Running head: CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITIES: TRADITION OR PROGRESSION 1

Christian Universities: Tradition or Progression

Miko Delacruz

Northern Illinois University

Introduction

A university’s intentions as an institution is, in one way, represented by their mission

statement. It enables them to brand themselves to appeal to the students they intend to serve. the

mission emphasizes how students will be served and prepared for the future. When it comes to

Christian affiliated universities, it includes the importance of their denomination within the

context of education and the institution. From its origins of evangelization, Christianity and

education have gone hand in hand for generations. Christians utilized education to serve as a

vehicle for their faith in order to convert their students to Christianity. Regardless of its origin,

Christianity in schools is no longer as aggressive or pushed as the main focus but more so an

overall atmosphere, attitude, or mindset. The two schools that have been selected to be analyzed

and compared are Grand Canyon University and Gonzaga University. Through their mission

statement, their intentions as an institution can be understood and that includes the role

Christianity plays.

Mission Statement Analysis

Grand Canyon University

Grand Canyon University’s mission statement has a focus on development and self-

discovery in preparation for a future career. The way that GCU develops their students is put into

four parts – as global citizens, critical thinkers, effective communicators, and responsible leaders.

By reaching this point, GCU believe they will have the skills and knowledge necessary to

succeed in the contemporary job market. These elements are common in other universities, but

GCU’s mission statement diverges by the emphasis of Christianity’s role in the GCU experience.
CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITIES: TRADITION OR PROGRESSION 3

GCU’s use of phrasing and juxtaposition paints a picture of the integral role that

Christianity has. They express, in their mission, the importance of their Christian heritage in

relation to their institution. According to GCU’s mission statement, they stated,

“The GCU community defines its culture by the way its members reflect a committed

relationship with Christ and creates the GCU experience in a manner that reflects His

teachings to support students…” (gcu.edu)

With phrases such as, “…a committed relationship with Christ…”, and, “…reflects His

teachings…”, the role of Christianity in their mission gains importance and authority. GCU

expects Christianity to play a prioritized role in the development and experience of their

students. Using “a committed relationship” and “His teachings” to define the GCU experience

conflicts with GCU’s claim of accepting students of all backgrounds and denominations because

this can be exclusionary for non-Christian students.

GCU juxtaposes a sentence that talks about realizing compassion and accountability with

explaining the importance of Christian heritage within GCU. This makes a connection between

becoming a better person and the embracing Christian heritage that is vital to the GCU

experience. They continue this authoritative, almost evangelistic, mindset when beginning a later

paragraph with, “These normative Christian values…” (gcu.edu). Words such as “normative”

imply hegemony which is consistent with Christian traditions of old in which Christianity is not

only practiced but preached as the “right” way. This “right” way also does not include space for

those who differ from this path, and even though the mission expresses the goal of becoming a

global citizen, there is no mention of accepting or embracing diversity. The mission statement

overall speaks of self-discovery, pushing past your limits, and acquiring skills and knowledge for

career preparation; however, it also includes evangelistic, Christian overtones.

Gonzaga University

Gonzaga University’s mission statement has a large focus on advocacy, service for the

common good, and development of the whole person. A good majority of their mission expands

on the Gonzaga ideal of how their students develop, but Gonzaga, as a Jesuit university, includes

religion within their statement as well. The Catholic/Jesuit identity and heritage is defined as,

“…excellence in academic and professional pursuits and intentionally develops the whole

person…” (gonzaga.edu). For Gonzaga, development means not only intellectual but spiritual,

cultural, emotional, and physical. Gonzaga wants to provide knowledge but also cultivate and

expand their students’ capacity for knowledge. Their intention for challenging and pushing

students is expressed as,

“Through engagement with knowledge, wisdom, and questions informed by classical and

contemporary perspectives, Gonzaga cultivates in its students the capacities and

dispositions for reflective and critical thought...” (Gonzaga.edu)

Gonzaga expects that a student will gain knowledge during their time, but they want their

students to question that knowledge and be able to understand things from all perspectives

regardless of the topic.

Gonzaga’s mission places an importance on advocacy and service to others. They

expound that Gonzaga emphasizes a mature commitment to dignity of the human person, social

justice, diversity, etc. While service can be attributed to their Christianity, it plays a background

part in Gonzaga’s identity. Gonzaga does not place importance about what it means to be a

Christian, but emphasizes that Gonzaga is about the betterment of their students, the world, and

their fellow man. Overall, Gonzaga’s mission statement is all about the development of people in
CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITIES: TRADITION OR PROGRESSION 5

order to produce professionals who will advocate, change the world, and serve their fellow

humans.

Comparison and Conclusion

Both mission statements have a focus on the individual. GCU’s mission focuses on the

individual’s readiness to navigate and adapt to the outside world while Gonzaga’s mission

focuses on the individual’s preparation to not only navigate the outside world but also how they

can change and better it. As for the Christianity element, GCU’s mission statement highlights the

importance of their Christian identity and how it defines the culture and experience at GCU, but

Gonzaga’s mission statement utilizes Christianity as a learning model for their students to serve

and advocate for others. There is also a difference in how the universities brand themselves using

Christianity because GCU highlights and pushes it to the foreground while Gonzaga places it in

the background. GCU places a focus on tradition by using the phrase, “These normative

Christian values…” (gcu.edu). Gonzaga’s mission statement places focus on the people and not

necessarily on their Christianity by mentioning humanistic heritage and a mature commitment to

dignity of the human person which is more akin to progressiveness and acceptance.

While GCU and Gonzaga are both of Christian denomination, their mission statements

brand them differently. GCU’s brand is that of preparing their students for career readiness based

on the Christian heritage and teachings of tradition. Gonzaga’s brand is that of developing the

student and cultivating a service for others while incorporating both traditional and contemporary

perspectives that bring a progressiveness to Christianity tradition and heritage. Both schools’

mission statements present their Christian identity differently and have different foci for their

students, but in the end, they both agree that their intention is that they are the best option for

students to grow, discover themselves, and be ready to embrace the future.

References

Mission Statement (2010). Retrieved from http://www.gcumedia.com/lms-resources/faculty-

Resource-center/classroomResources/docs/facultyTrainingMaterials/lectures/welcome

ToGCU.docx

Mission Statement and Values (2013). Retrieved from

https://www.gonzaga.edu/about/our-

mission-jesuit-values/mission-statement-and-values
CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITIES: TRADITION OR PROGRESSION 7

Appendix A

Mission Statement

Grand Canyon University, one of the leading Bible colleges in the USA, prepares learners to

become global citizens, critical thinkers, effective communicators and responsible leaders by

providing an academically challenging, values-based curriculum from the context of our

Christian heritage.

The curriculum at GCU is designed to prepare students with the skills and knowledge

needed in the contemporary job market. Students are challenged to develop these tools and to

push their intellectual limits in order to become successful in their careers.

In addition, the curriculum fosters personal discovery so that students realize within

themselves the elements of compassion and accountability. A uniquely important element of the

GCU mission statement is the defining attribute of its Christian heritage. The GCU community

defines its culture by the way its members reflect a committed relationship with Christ and

creates the GCU experience in a manner that reflects His teachings to support students and

graduates through a successful life journey.

These normative Christian values are integral to the development, maturity, and

education of ethical and morally respectable citizens who continue on the path of life-long

learning. Each element or objective of the GCU mission statement is uniquely addressed in the

GCU curriculum and by the GCU culture, which shapes a rich learning environment from which

students graduate with professional and life skills.

When learners graduate from GCU, our expectation is that they will be global citizens,

critical thinkers, effective communicators, and responsible leaders.

Appendix B

Mission Statements and Values

Gonzaga University is an exemplary learning community that educates students for lives of

leadership and service for the common good. In keeping with its Catholic, Jesuit, and humanistic

heritage and identity, Gonzaga models and expects excellence in academic and professional

pursuits and intentionally develops the whole person -- intellectually, spiritually, culturally,

physically, and emotionally.

Through engagement with knowledge, wisdom, and questions informed by classical and

contemporary perspectives, Gonzaga cultivates in its students the capacities and dispositions for

reflective and critical thought, lifelong learning, spiritual growth, ethical discernment, creativity,

and innovation.

The Gonzaga experience fosters a mature commitment to dignity of the human person,

social justice, diversity, intercultural competence, global engagement, solidarity with the poor

and vulnerable, and care for the planet. Grateful to God, the Gonzaga community carries out this

mission with responsible stewardship of our physical, financial, and human resources.