Hiring Faculty with an Affinity for Catholic Marianist Mission

Date of Award

8-1-2024

Degree Name

Ed.D. in Leadership for Organizations

Department

Department of Educational Administration

Advisor/Chair

Matthew Witenstein

Abstract

Faculty are critical players to advance institutional mission in higher education (Clark, 1972). Hiring faculty who have an affinity for mission and who understand and support Catholicism in the spirit of an institution’s founding charism can be a significant challenge for academic leaders and for the longevity of institutional mission in Catholic higher education (Heft, 2021). Faculty across disciplines may find it challenging to grasp or apply the mission of their Catholic university because mission-related criteria are not always understood or prioritized in faculty hiring processes (Breslin, 2000; Briele, 2012; Heft, 2021; Steele, 2008). Currently, there is no standard mission focused guide for faculty hiring at the University of Dayton (UD), a Catholic Marianist University. Given that hiring priorities and practical knowledge of Catholic Marianist principles of education differ among faculty across the university, hiring for mission criteria may not be well defined among search committees. This practical action research study used qualitative methods to explore how affinity for the University of Dayton’s Catholic Marianist mission is assessed in faculty searches. Results showed that search committee members consider mission principles at least moderately important, but these have not been consistently identified in candidate assessment criteria. Still, participants discussed six mission-based criteria with twenty component elements that have been operative in some way in recent faculty searches. This knowledge, coupled with the principles of Marianist education, informed Hiring Faculty to Engage Catholic Marianist Mission, a practical intervention plan to strengthen hiring for mission practices through articulating the purpose of hiring for mission; developing criteria and assessment rubrics; standardizing the hiring for mission search process; and fostering faculty stakeholder participation. Anticipated results of the action plan and challenges in project leadership, resource clarity, and faculty receptivity are discussed with suggested practices to minimize implementation problems. Participatory leadership practices that utilize appreciative inquiry, engage stakeholders, and foster shared decision-making are needed to attain envisioned organizational change. The analysis concludes with implications for institutional policy, practice, and future research to foster broader, more consistent understanding of Catholic Marianist principles in faculty work.

Keywords

hiring for mission; Catholic higher education; faculty hiring; Marianist education; search committee assessment criteria; practical action research; Catholic mission; faith-based mission; mission affinity assessment; mission based search process; faculty socialization; organizational saga

Rights Statement

Copyright © 2024, author.

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