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What has this study shown about faculty, staff, and student perceptions of Carlow’s Catholic, Mercy mission? What, if anything, can be drawn from this case study to aid our understanding of Catholic higher education on this campus and how stakeholders experience it?

The chapters above have attempted to show that Catholic higher education in the United States is no monolith. There is great variety in the Catholic colleges and universities of this country, as they are shaped by a wide range of religious orders, charisms, local contexts, demographic circumstances, and historical pressures. Nonetheless, many Catholic institutions face similar challenges: the need to compete with secular institutions for students and faculty, the need to adhere to modern American standards for teaching and research, and the need to carve out a distinctive, long-term identity for themselves even as they lose the strong clerical control that defined them for most of their history. Each particular institution has responded to these challenges in its own way, balancing its history and future, and its Catholic and American identities.

There is no golden key or secret sauce that provides a quick and easy answer to questions about Catholic identity. This complex and multifaceted topic is best understood through nuanced reflection. The characteristics that make a university Catholic are best expressed not as a checklist, but as a long-form narrative that takes some effort and dedication to understand.

Studies that attempt to address this topic are, therefore, best served by approaching it in an appropriately complex, nuanced, and reflective way.

In examining stakeholder perceptions at Carlow University through focus groups, this study attempted to provide some insight into this particular time point in the University’s long history. It is an important time point, as Carlow embraces the new realities of this generation with an administrative structure, student body, and sociocultural environment that would have been unfamiliar to the Sisters of Mercy who established it in 1929. The data collected here is fundamentally a snapshot, a baseline for future research, and a window into the thoughts and experiences of some important stakeholders on the campus today. Nothing in this study is definitive, conclusive, or universally generalizable, but it can hopefully provide some understanding of Carlow’s current state for those responsible for leading the University and for others interested in learning from Carlow’s experience.

The results suggest that faculty, staff, and students fundamentally agree on the main building blocks that make Carlow unique. They associate its identity with service to others, with collegiality and respect, and with improving the human condition, especially with regard to the poor, sick, and marginalized. Its brand of Catholicism is very much influenced by the Sisters of Mercy and the values that they have promoted since the days of Catherine McAuley, and it has maintained those values in a visible way even as the Sisters themselves have assumed a less prominent role. Its stakeholders perceive this mission in the University’s welcoming atmosphere, its embrace of all people regardless of background, and its commitment to serve students who might not succeed in a different environment.

Some stakeholders see the word “Mercy” as a more precise description of Carlow’s mission than the word “Catholic,” perceiving Mercy as the embodiment of the best of

Catholicism (though many younger community members, like the students, see less distinction between the terms). There is a level of pride in Carlow’s religious identity and its unique spirit, one that tends to attract people who support its mission, even as the University may influence them in subtle ways. People seem to join the Carlow community, and stay, because it reinforces their personal values and provides an environment for them to live, work, and study in the way they like.

Stakeholders experience those values in a variety of ways – in the physical environment, in the structure of the curriculum, in the specialized academic areas in which the University excels, in the personalized attention given to students, and through volunteerism. Professional development and volunteer opportunities coordinated through the Center for Mercy Heritage and Service seem to matter, and seem to leave a lasting impact on those who participate. While nothing about the University’s spirit is seen as new to this era, the current administration’s proactive attitude toward the mission seems to be bringing its traditional values to the forefront of the stakeholders’ consciousness. Events like Mercy Service Day, academic initiatives like the Carlow Roundtable, campus ministry activities, on-campus worship services, and speakers promoting religious and interreligious dialogue all serve as reminders of why Carlow is different and, in the minds of many stakeholders, special. Many seem to appreciate these efforts and, moreover, expect them – and would be surprised if they were not present. While some wonder if everyone at Carlow experiences the full breadth of this spirit, there is no suggestion that Carlow’s uniqueness as a university is in any way weakening or endangered.

The Sisters of Mercy remain an important part of the campus identity if only by their presence. Many stakeholders view them with a sense of awe and reverence, not only for what they have accomplished as individuals, but for the values that they collectively represent. They

are living reminders of Carlow’s mission and are held in esteem even if they are not in any official University role. Meeting, interacting with, and even seeing them on campus is a highlight of the Carlow experience for many faculty, staff, and students, giving a sense of comfort to the stakeholders and a sense of permanence and stability to the community.