Mission-Related Outcomes Assessment at a Jesuit Catholic University

This research utilized an existing survey instrument to measure mission-related outcomes in students at a Jesuit university. Mean comparisons between cohorts of entering freshmen and graduating seniors were undertaken to assess mission-related development over the course of the undergraduate experience. Only two constructs (Ethics and Professional Responsibility and Ego-comparative Identity) showed evidence of the hypothesized growth, and four constructs (Cura Personalis, Community Action/Service, Finding God in All Things, and Faith, Spirituality, and Religiosity) yielded results in the opposite direction. Subsequent analyses included gender and high school type to explore their possible primary and interactive effects on each of the mission dimensions. In addition, the influence of academic performance as well as participation in curricular and co-curricular offerings such as retreats, service learning and volunteering was explored. In general, these factors produce positive effects on most mission-related outcomes, though the specific relationships vary.