Reimagining Christian Higher Education in China Today

This article focuses on the history of Christian higher education in China as a case study, building upon the work of scholars who have been seeking to better understand the identity and distinguishing marks of Christian higher education in a variety of settings worldwide. Although there had been 13 Christian colleges and universities in China before the Communist rule in 1949, such institutions had totally disappeared from China during the early 1950s, only to be revived to a limited extent three decades later due to a resurgence of the study of the history of Christian colleges in the 1980s. As one manifestation of the renewed interest in Christian higher education, in 2014 Yenching University Alumni Association celebrated the 95th anniversary of the founding of Yenching University in Beijing. This indication of interest reflects a new form of Christian presence in higher education in China that is quite different from elsewhere. In this article, the author describes some of the activities taking place over the past three decades in China that merit scholarly attention more broadly.     

SEARCHING FOR THE SOUL OF ENGLISH UNIVERSITIES: AN EXPLORATION AND ANALYSIS OF CHRISTIAN HIGHER EDUCATION IN ENGLAND

ABSTRACT:  Although church-related universities in England gradually became more secular throughout the twentieth century, a group of nine teacher education colleges with church foundations have recently developed into full fledged universities. This article draws upon documentary and site-based research to evaluate the relevance of the Christian identity for these institutions in light of recent scholarship on the subject.     

Supporting Teaching Faculty as Scholars: A Developmental Model

Professors from across the academic disciplines at Council for Christian College & Universities (CCCU) institutions have traditionally excelled in their teaching. In recent years, CCCU faculty have also increasingly been expected to conduct research and to publish scholarly work. As CCCU institutions expand research and scholarship expectations for faculty, we must also provide the requisite support for professors to be effective in this work. In this article, we highlight institutional practices to encourage, support, and celebrate scholarly writing and research by faculty. Drawing upon findings from Zuidema's 2016 survey of CCCU chief academic officers, we offer benchmark practices for communicating expectations, offering tangible supports and resources, augmenting accountability measures with formative feedback, and recognizing and celebrating scholarship. Against this backdrop, we highlight practical, affordable strategies used at Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) in California and Dordt College in Iowa, two CCCU institutions that have increased expectations for scholarship in recent years. Through these illustrations, we aim to inspire new and creative strategies for supporting scholarship by showing how these practices are an outgrowth of a developmental philosophy of leadership that seeks to invest in the core resource of CCCU institutions: the faculty.     

An Exploratory Comparative Case Study of Employee Engagement in Christian Higher Education

Numerous studies have identified a positive correlation between employee engagement and overall organizational performance. However, research on employee engagement specifically within higher education is limited, and even less attention has been focused on engagement within the context of Christian higher education. An exploratory comparative case study research design was used to explore two faith-based universities that are atypical examples of excellence as measured by the Best Christian Workplace Institute (BCWI) “Employee Engagement and Organizational Culture” survey. Analysis of data gathered from 53 interviews with employees and document analysis led to the identification of institutional characteristics that fostered employee engagement at two universities that consistently exhibited high rankings of employee self-reported engagement based on the BCWI survey results. Despite substantial differences between the two institutions, commonalities were identified in many of the characteristics that fostered employee engagement on the two campuses. The findings revealed that the shared themes of mission, community, empowered human resource departments, and a sense of positive momentum all contributed to the atypically high employee engagement levels that resulted in a positive and empowering organizational culture.     

Retirement Savings Behavior of Higher Education Employees

Higher education employees often participate in university-sponsored defined contribution pension plans that place the investment decision responsibility upon them. In order to examine investment decision-making behavior with retirement savings plans we investigated attitude-mediated, individual difference determinants of risky decision-making behavior in employer-sponsored defined contribution retirement plans. Using a field survey of 795 higher education employees, who participated in one of four defined contribution savings plans, we tested a risk taking model using data on the employees’ investment allocations in their defined contribution savings plan. We found that an attitudinal preference toward risk and a perception of opportunity served as mediators for the relationships among employees’ dispositional characteristics and their retirement savings behavior. We also found that investment knowledge directly affected risk taking behavior. Implications of the results for higher education institutions are discussed. Funding for this study was provided by TIAA-CREF and is gratefully acknowledged by the authors.     

Diversification in Argentine higher education: Dimensions and impact of private sector growth

Private education is a remarkably dynamic area of change in post-secondary education, particularly in Latin America. Evidence of growth in the number of private institutions and enrollment suggests that higher education is becoming increasingly diversified into two sectors – public and private. While this appears to be true throughout Latin America, and much of the developing world, recent evidence from Argentina casts doubt on the degree to which private sector growth trends may actually translate into a significant increase in the impact of private institutions in higher education, where impact is proxied by the relative share of student enrollment and graduates. This study explores the dimensions and impact of private expansion in Argentina, and places the findings in a comparative (regional) and theoretical framework. The analysis shows that, despite unprecedented growth in the number of private universities, the public sector remains the dominant provider of university education. Private institutions, while certainly more numerous and training a growing number of students, do not account for a larger share of university enrollment. They have, however, developed specific niches (e.g., in graduate level training and in urban areas). Significantly, following a pattern of institutional proliferation found throughout Latin America, some private universities offer elite alternatives to prestigious public institutions. The findings serve to qualify apparent `gains' in private higher education and to underscore the need for further research into the relevant intrasectoral (public and private) dimensions of change in post-secondary education.     

The lived ethics of abstinence: Christian young men’s experiences of romantic relationships

Relationships and sex education (RSE), as set out in the recent Bill making RSE compulsory for all English schools, should be appropriate to the religious background of pupils. This paper suggests that this appropriateness is best found by gaining the best understanding about religious young people’s lived experiences of relationships and sexuality. Our in-depth qualitative research with three Christian young men aged 17–18 from a large charismatic evangelical church in the Midlands region of England investigated experiences of romantic relationships, focusing on the ‘ethical moments’ in which Christian ethical principles of sexual abstinence are negotiated. By attending closely to both the theological and the non-religious discursive resources that these negotiations draw upon, we demonstrate the different ways in which abstinence becomes meaningful in study participants' lifeworlds. We conclude that a sex education based on ethics in practice might engage best with religious young people.     

Rethinking higher agricultural education in a time of globalization and rural restructuring

Abstract

This paper explores the consequences of globalization and rapid rural restructuring for our institutions of higher agricultural learning. It is essential for these institutions to make fundamental choices. This process of priority setting should not only be based on a continuous survey of the labour market but also on what the institutions themselves consider as challenging areas of activities. The paper discusses a number of necessary changes in the areas of targets and contents, institutional management, professionalization and strategy of higher agricultural education.     

A Look at Counselor Education Programs in Light of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

The fundamental objective of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is to prohibit discrimination against all handicapped individuals attempting to participate in any program or activity that receives federal financial assistance. Therefore, this act has had a major impact on most institutions of higher education. Counselor education programs at these institutions are specifically affected in areas related to admission and treatment of handicapped students. A recent U.S. Supreme Court case is helpful in establishing guidelines for the application of Section 504 to these counselor education programs.     

Retaining Staff Employees: The Relationship Between Human Resources Management Strategies and Organizational Commitment

Organizational behavior studies suggest that employee retention is dependent upon levels of organizational commitment. This study focused on the potential influence that human resources management (HRM) strategies have on organizational commitment levels among staff employees. The study collected data on human resources practices at thirty-four public institutions of higher education. In addition, staff employees from six of these institutions completed a survey measuring affective, continuance, and normative organizational commitment levels. Statistical analysis procedures found significant relationships between the HRM strategies and two of the commitment constructs, indicating that certain HRM strategies can affect organizational commitment and potentially influence turnover.     

Estimation of relative elasticities of substitution and relative compensation for part-time faculty

Part-time workers have become a visible and noticeably larger component of the labor force in recent years. From an economic perspective, relative compensation changes may be a major factor determining the growth of the part-time sector. Yet, surprisingly little has been done to explore the effects of these changes on the relative rates of growth in part- and full-time labor markets. In part, this is because of the difficulty in obtaining data on the compensation paid to part-timers. In this paper, we suggest a methodology for deriving such data through statistical estimation and use survey data of over 2,100 institutions of higher education, conducted by the American Association of University Professors.     

The professional development needs of secondary school information technology co-ordinators

Abstract

Analysis of a recent survey in the United Kingdom of the roles, concerns, training needs and support priorities of secondary school Information Technology Co-ordinators has revealed a number of factors and relationships amongst these variables and with other variables concerning the characteristics of schools. In this article we present and discuss the results of a recent survey in the United Kingdom of the roles, concerns, training needs and support priorities of secondary school Information Technology Co-ordinators (ITCs). We draw conclusions concerning the unique problems faced by ITCs as a result of the expectations placed upon them, not only to teach their own subject, but also to train and support other teachers in the pedagogical application of information technology (IT). In response to a great variety of needs, there is only limited support provided for them formally by their schools and by external sources. The most highly valued support comes from informal sources. We consider the implications of these conclusions for those concerned with providing professional development in IT education. We suggest that partnership approaches may provide the basis for much improved support for ITCs, with the aim of raising the standard of teaching in schools, both of IT as a subject and with IT as an aid. We also highlight the challenges for the partnerships between schools and higher education institutions which are attempting to provide initial teacher education for IT specialists.     

Christian Higher Education in a Changing Context: Shifting From Pillars to Practices

ABSTRACT

The process of global modernization has reached a new phase. In many parts of the world, societies have become so complex that the logic that characterized first modernity no longer works. Simultaneously, societies are confronted by huge and complex side effects of modern rationality, such as climate change, migration influx, global inequality, and waning confidence in the nation-state. Consequently, we are entering an age of reflexive modernity. In our view, this new social configuration has important consequences for what Christian higher education can contribute to the education of new professionals. In this article, we will reflect on the way in which three collaborating Christian universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands are searching for answers on the challenges of our time. We propose, firstly, that they should give more attention to the relational formation of professionals than before. These professionals have to bridge the gap between professional and client, system and lifeworld, professionalism and personality, and professionalism and spirituality. Secondly, the professionals trained at Christian institutions of higher education should develop a strong professional ethos that allows them to act swiftly and efficiently in complex situations. In order to develop such an ethos, moral traditions are indispensable. Although the new social configuration does not seem to be very favorable for Christian higher education, on closer inspection it brings new opportunities.     

Ernest L. Boyer and the American Christian College: Historical Considerations

This article explores the historical roots of Ernest Boyer's impact on Christian higher education in the United States. Boyer's stints as a student at two Christian colleges (Messiah College in Pennsylvania and Greenville College in Illinois) and his first faculty and administrative posts at Upland College in California were significant influences in the development of his vision for the Christian college—a vision that led to greater legitimacy and credibility in the landscape of American higher education. Ernest Boyer's innovative, yet historic understanding of the distinctives of Christian higher education contributed to the successful accreditation process of nearly one hundred small, private institutions.     

Understanding and Nourishing Christian Vocation to Higher Education in a Postcommunist Society

ABSTRACT

To understand the concept of Christian vocation within the context of higher education in a postcommunist society, reflection on its communist and postcommunist history is necessary. Thus, the authors first present an analysis of Eastern Europe's Marxist past, specifically focusing on the external and internal impact of that past on attitudes toward higher education of people living in a postcommunist society. Marxist statism, or the total dominance of the state over an individual, remains an external influence more than a quarter of a century since Eastern Europe's 1989 democratic revolution that reshaped much of the continent. In considering the topic of vocation within the context of Eastern Europe, the ethos that works inwardly on members of postcommunist societies must be noted: suspicion leading to self-doubt, passivity kept alive by bureaucratization, and strict compartmentalization of knowledge into science versus religion. In the second part of the article, the authors describe the concept of Christian vocation in a postcommunist society, as understood by contemporary younger and older generations based on data from two recent qualitative investigations. These studies allowed for comparison between the generational views and documented important attitudinal changes. The third section concludes by providing examples of good practices for nurturing an understanding of Christian vocation in higher education in a postcommunist context. Although the effectiveness of some of these practices has been documented over time, most are still in their infancy. Despite the new democratic political system, Christians need to reconsider the former dichotomies (i.e., state–church, public–private, scientific–religious) and become more actively involved in previously inaccessible and challenging areas of influential work such as teaching and managerial positions in higher education institutions. It should be noted that the term vocation, as used in languages of postcommunist European countries has several meanings such as invitation, calling, occupation, or profession; accordingly, the authors use the terms vocation and calling interchangeably in this article.     

Practicing Lament to Teach for Justice: Reflections from a Survey Course

What pedagogical routines and rhythms can teachers in Christian institutions of higher education adopt to teach for justice? The article explores this question by detailing efforts to incorporate the practice of lament into the learning routines of a survey course on global poverty. Drawing on recent scholarship on practice-oriented pedagogies and lament theology, the discussion articulates a lament pedagogy that aims to deepen students' empathetic engagement with the voices of suffering they encounter in the course and to engender a performative response to injustices they confront beyond the classroom. In particular, the article details how the use of literary accounts written by non-Western authors who explore themes of disruptive social change, poverty, and injustice in their works intersects with an overarching practice of lament to foster enduring processes of dispositional formation in students. A closing discussion considers how the pedagogical routines developed in a global poverty course might be adapted to and implemented in courses across the liberal arts curriculum. The article makes the case that educators in Christian colleges and universities are critical in the ongoing public recovery of a practice of prayer and worship that is fundamental to one's engagement with suffering in the world.     

Institutional goal and congruence: A study of student,faculty, and administrator preferences

Whether one employs the bureaucratic, collegium, political, or another model to understand and interpret the functioning of colleges and universities, the problems of goal definition and attainment are of paramount importance. While several studies have begun to provide tentative empirical evidence about the possibility of conflicting institutional goal priorities between campus groups, the results to date are incomplete and, in some instances, contradictory. The present study compared the preferences of students, faculty, and administrators in a public, four-year college for five types of institutional goals derived from a factor analysis of 47 goal statements developed by Gross and Grambsch (1968). Significant differences were found between these campus groups on all five types of institutional goals. These differences are discussed within the context of previous research findings, and further areas of research are suggested to explore the degree of goal consensus in institutions of higher learning. It is suggested that the failure of researchers to undertake these investigations and of those “in control” to act upon the results of these inquiries might produce greater damage to the future of American higher education than resulted from the recent era of student unrest.     

Academics in an Era of Structural Change: An Australian Experience

This article reports upon the results of a survey of academics in ten post‐binary institutions, with respect to the impact of systemic restructuring upon them. Specifically, it is concerned with respondents’ perceptions of the effects of amalgamation/redesignation, the values of the post‐binary universities and the nature of the Unified National System. The study's findings reflect higher education institutions undergoing profound and discomfiting consolidation. Mergers, with some notable exceptions, seem to have been more difficult in the incorporated than the redesignated universities. Although binary backgrounds and subsequent placement in a redesignated or incorporated institution, have had a strong influence upon respondents, there is also notable agreement amongst them in relation to the values of the post‐binary institutions, the nature of the Unified National System and the increasing privatisation of the universities. While official expectations were for a more diverse higher education system, influenced by the legacies of the former CAE system, and those of the former binary universities, the college legacy is not perceived to be notably significant in the new order. The absorption of the former binary system, into a unitary system of universities, has been difficult, and the values of the new higher education institutions are regarded as being neither highly adaptive nor pluralistic.     

Building Bridges Across Faith Lines: Responsible Christian Education in a Post-Christian Society

The demographic composition of students and employees at many Christian colleges and universities in the United States does not reflect the growing religious diversity of the twenty-first century. While Christian higher education provides a valuable space for students to grow in faith and prepare for lives of service to others, many students leave college with little exposure to, or knowledge of, religious differences. Of particular concern is the infrequency of students developing relationships with religious “others,” leaving them underprepared for constructively navigating a post-Christian society. This reality places a special responsibility on Christian educators to provide sound education and opportunities for healthy encounters with different religious voices, allowing persons from these traditions to speak in their own voices and be hospitably welcomed into Christian communities. Relying on research from the emerging field of Interfaith Studies and the co-authors’ experiences of implementing interfaith initiatives at Bethel University, located in St. Paul, Minnesota, this article presents a rationale for creating interfaith engagement opportunities at Christian institutions. Specific attention is given to identifying core virtues and competencies that educators should seek to cultivate in their students and providing pedagogical strategies for helping students develop interfaith competency. Given that campus-wide support is needed if interfaith work is to be successful, we also provide strategies for working with administration, faculty, and staff across the breadth of campus life.