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How do US universities want to be perceived? Factors affecting the (inter)national identity claims in mission statements

Bayan Khalifa (UGent) , Sebastian Desmidt (UGent) and Jeroen Huisman (UGent)
(2023) STUDIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION. 48(3). p.507-520
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Abstract
Higher education institutions (HEIs) often function in an environment where various institutional pressures force them to position themselves on a national-international orientation scale in order to gain legitimacy in the eyes of different constituents with different expectations. Empirical insights, however, on how HEIs respond to these forces and position themselves within this debate are largely lacking. Hence, this study builds on organizational identity theory and institutional theory to assess the national and international identity claims expressed by the mission statements, a dominant organizational identity narrative, of HEIs as well as institutional factors affecting the selected position. A mixed methods analysis of the mission statements of 120 US universities indicates that universities' identity claims can be classified in five categories of national claims and five of international claims. The findings suggest that institutional forces affect the position of universities on the national/international continuum but that universities' attempts to reconcile these pressures are much more refined than expected as universities try to strike a subtle balance between being similar and different.
Keywords
Education, Mission statements, identity narratives, ranking, institutional control, legitimacy, internationalization, HIGHER-EDUCATION, DIFFERENTIATION, ISOMORPHISM, DIVERSITY, DYNAMICS, MARKETS, IMPACT, AGENCY

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MLA
Khalifa, Bayan, et al. “How Do US Universities Want to Be Perceived? Factors Affecting the (Inter)National Identity Claims in Mission Statements.” STUDIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION, vol. 48, no. 3, 2023, pp. 507–20, doi:10.1080/03075079.2022.2147155.
APA
Khalifa, B., Desmidt, S., & Huisman, J. (2023). How do US universities want to be perceived? Factors affecting the (inter)national identity claims in mission statements. STUDIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION, 48(3), 507–520. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2022.2147155
Chicago author-date
Khalifa, Bayan, Sebastian Desmidt, and Jeroen Huisman. 2023. “How Do US Universities Want to Be Perceived? Factors Affecting the (Inter)National Identity Claims in Mission Statements.” STUDIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION 48 (3): 507–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2022.2147155.
Chicago author-date (all authors)
Khalifa, Bayan, Sebastian Desmidt, and Jeroen Huisman. 2023. “How Do US Universities Want to Be Perceived? Factors Affecting the (Inter)National Identity Claims in Mission Statements.” STUDIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION 48 (3): 507–520. doi:10.1080/03075079.2022.2147155.
Vancouver
1.
Khalifa B, Desmidt S, Huisman J. How do US universities want to be perceived? Factors affecting the (inter)national identity claims in mission statements. STUDIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION. 2023;48(3):507–20.
IEEE
[1]
B. Khalifa, S. Desmidt, and J. Huisman, “How do US universities want to be perceived? Factors affecting the (inter)national identity claims in mission statements,” STUDIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION, vol. 48, no. 3, pp. 507–520, 2023.
@article{01GMAHZDCX0KBFFCRHJZR0BW2Q,
  abstract     = {{Higher education institutions (HEIs) often function in an environment where various institutional pressures force them to position themselves on a national-international orientation scale in order to gain legitimacy in the eyes of different constituents with different expectations. Empirical insights, however, on how HEIs respond to these forces and position themselves within this debate are largely lacking. Hence, this study builds on organizational identity theory and institutional theory to assess the national and international identity claims expressed by the mission statements, a dominant organizational identity narrative, of HEIs as well as institutional factors affecting the selected position. A mixed methods analysis of the mission statements of 120 US universities indicates that universities' identity claims can be classified in five categories of national claims and five of international claims. The findings suggest that institutional forces affect the position of universities on the national/international continuum but that universities' attempts to reconcile these pressures are much more refined than expected as universities try to strike a subtle balance between being similar and different.}},
  author       = {{Khalifa, Bayan and Desmidt, Sebastian and Huisman, Jeroen}},
  issn         = {{0307-5079}},
  journal      = {{STUDIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION}},
  keywords     = {{Education,Mission statements,identity narratives,ranking,institutional control,legitimacy,internationalization,HIGHER-EDUCATION,DIFFERENTIATION,ISOMORPHISM,DIVERSITY,DYNAMICS,MARKETS,IMPACT,AGENCY}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{507--520}},
  title        = {{How do US universities want to be perceived? Factors affecting the (inter)national identity claims in mission statements}},
  url          = {{http://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2022.2147155}},
  volume       = {{48}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}

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