The purpose of this historical case study is to examine the response of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) to Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. The AJCU is a voluntary association of 28 Jesuit higher education institutions rooted in the Jesuit charism that centers on God's desire for a direct relationship with creation, appreciation for the works of mankind as an expression of the goodness of God, and a deep call to service to God's creation. In the days following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the Association extended an invitation to students at Loyola University New Orleans to attend one of the sister institutions for the fall 2005 semester. In addition to universal acceptance and enrollment, in all but one instance, displaced students were not charged tuition by the host institution. The historic case study is an evaluation of how the Jesuit mission may have impacted the AJCU to assist students and the institution of Loyola New Orleans after the storm. Albert and Whetten's Organizational Identity Theory (OIT) serves as a conceptual framework to determine if the AJCU acted in alignment with the stated mission. OIT notes that a true assessment of how embedded an institution's mission is can only be made in times of great disruption or crisis as mission is not challenged in the day-to-day governing of an organization. OIT establishes three criteria that compose an institution's identity - those characteristics which are central, enduring, and distinctive to the organization. For mission to be upheld, institutions act in accordance with those characteristics. In addition to historical and archival research, 14 individuals participated in oral history interviews to provide recollections of accepting and enrolling students and the motivation behind those actions. Participants include institutional Presidents, leadership, and Loyola University New Orleans students. The study is a first step in evaluating how mission impacts the ways higher education institutions act in times of crisis and suggests that a pre-established network rooted in a shared mission is crucial for postsecondary institutions to continue to serve students as the incidence and severity of natural disasters increase. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]