The prevailing current context of neoliberalism has often been viewed as curtailing the prophetic expression of the Catholic identity of Catholic educational institutions (CEIs). This article proposes that only by reclaiming their prophetic identity can CEIs flourish authentically in the neoliberal era. A faith-based approach to addressing the challenges of neoliberalism is presented, drawing upon the principles of prophetic imagination described by Brueggemann. The neoliberal concept of strategic planning is presented using four nuanced characteristics of a Catholic strategic planning process to express the CEI’s prophetic nature.

Franciscan University of Steubenville (FUS) has established a strategic initiative to help all students identify their unique gifts and gain tools for living their personal vocations on a daily basis and throughout the course of their lives. As a Catholic institution of higher education, FUS is actively building an institutional culture that will enable “an ever clearer discovery of one’s vocation and the ever greater willingness to live it so as to fulfill one’s mission” (John, 1988, para. 58). This paper summarizes various initiatives underway at FUS related to personal vocation formation, especially those related to engaging first-year students. There are three categories of personal vocation development activities that FUS has developed: institutional-level, cohort-oriented, and classroom-based activities. Five of the initiatives described are co-curricular, while four are integrated into for-credit coursework. These different types of student interventions are distinguished both in method and audience but share the same goal of engaging students and empowering them toward a Christ-centered direction in their personal vocation. This paper presents the foundations for personal vocation, arguing for why this topic is essential for a Christian education, and it presents an overview of eight different personal vocation approaches taken at FUS, how each of the approaches have been instantiated, and a summary of their achievements as of the 2021–22 academic year.

This article describes All Rise, a career and calling circle (CCC) designed to address first-year underrepresented pre-law college students’ sense of belonging. The article focuses on how the practice was designed, developed, and evaluated. Although restorative practices such as the circle process have emerged in response to addressing student disciplinary issues on college campuses, little research exists as to how these approaches could be applied to proactively contribute to a sense of belonging. Specifically, this emerging intervention leverages the career interests of underrepresented (i.e., racially-minoritized, first-generation, and Pell-eligible) first-year students to create spaces that attempt to promote a sense of belonging. Understanding whether the CCC contributed to the participants’ sense of belonging can assist pre-professional and career advisors, faculty, and administrators to more fully support underrepresented pre-professional students. The outcomes students reported from participating in this career and calling circle were that it made their professional goals more tangible and increased their confidence to pursue those goals, but also provided a safe space to connect with others. The results suggest that CCCs positively influenced students’ sense of belonging both at the university and in their pre-professional journeys.

With the growth of online higher education and the increasing diversification of college and university students, there is a need to focus on addressing the inequities of online learning and responding to the needs of diverse students. Students experience greater challenges in academic performance and in persisting and completing online programs, especially among particular student subgroups and course subject areas. Although research has identified some of the facilitating factors and barriers to online student persistence in coursework, supporting diverse online students requires attention not only to course design and instruction, but also broader institutional commitments. Christian higher education can present unique challenges to these students but might also be able to provide support and remedies that are not immediately available at other types of institutions. This paper synthesizes the literature on the needs of diverse learners in online education and provides an example of how the online campus of Abilene Christian University is attempting to meet the needs of its diverse learners.

Universities nationwide have sought ways to support the retention of students on their campuses, particularly first-generation students. One such method is through summer bridge programs designed to offer academic and social support to new incoming students in the months before their first year begins. Christian institutions’ faith-based mission statements are integral to developing programming to support first-generation students, as the cultural habitus that emerges from the school’s Christian identity creates a unique cultural landscape that first-generation students navigate. This study is a phenomenological analysis of the experiences of six first-generation college students (FGCS) enrolled in a pilot bridge program on a Christian campus in the Pacific Northwest. The program was created to support the unique needs of FGCS by beginning with a summer orientation and a two-week course and program on campus. Students reported dynamics congruent with the literature on first-generation students, such as academic and financial challenges, mental and personal health issues, and for Latinx students in particular, difficulties navigating dual roles as a student and family member. Unique to our sample is how these challenges are embedded within a Christian college context: Feelings of belonging are inevitably intertwined with this identity, posing unique advantages and disadvantages to their retention. Overall, we argue that the Christian higher education environment is well positioned to enhance the high impact of the bridge programs for their students, although challenges remain.