I think one of the major problems is that Christian colleges are competing with so many other places just to get enough students... and the reason for that is, most families (even Christian ones!) are not out to find a college that is transformational: they are instead pursuing ROI, social mobility, a decent paying job, a particular major connected to a hoped-for career, or even the reinforcement of their conservative political leanings (Liberty or Hillsdale, anyone?)... most of what they really want are those transactional things. If plenty of interested applicants (and their parents) prioritized Christian transformation, our colleges wouldn't be facing the dire prospects most of them are facing (scanning the comments on CT's social media posts about that article bear this out: many Christians jump on to comment that going to a public college is just as good, if not better). Because of these dynamics most Christian colleges have (for decades) had to start joining the higher ed marketing game of highlighting these other things they provide, OR ELSE THEY'LL FAIL. So perhaps the real, prior issue is: why don't more families, especially Christian ones, care more about transformation, spiritual growth, learning Christian theology (and other fields) with faithful Christian scholars, etc.? Why don't they prioritize sending their kids to Christian colleges?
I was just having this conversation this morning. Because too many Christian universities have marketed themselves as vocational opportunities with chapel attached, alums feel like it's not for their well-nurtured kids. Reframing the mission is crucial to showing why the institution offers value to them and why they could bring needed value to the institution.
That could be part of it, of course. But if so, presumably those alums would send their kids to *other* Christian schools that still front the mission and do it well (perhaps like such parents felt their own alma maters had done), which would be a boon for many Christian schools. But that is hardly observable these days; so I was supposing (most of) the causality goes the other way: Christian colleges are responding to the market forces and the shrinking enrollments, and one major reason that those are that way is that would-be Christian college applicants just are not prioritizing a formational Christian education perhaps the way they once did. Applicants and their families are instead following the cultural trend of attending college mainly for transactional purposes. Thus we are offering a product that very few want any more.
In my area of the world, western Canada, the different Christian institutions have all started to develop these one year gap programs. They are each structured slightly different. Some partner with local churches and others are only course work. It seems there is a shift to want to provide something different from the usual degrees, to something that is more formationally minded. But it is really interesting to consider how they market these programs. Thank you so much for your reflections! It was excellent
So much of this resonates with me, and with the similar shift in focus and ethos within the church. As we sought to fit the therapeutic culture of self-fulfillment we shifted away from moral formation and transformation, into offering services and programs. Owning a formational model, that intentionally sells students and parents on moral and character development, intentionally absent of some things that will be offered in a consumeristic model, would offer clarity and perhaps catalyze conversations that families don't realize they should be having.
I think one of the major problems is that Christian colleges are competing with so many other places just to get enough students... and the reason for that is, most families (even Christian ones!) are not out to find a college that is transformational: they are instead pursuing ROI, social mobility, a decent paying job, a particular major connected to a hoped-for career, or even the reinforcement of their conservative political leanings (Liberty or Hillsdale, anyone?)... most of what they really want are those transactional things. If plenty of interested applicants (and their parents) prioritized Christian transformation, our colleges wouldn't be facing the dire prospects most of them are facing (scanning the comments on CT's social media posts about that article bear this out: many Christians jump on to comment that going to a public college is just as good, if not better). Because of these dynamics most Christian colleges have (for decades) had to start joining the higher ed marketing game of highlighting these other things they provide, OR ELSE THEY'LL FAIL. So perhaps the real, prior issue is: why don't more families, especially Christian ones, care more about transformation, spiritual growth, learning Christian theology (and other fields) with faithful Christian scholars, etc.? Why don't they prioritize sending their kids to Christian colleges?
I was just having this conversation this morning. Because too many Christian universities have marketed themselves as vocational opportunities with chapel attached, alums feel like it's not for their well-nurtured kids. Reframing the mission is crucial to showing why the institution offers value to them and why they could bring needed value to the institution.
That could be part of it, of course. But if so, presumably those alums would send their kids to *other* Christian schools that still front the mission and do it well (perhaps like such parents felt their own alma maters had done), which would be a boon for many Christian schools. But that is hardly observable these days; so I was supposing (most of) the causality goes the other way: Christian colleges are responding to the market forces and the shrinking enrollments, and one major reason that those are that way is that would-be Christian college applicants just are not prioritizing a formational Christian education perhaps the way they once did. Applicants and their families are instead following the cultural trend of attending college mainly for transactional purposes. Thus we are offering a product that very few want any more.
In my area of the world, western Canada, the different Christian institutions have all started to develop these one year gap programs. They are each structured slightly different. Some partner with local churches and others are only course work. It seems there is a shift to want to provide something different from the usual degrees, to something that is more formationally minded. But it is really interesting to consider how they market these programs. Thank you so much for your reflections! It was excellent
So much of this resonates with me, and with the similar shift in focus and ethos within the church. As we sought to fit the therapeutic culture of self-fulfillment we shifted away from moral formation and transformation, into offering services and programs. Owning a formational model, that intentionally sells students and parents on moral and character development, intentionally absent of some things that will be offered in a consumeristic model, would offer clarity and perhaps catalyze conversations that families don't realize they should be having.