 0.86 implications of what is being studied. 19 As a result of my experience here, I am more 4.07 4.12 4.11 4.10 aware of my own personal values.

Scale: 1=strongly disagree, 5=strongly agree Mean differences that are larger than would be expected by chance alone are demonstrated by one of three significance levels (p<.05, p< .01, and p<.001). Effect Size – Determines the practical significance of the mean differences between an institution and the comparison group. Generally, an effect size of .2 is considered small, .5 medium, and .8 large. A positive sign indicates that an institution’s mean is greater than the mean of the comparison group; a negative sign, smaller (Cohen, 1988).

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Conclusion

The purpose of this research was to investigate differences in performance by Catholic and Independent college consortia on identical measures of student-reported engagement in institutional mission. The results show that there are differences in the makeup college student experiences that contribute to their sense of engagement in the identity of their institution.

Results indicate that Catholic institutions achieve higher item and scale mean outcomes on mission perception measures relative to Independent ones on several of the indicators assessed (Table 4). Not only do results show higher means are attained by Catholic colleges and universities, but additional analysis on effect size, or practical significance, of those mean differences demonstrates that a high level of confidence may be consigned to these outcomes.

There is a striking gap in means by class level for first year and senior students (Table 4). For first year students, there is a significant difference in means between Catholic versus Independent consortium colleges on just one item, the opportunity to strengthen religious commitment (4.27 v. 3.86). However, at the senior student level, there are significant differences on eight out of 19 items, each showing higher mean scores for Catholic colleges. Items in Table 4 of particular strength for Catholic college seniors are opportunities for community service; awareness of the heritage of the institution’s founders; faculty, staff and students alike who have respect for people of different religions; and students’ perception that they are free to express their individual spirituality and strengthen their religious commitment. Catholic college seniors have significantly higher mean scores than Independent colleges on two academic items – perceiving that mission is reflected in course offerings and that faculty discuss the ethical implications of what is being studied. The higher mean score for Catholic college seniors relative to Independent students on these academic items may explain why seniors in Independent colleges report a relatively larger decrease in mission perception compared to Independent first year students, whereas students at Catholic colleges do not indicate as large a decrease.

These differences shed light on the decrease in mission perception in the Independent consortium and its preservation in the Catholic consortium from the first year to the senior level. First year students at Catholic compared to Independent colleges readily recognize the heritage of the founding religious community and opportunities for increased religious commitment, which are known and salient characteristics of Catholic institutions. However, through long-term engagement with and exposure to the unique character of Catholic institutions, seniors at these colleges continue to report evidence of Catholic identity.

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It is telling that we find greater difference between Catholic and Independent institutions at the senior level compared to the first year level (Table 4). Students at the end of their college career have several years of experience with the mission and identity of the institution and may more accurately assess their impact. Catholic consortium seniors report higher mean scores on attitudes towards diverse others, performing community service, and perceiving that the mission is evident in course offerings. It would seem likely that first year students would report a higher level of mission perception due to recent proximity to the Core. However, higher means for Catholic college seniors on mission and coursework suggest that the perception of mission and identity in the academic environment remains strong after several years. Results in Table 4 also suggest that institutional characteristics which distinguish the two consortia shape students’ understanding of concepts such as mission or diversity in differently over several years.

Future research using statistical tests of regression can be undertaken to identify the relative contributions of selected variables for predicting performance on mission items by consortia. This would allow comparison of predicted versus actual results within and between institutions, and illuminate areas of success or those needing adjustment, which is an important component of demonstrating assessment for change and improvement.

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References

Abelman, R. & Dalessandro, A. (2009a). Institutional vision in Christian higher education: A comparison of ACCU, ELCA and CCCU institutions. Journal of Research on Christian Education, 18(1), 84-119. Boylan, E. (2011, Summer). “Keeping Confidence in Data over Time: Testing the Tenor of Results from Repeat Administrations of a Question Inventory,” Association for Institutional Research (AIR) Professional File, (121). Bourne, B., Gates, L., Cofer, J. (2000). Setting strategic directions using critical success factors. Planning for Higher Education, 28, 10-18. Chickering, A. (1993). Education and Identity. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Creswell, J.W. (2003). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. Estanek, S. James, M. & Norton, D. (2006). Assessing Catholic Identity: A study of mission statements of Catholic colleges and universities. Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry and Practice, 10 (2), 199-216. Ferrari, J.R., Cowman, S., Milner, L., Gutierrez, R., & Drake, P. (2009). Impact of school sense of Community within a faith-based university: Administrative and academic staff perceptions on institutional mission and values. Social Psychology of Education, 12, 515- 528. doi: 10.1007/s11218-009-9093-3 Ferrari, J. & Velcoff, J. (2006). Measuring staff perceptions of university identity and activities: The mission and values inventory. Christian Higher Education. Retrieved www.informaworld.com/index/759221666.pdf Hellwig, M.K. (2004). Evaluating the mission and identity of a Catholic college or university. In Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, and Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, Mission and identity: A handbook for trustees of Catholic colleges and universities (pp. 45-52). Washington, DC: Author. Kuh, G., Kinzie, J., Buckley, J. A., Bridges, B. K., and Hayek, J. (2007). Piecing together the student success puzzle: Research, propositions, and recommendations. ASHE Higher Education Report (Vol. 32, No. 5). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Kuh, G.D., Pace, C.R. & Vesper, N. (1997). The development of process indicators to estimate student gains associated with good practices in higher education. Research in Higher Education, 38: 435-454. Morphew, C. & Hartley, M. (2006). Mission statements: A thematic analysis of rhetoric across institutional type. The Journal of Higher Education, 77 (3), 456-461. doi:10.1353/jhe.2006.0025 National Survey of Student Engagement. NSSE Findings. Retrieved from http://nsse.iub.edu/html/reports.cfm. NSSE validity. (2014). Retrieved from http://nsse.iub.edu/html/validity.cfm.

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Pike, G. (2013). NSSE Benchmarks and Institutional Outcomes: A Note on the Importance of Considering the Intended Uses of a Measure in Validity Studies. Research In Higher Education, 54(2), 149-170. doi: 10.1007/s11162-012-9279-y Pike, G. R., Kuh, G.D., & Gonyea, R.M. (2003). The relationship between institutional mission and students’ involvement and educational outcomes. Research in Higher Education, 44(2), 241-261. Scott, J.C. (January/February 2006). The Journal of Higher Education, 77 (1), 1-39. http: //www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/3838730.pdf?acceptTC=true Ziegler, J. (2009, February 27). Economic crisis, Catholic identity are top concerns of college presidents. The National Catholic Register. Retrieved from http://www.ncregister.com//site/print_article/17443.

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Appendix A Mission Perception Inventory (MPI) Perception of Mission

Q A2: Current religious preference (not shown)

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Appendix B Mission Perception Inventory (MPI) Participating Institutions 2009-2012*

MPI Study Catholic College Consortium Participating Institutions 2009-2012 (59) Alvernia University Lewis University Saint Joseph's College of Maine Assumption College Madonna University Saint Martin's University Avila University Manhattan College Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Barry University Marian University Saint Vincent College Belmont Abbey College Marygrove College Saint Xavier University Cabrini College Marywood University Siena College Chaminade University of Honolulu Misericordia University Southern Catholic College Chestnut Hill College Molloy College St Mary's University Clarke University Mount Aloysius College Stonehill College College of Mount Saint Vincent Mount Marty College The College of Saint Scholastica College of Our Lady of the Elms Mount St. Mary's University Thomas More College College of Saint Elizabeth Newman University University of Dallas DePaul University Niagara University University of Great Falls Dominican College of Blauvelt Notre Dame de Namur University University of Mary Dominican University Ohio Dominican University University of St. Francis Felician College Our Lady of the Lake University-San Antonio University of St. Thomas Gannon University Saint Ambrose University Villanova University Gwynedd Mercy College Saint Anselm College Viterbo University Immaculata University Saint Bonaventure University Walsh University La Roche College Saint Joseph's College

MPI Study Mission Engagement Consortium for Independent Colleges Participating Institutions 2009-2012 (24) Alabama A&M University Hobart and William Smith Colleges Rochester College Allegheny College Humphreys College-Stockton Sewanee: The University of the South Andrews University Keystone College Southeastern University Brigham Young University-Hawaii Manhattanville College Springfield College Cambridge College Naropa University Tabor College Faulkner University Pacific Union College Tiffin University Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences Philadelphia University Trevecca Nazarene University Hanover College Philander Smith College Virginia Intermont College

*Institutions shown do not represent all consortia participants in NSSE/MPI 2009-2012, but those that afterward joined Marywood University’s annual mission data-sharing project. In appreciation for sharing data, institutions receive a custom comparison MPI Report (Appendix C).

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Appendix C Perception of Mission Sample p. 2 of an MPI Report 2012 Mission Perception Inventory My University Sense of Mission (Cronbach’s alpha=.895) The statistics are: 4.5 This institution offers opportunities for First Year 4.0 volunteering and community service.

Mean 4.02 3.5 Median 3.65 This institution offers opportunities for 25%ile 3.79 3.0 developing leadership skills. 75%ile 4.65 2.5 The heritage of the founders/founding 2.0 Senior Year Score Mission of Sense First Year Senior religious community of this institution is Mean 4.23 My University 4.02 4.23 evident here. Median 3.55 Consortium 4.11 4.02 25%ile 3.68 The mission of this institution is reflected in its 75%ile 4.99 course offerings

Rank (out of __) At this institution, there are opportunities for First Year: __ Social and personal development of students is an students to strengthen their religious Senior Year: __ important part of the mission at this institution. commitment.

Ethical and spiritual development of students is an Preparation for a career is an important part 1 important part of the mission at this institution. of the mission of this institution.

The mission of this institution is widely understood by students. Respect for Diversity (Cronbach’s alpha=.910) The statistics are: The faculty and staff here are respectful of First Year 5.0 people of different races and cultures.2 Mean 3.98 4.5 Median 3.56 4.0 The students here are respectful of people of 2 25%ile 3.99 3.5 different races and cultures. 75%ile 4.10 3.0 The students here are respectful of people of 2.5 2 Senior Year First Year Senior different religions.

Respect for Diversity Score Diversity for Respect Mean 4.21 My University 3.98 4.21 Median 3.46 Consortium 4.07 3.99 Students at this institution feel free to express 25%ile 3.88 their individual spirituality.

75%ile 4.66 The faculty and staff here are respectful of people of People of different sexual orientations are Rank (out of __) different religions.2 accepted socially here. First Year: __ Senior Year: __ The environment here encourages students to develop an appreciation of diversity. 1 New question item 2009. 2 In 2009, question stem changed from combined “faculty, staff and students” to separate “faculty and staff” and “students” items.

Marywood University The Idea of a Catholic College Conference – King’s College Boylan & Crockett, 2014 17 September 19-20, 2014