Christian Universities in the Caribbean: A First Glance

Abstract

Despite the region’s strong historic connection to Christianity, little research exists on Christian universities in the Caribbean. To complicate matters, the Caribbean is also little studied in higher education literature generally. Thus, this study examines how Christian universities in this region operationalize their faith identities in their administrative decisions. Examining 15 institutions, this article presents the national higher education trends for the five Caribbean countries or territories with Christian universities: the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Following an overview of Christian influences and the state of higher education in the Caribbean in general, Christian higher education is examined within each country specifically. Regional trends point to the prominence of Seventh-day Adventist universities, even on traditionally Catholic-dominant islands. Furthermore, using the Operationalizing Christian Identity Guide, Seventh-day Adventist institutions operationalize their faith identity the most visibly in comparison with Catholic and other Protestant institutions. Finally, as a general trend, these universities appear to merge a model of private higher education designed to meet excess demand with their Christian identities, distinguishing them from their secular peers.

Keywords:

• Catholic
• Protestant
• higher education
• Seventh-day Adventist
• operationalizing identity

Disclosure Statement

The author has no known conflicts of interest to disclose.