Running head: REFLECTIONS ON SEVERAL INSTITUTIONAL TYPES

Reflections on several institution types

Jesus Romero
Western Michigan University

REFLECTIONS ON SEVERAL INSTITUTIONAL TYPES

Reflections on several institutional types

There are numerous types of institutions of higher education in the country ranging from
liberal arts to research focused or religiously affiliated to minority serving. Even among the
specific types there is variety in relation to size and whether they are public or private. Calvin
College is a private, liberal arts institution that was founded in 1876 and is affiliated with the
Christian Reformed Church of North America ("Key facts", n.d.). It is located in Grand Rapids,
MI and enrolls approximately 4,000 students. Kellogg Community College was established in
1956 in Battle Creek, MI and now has four regional centers, which allows it to serve 14,000
students. True to its name, Kellogg Community College is the higher education institution for
Calhoun County as well as parts of Barry, Branch, Hillsdale, Kalamazoo, and St. Joseph counties
("College history", n.d.). The University of Notre Dame is a Catholic research university in
South Bend, IN that was initiated by Reverend Edward Sorin in 1842. A total of 12, 126 graduate
and undergraduate students attend the institution, which is part of the Congregation of Holy
Cross ("At a glance", n.d.). It is important to note that the institutional type affects the
environment and administration of each institution.
Calvin College
Upon arrival at Calvin, one of the observations I made was that the buildings all looked
the same. Because the buildings all use the same brick, it is hard to distinguish between
buildings. The campus itself is not very large but a lack of signage makes it difficult to navigate.
If I were not taking part in a guided tour, I would have been lost trying to find my way around
the campus. One of the most prominent buildings on campus is the Chapel because of its size and
architecture. Although it is a religiously affiliated institution, the Chapel is not in the center of
campus but actually on one end of campus. The fact that attendance at chapel is not mandatory

REFLECTIONS ON SEVERAL INSTITUTIONAL TYPES

could help explain why it is not in the heart of campus. It could also be purposeful on the part of
the institution since it is not required for students to be part of the Christian Reformed Church.
Strange & Banning (2001) argue that physical structures themselves communicate nonverbally.
For a student that does not identify with the institution's faith, Calvin could still be a welcoming
environment. Students have the option of whether or not to engage in the religious practices of
the institution. The Chapel is also not something that they have to see everyday as they walk
through campus so there is not the constant reminder that they are at a religiously affiliated
institution.
Although Calvin is a religiously affiliated institution, it is also a liberal arts institution.
During the visit, we were reminded of this by some of the presenters and the student panel also
reflected this fact. One of the students we spoke to mentioned being a political science major and
how he focused on studying international relations as well. Being a religious institution, it was
not surprising that some of the student affairs professionals we met also taught some
undergraduate classes. However, it was interesting to observe the nature of relationships among
the student affairs professionals. According to a study by Hirt, Amelink, & Schneiter (2004),
student affairs professionals at liberal arts colleges work closely with one another to serve
students. Throughout the visit, we asked several questions to the student affairs professionals that
went unanswered. The typical response was that it was not part of their position. It could be that
the professionals may have felt attacked or just uncomfortable answering the question.
Personally, I would argue that they really were honest in the fact that they were
unknowledgeable about the topics but I would expect that they would be much more helpful. I
think an appropriate response would have been 'I am unsure but I will find out for you' or
perhaps 'I can refer you to my colleague that would be able to answer that question'. It really did

REFLECTIONS ON SEVERAL INSTITUTIONAL TYPES

not seem that there is much collaboration or support among the student affairs staff, which is
unlikely at religiously affiliated and liberal arts institutions.
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame is a well-known institution of higher education not just in
the country but also all over the world. Our visit was a full day of meetings with professionals
from many different areas of the student affairs division. We met with Residential Life, Student
Activities, Admissions, Gender Relations Center, Multicultural Students Programs & Services,
Office of Community Standards, and The Career Center. As a group, we decided to do an
experiment and ask all of the groups we met with the same question of what their perception was
of the campus culture. We were very surprised to discover that almost all of the answers we
received were identical. Some of the common themes were that it was very academic, hard
working, and perfectionist-driven. Despite this very competitive nature, they mentioned that
students were also cooperative and willing to help each other since they are part of a community.
A couple of the groups that we met with added that students are perpetually stressed and do not
know how to fail. The human aggregate of this institution aligns with the Academic subculture
proposed by Clark and Trow (1966), which is "composed of serious students who work hard,
achieve high grades, and participate in campus life" (as cited in Strange & Banning, 2001, p. 37).
One of the professionals mentioned that she has to compete with homework and program around
football if she expects students to participate. It was refreshing to see how much cohesion there
was in the student affairs division.
One of the aspects of Notre Dame that was very different from what I have been exposed
to was their on-campus living. There are 29 single-sex residence halls each with a rector,
assistant rectors, and several resident assistants. Students are expected to live in the residence

REFLECTIONS ON SEVERAL INSTITUTIONAL TYPES

halls their first year but most students decide to live on campus all four years. No learning
communities exist in the residence halls and there is also no preference or holding system for
students. Once they are in a residence hall they stay in that same hall unless they decide to move
off campus after their first year. It fosters a lot of pride among students because they really do
build a community in each residence hall. Another important distinction of the residence halls is
that each of them have a chapel where mass occurs every Sunday. Although 82% of the students
are Catholic, Chapel is not required. This is not typical of religious schools that are deeply rooted
in their faith. Even if not required Chapel attendance at orthodox schools is likely to be higher
than at critical-mass colleges and universities (Benne, 2001, p. 61). The Catholic faith is
everywhere on campus from the academics to the murals and the programming to the crucifixes
on the walls. Despite being ingrained in the Catholic faith, the institution is still very welcoming
to individuals who do not share the same faith or no faith at all. It is not a requirement for
students or staff to be associated with the Catholic faith. However, to be part of the community
of Notre Dame one has to believe in the values of the institution. The value for human dignity
and respect for the individual is how the institution creates a welcoming environment for those of
differing backgrounds, beliefs, and identities.
Kellogg Community College
At Kellogg Community College, the institution is organized in a particular way to help it
fulfill its purpose as a community college. As mentioned before, there are five campuses
throughout the area that Kellogg serves. This makes taking classes more accessible since the
campuses are placed in rural areas, which makes it closer to members in the community. Kellogg
would be considered a dynamically organized environment since it has lower centralization and
formalization as well as an emphasis on quality of their products and services (Strange &

REFLECTIONS ON SEVERAL INSTITUTIONAL TYPES

Banning, 2001). There are a variety of services offered such as degrees, certificates, and remedial
or life-long learning courses. While some courses are in a typical classroom, others might be in a
mechanic shop. Class sizes are around 20 to 25 students allowing for close interactions between
student and instructor. It makes it easier for the instructor to take an individualized approach to
meet the needs of each student. These characteristics foster an environment that is developmental
in nature because it is student-centered.
Community colleges serve many different purposes including providing transfer
education, offering workforce development, and being open access institutions for anyone who
wishes to take classes. Due to these various duties, analysts have noted that the "institution's
missions are frequently in conflict" (Dougherty & Townsend, 2006, p. 9). Kellogg has the Gold
Key & Trustee Scholarships that are meant to recruit high-achieving students and offer them two
years of free tuition. However, there are also students that attend Kellogg which have decided to
come back to school to earn their G.E.D. As a community college, Kellogg also needs to ensure
that it is meeting the needs of the community. Often times when a factory in town closes, the
employees are given the option to attend school in order to help them gain new skills for the job
market. Being an open access institution also means that there are community members who
might decide to take a class or two out of interest with no intentions of earning a certificate,
degree, or transferring to a four-year institution. Thus, community colleges offer many
opportunities to individuals but it is that which makes them unique and essential.
Personal reflection
Experiencing a variety of institutional types was beneficial both personally and
professionally. In particular, the visit that we had to arrange on our own was a great opportunity
to network with other student affairs professionals and learn from their experiences. The ability

REFLECTIONS ON SEVERAL INSTITUTIONAL TYPES

to visit the different campuses and relate it to the literature offered experiential learning. It made
me consider whether I would work at that particular institution based on how I felt and what I
observed. I could definitely see myself working at a community due to the collaborative work
environment, the focus on serving individual student needs, and the orientation of helping the
community (Hirt, 2006). In regards to a religiously affiliated institution, it would really depend
on the institution itself. I could see myself working at a large research institution rather than a
small liberal arts institution and thus Notre Dame would be a better fit than Calvin. Something
that did surprise me about the religiously affiliated institutions was the degree to which the faith
was part of the institution, whether that was fully integrated or more of a loosely integrated. I
learned that not all institutions are the same even if they might be considered the same
institutional type.
Conclusion
As I learned from the different institutions that I visited, there are several institutional
types that create a unique environment. Everything from how things are done, what a campus
looks like, and who is present on campus affect the environment and shapes the experience of
each individual. The most valuable part of doing the campus visits was learning that it really is
about institutional fit. Even if I find my dream job, I need to ensure that the institution is
somewhere I feel comfortable and foster a sense of pride that I am part of the university
community. Enjoying what you do and who you work with is what helps student affairs
professionals effectively serve students.

REFLECTIONS ON SEVERAL INSTITUTIONAL TYPES

References
Ataglance(n.d.).Retrievedfromhttp://www.nd.edu/about/ataglance/
Benne, R. (2001). Quality with soul: How six premier colleges and universities keep faith with
their religious traditions. Grand Rapids, MI: Win B Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Collegehistory(n.d.).Retrievedfromhttp://www.kellogg.edu/services/library/college

archives/collegehistory/

Dougherty, K.J. & Townsend, B. (2006). Community college missions: A theoretical and
historical perspective. New Directions for Community Colleges, 136, 513.
Hirt, J. B. (2006). Where you work matters: Student affairs administration at different types of
institutions. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.
Hirt, J.B., Amelink, C. T., & Schneiter, S. (2004). The nature of student affairs work in the
liberal arts college. NASPA Journal, 42(1), 94110.
Keyfacts(n.d.).Retrievedfromhttp://www.calvin.edu/about/keyfacts/
Strange, C., & Banning, J. (2001). Educating by design: Creating campus learning environments
that work. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.