| dc.description.abstract | This dissertation examined to what degree traditional students were impacted by the institutional core values at a Southern Baptist college. The subjects of mission statements, core values, and college impact were defined. Special attention was given to the eight institutional core values being examined in this study. The current study was conducted at Georgetown College. Located within the eleven state region that is encompassed by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accrediting agency, Georgetown College is a member of the Association of Southern Baptist Colleges and Schools. The goal of Georgetown College, broadly defined, is to provide a quality educational program within the context of a values-based Christian atmosphere. The sample of the current study included all the traditional freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors at Georgetown College at the beginning of the fall semester of 2003.
Data gathering consisted of two concurrent lines of inquiry: similarities and differences in students' agreement with the institutional core values. These lines of inquiry were analyzed according to four specific areas of interest including students' class year, gender, ethnic background, and religious affiliation. A value statement index was created for use in this study.
The core values of community and integrity were rated by the students as the most important values in the study. The Christian core values showed a general increase among almost all of the students from the freshmen to the senior year. The core values concerning diversity and cultural enrichment programs were rated as the least important values in the study. The presence of a Christian community was determined to be the key ingredient for Southern Baptist colleges to impact positively the value systems of their traditional students. | en_US |
