The "DePaul Mission and Values Inventory" ("DMV") was validated based on the mission, identity, and values of a large, urban, Catholic, Vincentian institution. We examined the suitability of the "DMV" at a small, suburban, Catholic, Franciscan university. A sample of 275 undergraduates (218 women, 57 men:…

Previous research suggests that different information processing styles influence how effectively students adapt to a college environment. During the college years, individuals shape and refine their values and principles while they also develop a life-long philosophy. The present study examined how student ego-identity development (n = 1,249) was…

The current study investigated how a select group of mission-engaged, upper division students (n = 7) compared to a random sample of junior- (n = 20) and senior- (n = 20) year students in their perception of an urban, Catholic, and religious-order-sponsored university's identity. Across two years, we assessed mission identity and mission-driven…

Students who self-identified as activity leaders of one (n = 30), two or more (n = 21), or no campus extracurricular clubs (n = 34), completed measures on the institution's mission and values as well as its school sense of community ("SSOC"). Analyses indicated a main effect for race on "SSOC" and a subscale emphasis on diversity, such that…

This study investigates how research participants' desire to make a positive social impression may affect their responses to survey questions. Specifically, participants may react in socially appropriate ways to create a positive social impression for those persons reviewing their responses. This concept is termed "impression management," or more…

Academic staff (n = 305) and administrative staff (n = 595) at a large urban, Catholic, and religious order teaching university completed on-line school sense of community, social desirability, and mission-identity plus mission-driven activity measures. Partial correlates (controlling for social desirability) indicated that for both faculty and…

Catholic universities face a dramatic shift, as religious orders of priests gradually turn leadership control of the university to lay individuals. This study examined the tactics used to build sustainability of mission and values during leadership transition, from programming to strategic planning, placing emphasis on the role of evaluation…

Higher education institutions need to ascertain whether their stakeholders understand the school's mission, vision, and values. In the present study, the psychometric properties of a mission identity and activity measure were investigated with two staff samples. Using a principal component factor analysis (varimax rotation), respondents in Sample…

Two samples of college students (Sample 1, n = 106 Sample 2, n = 107) completed self-report measures that assessed their perceptions of their university's mission and values along with their tendency to seek social approval. With Sample 1, global social desirability was not predictive of any student perceptions related to institutional mission and…

Little is known about how senior administrators at a university (i.e., vice-presidents and deans) perceive their institution's mission, vision, and values. In the present study, we focused on perceptions of institutional mission statement and activities proposed to support that mission among senior leaders (18 vice-presidents, 17 deans) from a…

Across three studies, the development of a reliable and valid measure of perceptions by students of an urban, private, faith-based teaching university's mission and values was assessed. Study 1 presented scale construction and reliability of the DePaul Values Inventory (DeVI) with undergraduates (n = 111), yielding a final 22-item rating scale…

Findings from a universitywide values research project connects students' attitudes and behaviors about institutional mission and values to their perceived impact. (Contains 3 figures.)

University undergraduates (84 women, 80 men: M age=19.1 years old) reported school mission and value perceptions, life and/or school mentor relationships, and social desirability tendencies. No significant social desirability effect was obtained. Proteges with mentors at school and in life (n=52) reported greater cognitive and informational…