Posted on Sep 12, 2004

God may not carry the same weight on college campuses in 2004 as he did when Harvard opened its doors in 1636, but to some associated with schools of higher learning, the spirit realm is as important today as it has ever been.
   College chaplains, whose functions vary from that of surrogate parent to spiritual counselor, are as busy as ever helping young adults deal with the many issues facing them in 21 st century America.
   “This is a time of incredible transformation for young people 18 to 22, and they're going through all kinds of personal issues of identity trying to figure out who they really are,” said the Rev. Stephen Butler Murray, a Presbyterian minister and college chaplain at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs. “A college chaplain is essential to help a young person handle those issues.”
   “Most people recognize college as a challenging and growing time for young people,” said the Rev. Bob Longobucco, Catholic campus minister at Albany Chapel, which serves the University at Albany. “I think faith always has something to offer during a time of change and challenge. There's a lot going on out there in the world, and society can sometimes confuse young people.”
   Most of the early colleges and universities in America were created as seminaries. In a 1643 brochure, Harvard officials stated that the purpose of their university was “to advance learning and perpetuate it to posterity, dreading to leave an illiterate ministry to the churches.”
   Many of the early graduates of Harvard and other schools such as William & Mary (1693) and Yale (1701) became ministers. It wasn't until 1708 when John Leverett, who was not a clergyman, became president of Harvard that the school slowly began marking its intellectual independence from Puritanism.
   Nearly two and a half centuries later, during the turbulent decade of the 1960s, “God is Dead” was chanted on college campuses throughout the country. The divine being, however, seems to have survived.
   “I'm a product of the '60s, and I remember those times,” said Union College president Roger Hull, “and I also remember the quote that's ascribed to Thomas Jefferson, and that is that religion is between a man or a woman and his God.
   “Having said that, I think college chaplains are probably more important today than ever simply because young people have so many more issues they're dealing with,” Hull said. “At Union, and other college campuses I've been on, I've recog- nized that the counseling needs of students can often be best served by chaplains.”
   In many non-Catholic institutions today, college chaplains are only partially funded by the school and receive much of their pay from local church groups.
   At Union, Viki Brooks-McDonald is the campus Protestant minister and interfaith chaplain. It is a part-time position, but it is a job Brooks-McDonald felt she was called for.
   “I had this real sense that God was pushing me into campus ministry, and it's been an absolutely delightful match for me,” said Brooks-McDonald. “This campus is where my heart is. I love my job.”
   The job, however, can get pretty intense, according to Brooks-McDonald, who is in her seventh year at Union.
   “Students come in with problems ranging from suicidal tendencies to rape,” said Brooks-McDonald. “They have some kind of family worry, maybe a parent's illness or some other trauma. It's usually a pretty serious difficulty.”
   At Skidmore, Murray keeps a particularly close eye on the freshmen.
   “At home, these kids have had their identity defined for them, and now as they move out of the home they're trying to find their own identity,” said Murray. “A lot of the problems come from inner personal relationships, and it involves all sorts of things.”
   Along with the personal problems they're presented with, chaplains must deal with an expanded 21 st-century outlook on God.
   “The perspective of spirituality has changed and broadened,” said Sandy Damhof, a minister in the Reformed Church of America and the Protestant campus chaplain at the University at Albany. “Things aren't so centered in any particular organized religion and worshipping on Sundays. People are exploring their spirituality, and they're open to different experiences.”
   Like most of her colleagues, Damhof feels that the college campus is the perfect place for her to minister.
   “I love the energy that the students have and the way they look at the future and the world,” said Damhof. “It's really challenging for me, but I also love it. I tell people it's like going to college, but I don't have to worry about going to class or writing a term paper.”
   University at Albany chaplains do hold services on Sunday in the campus center, and at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute the religious component is even more pronounced. Not only are there Jewish, Islamic and Protestant chaplains, but the Catholic community has its own church on campus, the University Parish of Christ Sun of Justice.
   The Rev. Ed Kacerguis is the coordinator of religious affairs at RPI and the resident Catholic chaplain.
   “Our primary goal is to affirm the students in their quest for learning,” said Kacerguis. “I believe that a good faith life is an integral part of the overall intellectual development of the student in the classroom. It's a wonderful challenge to work with them in times of crisis, and it's a privilege to celebrate with them in times of joy and happiness.”
   For campus Protestant chaplain Beth Illingworth, a Presbyterian minister, the dynamics of working at a college campus such as RPI are too good to pass up.
   “I believe that interfaith dialogue is really important, and college campuses are the best place for that kind of thing to happen,” said Illingworth, who also serves as chaplain at Russell Sage College. “It's a place where meetings of different faith traditions can be held, and I think that certainly in this time that is extremely important.”
   Along with the group meetings that Illingworth so enjoys, she also cherishes the one-on-one contact with students.
   “It's so meaningful to help guide these students through their four years in school,” she said. “For me, college campuses provide a wonderful opportunity for a more personal worship.”
   The 1960s and the chants of “God is dead” ringing through college campuses are only a memory.
   “I think there was the perception that when kids go to college it's the time to rebel, and they want nothing to do with the church,” said Brooks-McDonald. “But that perception comes out of another generation. Today, college kids are interested in the spiritual life.”
   “At that college age, many students are asking for the first time questions about their spirituality,” said Rev. Kevin Mackin, president at Siena College, a Catholic institution operated by Franciscan friars. “Obviously, we think chaplains are critical here at Siena. Students, as they have been for years, are searching for ultimate meanings in their life, and I don't think that's ever going to change.”