ABSTRACT
The final years of the twentieth century will be difficult ones for American higher education. Essentially “flat” enrollments, declining resources, politicization of the curriculum, and a public that is skeptical of the cost-to-benefit ratio of postsecondary education are among the problems confronting both public and private institutions. Many students of higher education believe that, while these challenges are serious, a lack of vision is an even more critical problem. The “vision problem” is particularly crucial for religious institutions. Each institution is rooted in a unique religious soil that nurtures the purpose or direction of the institution. Many will tenaciously maintain their faith commitments and offer a distinctive educational program, while those which long ago replanted their roots in the soil of secular academic excellence will continue to flourish.
