Resonances: An Investigation of the Perceived Identity of an HEI Through the Experiences and Values of its Neighbors

Abstract

Higher education institutions and their host communities are necessarily intertwined. Town and gown systems continually interact, influencing and defining one another as they do. For most residents of the broader community, a college’s identity is comprised of pieces of information learned through dozens and hundreds of these interactions. This perceived identity may drastically differ from the one intended to be projected out into the world by the institution, which is felt and interpreted within individual contexts. This study used qualitative interviews and quantitative modeling to examine the identity of a specific college, North Texas Private School (NTPS) through the perceptions of residents in its community. Participants saw NTPS as a place of learning, privilege, and surprises. Interactions with the school resonated and had conflict with community members’ intrapersonal, interpersonal, and communitarian values.