Mission, Formation & Diversity: 
Adult Education Programs at Church-Related Colleges
A Project Directed by Diane Winston, Princeton University 
Funded generously by The Lilly Endowment
Project Description Research Team
Links to Related Sites About the Project Director
Project Description
The Mission, Formation and Diversity project was funded by the Lilly Endowment in 1996. The projects goals were to (1) map the universe of adult B.A. programs at church-related colleges; (2) examine the impact of adult B.A. degree programs on the institutional mission of church-related colleges; and (3) to assess the impact of institutional mission on adult students’ family, professional, civic, and religious attitudes and activities.

We determined that providing a snapshot of adult B.A. degree programs at faith-based schools would assist scholars, educators, and religious professionals interested in secularization and higher education, the effect of religious diversity on sectarian colleges, and the transformative impact of sectarian education on adult students. Accordingly, we developed a three-pronged research strategy: a mail survey of 600-church related schools; a telephone survey of 1600 alumni of adult B.A. degree programs, and ethnographic studies of church-related schools with adult B.A. degree programs.

To learn more about our research, you can look at data from the mail survey and the White Paper which summarizes the findings of the telephone survey. For more information, please e-mail Diane Winston at dwinston@pewtrusts.com.

Research Team
Phillip Barret-Gullion
Department of Sociology
University of Mass. - Amherst 		 Richard Flory
Department of Sociology
Biola College
Brenda Brasher
Department of Religion and
Philosophy
Mount Union College		 John Green
Ray Bliss Institute of Applied Politics
University of Akron
Pauline Coffman
GOAL program
North Park University		 David Sikkink
Department of Sociology
University of Notre Dame
John Donahue
Department of Anthropology and Sociology
Trinity University (San Antonio)
Links to Related Sites:
The Alliance (An Adult Education Association)

American Council on Education (ACE)

Association for Catholic Colleges and Universities (AACU)

Christian Adult Higher Education Association (CAHEA)

Council on Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) 

Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) 

Journals on Higher Education
 
 

About the Project Director:
Dr. Diane Winston is a Program Officer in Religion at The Pew Charitable Trusts and the author of Red-Hot and Righteous: The Urban Religion of The Salvation Army.  Before receiving a Ph.D. in American Religious History from Princeton University, Dr. Winston worked as a journalist.


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