On the Horns of a Dilemma: The Institutional Vision of Church-Affiliated HBCUs

Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have been subjected to harsh criticism within the higher education community. A common theme is that their shared and archaic mission compromises academic standards, hinders effective leadership and competing in the higher education marketplace, and, in the case of church-affiliated HBCUs, effectively communicating their religious avocation. A content analysis of the institutional vision of church-affiliated HBCUs was performed and key linguistic components found to constitute a well-conceived, viable and easily diffused institutional vision were isolated. The prevalence of these components in comparison to other types of academic institutions is discussed and ways in which this information can be used to address the current challenges are presented. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.