Race, Role, and Religion: Exploring Campus Racial Climate Perceptions

Abstract

Over the past two decades, researchers have shown an increased interest in analyzing the campus racial climates (CRC) of colleges and universities. Despite this growing literature, far too little attention has been paid to the CRCs of a specific institutional sector: Christian higher education. Drawing from survey data of 15 Christian higher education institutions across the United States, this quantitative study analyzed CRC perceptions and experiences across varied educational stakeholders (i.e., students, faculty, and administrators) within Christian higher education contexts. Our findings reveal that people of color (PoC) and Whites perceive their campus racial climates differently; that PoC report being treated unfairly and feeling at a disadvantage due to their race in Christian higher education; and that students, faculty, and staff of color experience a less hospitable campus culture, irrespective of their organizational status. By bringing together the CRC perceptions of these campus groups, we expand upon the shared racialized experiences and challenges of faculty, staff, and students of color. We conclude by offering implications for practice to foster diverse and equitable CRCs in Christian colleges and universities for all campus constituents.