Social Innovation in Small Catholic Liberal Arts Institutions: Fostering Social Innovation at Saint Anselm College

The purpose of the paper is to provide and describe programming trends regarding social entrepreneurship and social innovation in small Catholic liberal arts higher education institutions in the United States (US). These institutions are considered peer institutions for Saint Anselm College. In addition, the findings are contrasted with previously reported national trends. The Saint Anselm College case illustrates the process, advantages and challenges smaller institutions, that primarily serve undergraduate students, currently face. Design/methodology/approach:National trends regarding social innovation and social entrepreneurship programming are contrasted with observed trends in a sample of 76 peer institutions (4-year, private not-for-profit, Roman Catholic institutions as classified in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System or IPEDS) for the 2015-16 academic year. Furthermore, only institutions with an undergraduate student enrollment between 1,500 and 3,000 were considered. Information from IPEDS , and web-based search of the selected institutions provided the basis of the analysis to ascertain the extent to which these institutions have developed social entrepreneurship and social innovation academic programs and centers (IPEDS, 2018). Findings:Small Catholic liberal arts institutions in the US are more vulnerable to changing demographics and tend to have more financial concerns than larger public and private institutions. However, gradually they are embracing entrepreneurship related programming. Nevertheless, social entrepreneurship and social innovation programming has not increased significantly. In addition, we find that there is no streamlined approach for creating and/or developing such programming at these institutions. In the case of Saint Anselm College, the institutional context, administrative leadership and faculty have played a crucial role in establishing social innovation programming. The alignment of the institutions’ mission can play a significant role in developing social innovation programming and initiatives. Research/practical implications:This study raises a series of questions, insights, and possiblehelpful directions for the creation and implementation of social innovation programming initiatives in other peer institutions or similar size institutions. In addition, the paper provides a lens and context for existing work. Originality/value:This study attempts to capture the emerging shift in embracing the concept of social innovation and social entrepreneurship primarily at small Catholic liberal arts institutions in the US. There is evidence that the slight shift is happening beyond these types of higher education institutions as it is increasingly becoming popular at larger research-orienteduniversities. The field of social innovation is still vulnerable and despite the proliferation of social innovation programming, it is difficult to discern whether this is a trend that will stay or whether it is a fad