A decade ago, the majority of liberal arts colleges, suffering from a decline in resources, drifted from their traditional missions. This study looks at three insitutions and suggests that a clear mission is more than a common goal.

Missions matter. A decade ago, the majority of liberal arts colleges found themselves operating in a perilous environment with declining resources. Many drifted from their traditional missions and began offering programs whose sole purpose was to appeal to prospective students. The result on many campuses was a fragmenting of purpose and a diminishing of institutional life. The study looks at three institutions - LeMoyne-Owen, Olivet and Tusculem Colleges. The research provides a window into this complex, fascinating and ultimately powerful process. The accounts suggest a clear mission is more than a common goal - it is the formation of a shared belief system with new values and norms that create a richer more meaningful institutional life. Policy makers, institutional leaders, researchers and faculty members will find this book an invaluable resource in understanding cultural change and how mission matters.

Chapter 1. Introduction: More than just 'mission' Chapter 2. A thematic account of the development of institutional purpose Timeframes Institutional malaise Ending the stalemate Creating a mandate for change Toward
a common purpose Implementing the vision Struggles over ideology: True believers and the naysayers The dark side of change Discovering you've arrived: Symbols of success Reaching the end of your life cycle of change Chapter 3. The search for purpose as an institutional revitalization Beginnings: The Institutional 'malaise' Preparing for a revelation 1. Rejection of old system 2. Openness and dialogue 3. Presidential conviction 4. Recovering the institutional history 5. Discovering distinctiveness The Visions Implementation Birth of a movement Institutional change as a revitalization Comparing belief systems: Then and now Chapter 4. The power, the politics and pathology of ideologically-based change Canceling the social contract Pushing for change Securing change Constructing the enemy Witch-hunting at Olivet An analysis of the witch hunt Chapter 5. Sustaining a sense of purpose and the social construction of success New programs and policies Betterment of Institutional life Enhanced attractiveness of the community Challenging members' conceptions of success The inestimable value of success Tempered idealism Chapter 6. Conclusion: Lessons learned and questions raised Lessons learned Future Research Appendix
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