College Identity Sagas

Description:
In an increasingly homogeneous higher education landscape, does organizational identity still matter? Specifically, church-related higher education has experienced seismic shifts since the mid-1960s. Framed by emerging research on organizations and theories of isomorphism, this book traces the forty-year narratives of three colleges of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America--Concordia College, Gettysburg College, and Lenoir-Rhyne University. Are these schools seeking to preserve their religious identities, and if so, what organizational strategies are supporting these efforts? In-depth personal interviews, rigorous document analysis, and thoughtful observation give voice to the three stories detailed in College Identity Sagas. For those interested in distinctive colleges, religiously affiliated higher education, and organization and institutional theories, this book is a vital resource.

Endorsements:
""In engaging prose, Childers provides a framework for understanding the variety, impact, and possibilities of religious identity in colleges . . . By employing multiple voices and a spectrum of examples, he provides a nuanced discussion of the issue into which most campuses can beneficially enter.""
--Ryan LaHurd, President of James S. Kemper Foundation

""Childers has produced a groundbreaking study. His findings are based on substantive theory and thorough research and analysis. Hopefully, these three case studies will be useful to other colleges and church bodies in charting their courses.""
--Paul J. Dovre, President Emeritus of Concordia College


About the Contributor(s):
Eric Childers completed his PhD in higher education at the University of Virginia in 2010. He serves as pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church in Cherryville, North Carolina.