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This study explores metaphors we use to make sense of organizational reality. One hundred thirty-two mission statements collected across the University of North Carolina system comprise the textual source of analysis. Austin and Searle s speech act theory is employed to intertextually identify metaphors, which are then analyzed in line with Weick s framework of sensemaking. Elements of the sensemaking process are evidenced in hierarchical metaphors: (i) environment-screening: environment as change (organizations as positioned, time-pacer, and wind-catcher); (ii) enactment: enactment as changer (the university as a plate of loose sand, professional, and mission-setter); (iii) selection: organization as relevance-maker (the university as teacher, researcher, server, strategist, and goal-hitter); (iv) retention: organization as retainer (the university as value-keeper and role-player (center, community, leader, and leader-preparer); and (v) remembering: organization as rememberer (the university as history-defender and principle-observer). Together, they comprise metaphors we make sense by.

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Shaozhong Liu has a Ph.D.in educational study from UNC-Greensboro and Ph.D. in ling. & appl. ling.from GDUFS. He specializes in an interface study of higher ed issues via a linguistic perspective. A Visiting Professor at Wake Forest Univ. and founding Dean of COFS, Guangxi Normal Univ., he is now Dean of COFS, Guilin Univ. of Electronic Technology.

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