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The Search for the “Right” College: An Overview of White Evangelical College Decision-Making with Implications for Practice  

Thursday, September 21, 2023 — 3:00pm (ET)

Brandon Edwards

Although white evangelicals have long been skeptical about non-sectarian higher education, the current climate in the United States necessitates a fresh look at possible sources of their beliefs. Edwards’s research seeks to understand how evangelical high school students navigate the college enrollment process in the current polarized climate. The findings draw from 16 months of ethnographic fieldwork at a Southern Baptist church in Charlottesville, Virginia. The findings indicate the need for university administrators, faculty, and parachurch organization leaders to consider the evangelical mindset toward non-sectarian higher education and implement opportunities for students to feel included and engaged.