It has been said that God gave human beings two ears but only one mouth in order to remind those who follow him that we ought to be doing a lot more listening than talking. Indeed, one could make a case that listening ranks at the top of the list of underappreciated skills and practices. This applies to contexts ranging from marriages to church business meetings to community gatherings to public debates on foreign policy.

It seems, however, that no one had to convince Paul R. Corts, the new president of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU), about the importance of listening. In June of 2006, Corts initiated his CCCU presidency by embarking on a "listening tour" of CCCU schools. As reported on the CCCU's website, the tour consisted of phone conversations with nearly 30 people in 30 days. Corts heard from current and former members of the CCCU board of directors, as well as from longterm CCCU institution presidents and a few "prominent friends of Christian higher education."

Among other things, Corts wanted these people to express not only their thoughts about the council, but also their hopes and dreams for their own institutions and for the Christian college movement in general. After finishing the tour, Corts took his turn to speak. Following is some of what he said:

"The overriding aspiration [of CCCU member institutions] was to have a really significant impact on our culture. A lot of people voiced a great concern for our nation's moral character and values. So character development, moral leadership, providing a moral compass were all hopes of those I interviewed. Our institutions want to turn out leaders in all aspects of life."

The fact that much remains to be done should in no way imply that not much has been done to this point. For decades, Christian colleges and universities have been turning out men and women who, as followers of Jesus Christ, have functioned as salt and light in the marketplaces of ideas and in society's spheres of influence. They are teachers, businesspersons, scientists, doctors, pastors, lawyers, politicians, social workers, and more. They are also fathers and mothers who are active as volunteers with community organizations and in their school districts. As concerned as many are about the current state of our culture, one can only imagine what things might be like were it not for the leavening influence of Christian people through the years.

The collective impact of Christians is difficult to quantify or measure precisely. But anyone who has seen from up close how those who follow Christ "conduct their business" in the classroom, in front of a television camera, in the halls of Congress, or in some other context, knows that they are making a difference. And many times—perhaps more often than not—we have Christian colleges and universities to thank.

As evidenced by the sentiments reflected and expressed by Paul Corts, however, much remains to be done. The challenge to inject moral values into the veins of our society remains a daunting one. Fortunately, all indications are that CCCU institutions understand the nature of the challenge.

The mission statement of Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois, for example, states that the school exists to provide a university-level liberal arts education "with a Christian purpose." It continues, "Our mission is to provide high-quality academic instruction for the purpose of personal development, career and professional readiness, and the preparation of individuals for lives of service to God and humanity."

With Olivet Nazarene celebrating its centennial anniversary in 2006, many at the school have been reviewing various historical documents found in the school's archives. One of the things to have jumped out is a statement from the university's 1915 catalog that reads, "We seek the strongest scholarship and the deepest piety, knowing that they are thoroughly compatible (and) … a Christian environment … where not only knowledge but character is sought."

According to University Provost Gary Streit, the sentiment of this statement is just as relevant today as it was nearly a century ago. And he adds, "The communicating and inculcating of this vision is necessarily premeditated. It doesn't merely happen by accident. Every unit on campus must 'own' this vision and see its relevance to what happens within their more attenuated sphere of institutional life. These companion goals must inform every aspect of campus life with accountability assessments in place to evaluate how effective we are in giving the abstract vision concrete expression. A vision is a vision only in translation, and at Olivet, that's everyone's job."

Philip W. Eaton, president of Seattle-Pacific University, says, "At Seattle Pacific, we have a clear and compelling vision to 'engage the culture and change the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.'"

Eaton adds that the SPU vision statement can be "seen on colorful banners flying all across campus, found on all of our printed materials, and heard and discussed at virtually every community gathering. Our vision has sunk deeply into the hearts and minds of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and trustees."

Two years ago, SPU initiated a plan, called 2014: A Blueprint for Excellence, that cast its vision ten years into the future. In the plan, the school articulated five signature commitments to guide all its actions and choices for an entire decade. The plan calls for SPU to be a place that (1) knows and understands what's going on in the world; (2) embraces the Christian story, becoming biblically and theologically educated; (3) masters the tools of rigorous learning, becoming a vibrant intellectual community; (4) models grace-filled community and practices radical reconciliation; and (5) graduates people of competence and character equipped to change the world.

Crown College in St. Bonifacius, Minnesota, as of late has been especially conscious of its larger mission as a result of the addition of programs in communications and nursing. Says Scott Moats, vice president for academic affairs, "We want graduates in every vocation in every nation to be sources of light. We want our students to demonstrate professional excellence along with a heart and vision for fulfilling the Great Commission." Crown's website recently featured the following statement from music professor Gene Rivard: "We want our students to be salt and light to the whole world through their training as musicians, performers, and committed Christians."

The mission statement of Messiah College (Grantham, Pennsylvania) reads, "Our mission is to educate men and women toward maturity of intellect, character, and Christian faith in preparation for lives of service, leadership, and reconciliation in church and society."

Unpacking this statement, Joseph Huffman, dean of the school of humanities at Messiah, says, "At Messiah College, developing character is embedded in developing the intellect and Christian faith of our students. We seek to inculcate maturity of character in a holistic manner through an intentional engagement of intellect and of faith."

According to Huffman, genuine maturity of character must somehow be related to serving an important purpose. He adds, "A person whose character is truly formed in the image and likeness of Jesus Christ, will not so much contribute to a 'national character' as much as bring God's reconciling presence into the world. Therefore we ask students to engage both the church as well as society."

The CCCU's goals—and President Corts's aspirations—are reflected also in the mission statement of Judson College in Elgin Illinois, which states in part that Judson strives to equip students to be "fully developed, responsible persons who glorify God by the nature of their personal relationships, their work, and their citizenship."

Marsha Vaughn, associate professor at Judson, stresses the importance of getting students involved in the local community as early in their time at Judson as possible. "We have time dedicated to service projects in the Elgin area during orientation," says Vaughn. "In addition, our first-year seminar course has a service-learning component. Chapel programming on social justice issues, highlighting local ministries, also draws attention to our vision." Vaughn adds that many majors at Judson include courses designed around community involvement, getting the students out of the classroom.

Claudia DeVries Beversluis, provost at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, says, "Calvin looks at the entire educational experience through the lens of formation, so that both curricular and co-curricular experiences are intended to contribute to both the development and the expression of character."

DeVries Beversluis maintains that the best way to accomplish the goal of turning out persons of moral character who will bring positive change to society is to offer a "well-rounded program of study in the liberal arts shaped by Christian conviction." DeVries notes that Calvin's core curriculum (or general education) program was designed with an emphasis on fostering academic virtues such as courage, diligence, and hospitality. She adds, "Faculty were asked to think intentionally about how their pedagogy relates to virtue as a goal for their students. At the same time, we believe that students are shaped by the values and virtues that guide our community life, and so we attempt to live out these virtues in our life together."

It goes without saying that what young men and women experience at a Christian college or university is worlds apart—or one might say "worldviews apart"—from what they experience at other schools. The options available to students in terms of clubs and recreational activities are different. The guest lecturers and artists who are brought in are by and large not the same as the ones who frequent secular schools. The co-curricular activities are also different.

It should come as no surprise that the differences are readily evident in the classroom experience as well. Even such seemingly value-neutral subjects such as chemistry and math are taught differently at a Christian institution because of the underlying values and sense of mission.

"If our graduates are going to make a difference in a complicated world, they must first and foremost be excellent scientists," says Seattle Pacific University Associate Professor of Biology Cindy Fitch. "We don't back off of the competence issue—we are constantly pushing and encouraging our students. We want them to get into the very best medical schools and graduate programs. We want them to be strong researchers, leaders in their professions, and people who are well-respected by their scientific peers. Our graduates will only get the chance to participate in critical scientific discussions if they are also great scientists."

SPU alumna (2004) Colleen Williams, who teaches third grade at Quil Ceda Elementary School on the Tulalip Indian Reservation, says she is surprised to see the way people raise their eyebrows when she tells them she was educated at SPU. "There is a recognition of the standards they hold," Williams says, adding, "I chose SPU for that reason—it's made me very marketable."

Moats at Crown College says, "We recently had a student describe our professors as 'looking at everything through the eyes of faith.' That makes a big difference. Part of that is establishing that the person teaching the class has a responsibility not only to be an excellent instructor, but they are expected to model what it means to be a Christian as well."

At Gordon College, every freshman is required to take the year-long seminar Christianity, Culture, and Character. This experience includes reading books and viewing films that raise questions about character, faith, and responsibility. The course provides a stimulating forum for students to discuss and examine issues through honest dialogue, writing, and critical thinking. It also includes a requirement for volunteer service and encourages students to develop a global perspective.

According to Susan VanZanten Gallagher, professor of English and director of Seattle Pacific University's Center for Scholarship and Faculty Development, faculty members at SPU "deliberately encourage students to explore how their class work relates to the ongoing story of God's work in the world through us."

Jacqui Smith-Bates, director of the Career Development Center at SPU, notes that career classes at SPU are taught "with a focus on the Christian calling to do good in the world, to play a role in reconciling a broken world." Smith-Bates adds, "We want our students to understand that they are called to participate in the reconciliation and enhancement of God's kingdom on earth as a goal for their vocation, calling, or work in the world."

According to Judson College's Vaughn, college students are eager to learn the "what" and "how." That is, to acquire knowledge and skills that will help them succeed. But in a Christian college classroom, students learn the "who" and the "why": the sociological, philosophical, and theological foundations of serving. Vaughn says, students address such questions as, "What are the needs of those whom we want to serve?" and "What is the nature of the Christian 'call' to serve others?"

When it comes to educating students and preparing them to go out into the world, Messiah's Huffman does not think in terms of their doing cultural battle, but rather helping them to do their very best in the vocations they choose. He quotes theologian Frederick Buechner, who said, 'Vocation is where the world's greatest need and a person's greatest joy meet.' Huffman says, "Helping students to discern this nexus and equipping them to live out such a vocation is, therefore, our highest educational goal, and the result is inevitably a mature and fully formed character." Huffman adds, "And we find that our alumni are indeed among the best doctors, teachers, nurses, engineers, and scholars, and that they are thus leavening our society and culture as they live into their respective Christian vocations."

Calvin's DeVries Beversluis notes that the "signature pedagogy" of Calvin includes deep respect for students as image bearers of God and for the formative power of community interactions; respect for and love of the subject matter as a part of God's world; an interpretative practice that helps students see the worldview assumptions enmeshed with the subject matter; and an imaginative and inspirational claim that helps a student see how particular knowledge and skills relate to our callings in the world. DeVries Beversluis notes that these "pedagogical qualities" are significantly different from the pedagogy at other institutions, even when, on the surface, classroom behaviors may look the same.

"We don't see our distinctive character as limiting what students should study, what interpretive approaches they should be exposed to in Biblical studies or theology, what scientific theories they should study, what variants of existentialism they might be confronted with," says DeVries Bevesluis. "Our conviction is that students need to be given guidance but not protection against dangerous ideas, and we are convinced that it is better to face up to the most challenging and unsettling perspectives while students are part of our community than to leave them to discover them years later."

She continues, "We can't always answer all the hard questions that arise, but in our classrooms we try to model. We don't try to protect students from the world, nor do we try to recruit them to a particular mode of Christian witness. Rather, we engage them in the daily task of shining the light of the Gospel on the most difficult and challenging questions of contemporary society."

Not everything that molds moral character and develops Christian values, however, is a result of what transpires in the classrooms of Christian colleges and universities. This also happens through co-curricular offerings, including mission trips, athletic teams, and various other clubs and organizations.

Much of what develops character on the Christian college campus takes place informally. Young men and women have around them leaders who model character and values in and out of the classroom. And students model values for one another. In fact at Christian colleges and universities, "peer pressure" results in young people doing the right things instead of the wrong things.

Judson's Vaughn notes that in-class and out-of-class experiences are all potentially "teachable moments." Upperclass students, for example, serve as peer mentors for those enrolled in the school's first-year seminar course. Says Vaughn, "Faculty advisors and student development staff cultivate one-to-one mentoring relationships with students." Even policies addressing student discipline, according to Vaughn, are "intentionally designed around (hopefully) restoring students to the college community and helping them make better choices."

In addition to preparing men and women to be leavening influences in society, some of the opportunities available at Christian schools are designed to prepare students to make a more direct impact on the world, for example, by addressing issues related to public policy or social justice.

Messiah College is home to such student organizations as International Justice Mission, Amnesty International, Boys & Girls Clubs, Catholic Worker House, Central PA Foodbank, and Students for Justice in the Middle East. These organizations heighten students' awareness of public policy and social justice issues while providing them with means to become active sources of remediation and reconciliation through serving others.

Messiah's Center for Public Humanities offers educational outreach in partnership with the Perry County Literacy Council to serve the economically and educationally underprivileged populations in the region with pre-collegiate bridging coursework. And the Harrisburg Institute facilitates Messiah College's community involvement in the region of the state capital city. The Institute coordinates a student residential facility and the research, consultation, and service work of Messiah programs and centers for social service and educational partners in the city.

Messiah's Hoffman says, "We believe that engaging the world with culturally sensitive solutions and sincere Christian service is an institutional vocation as well as a personal one. Hence the College supports this on-going work on a myriad of fronts, and the fruits not only of student maturation but also of transformational and reconciling changes in the lives of those we serve have been more than enough reward."

Judson's Vaughn notes that students at her school are encouraged to study abroad or participate in internships related to the issues that concern them. For example, students interested in law school have interned with a local nonprofit agency founded by a Judson College alumnus that provides legal services to the underserved. And media students at Judson have attended the CCCU Film Studies Center in Los Angeles.

"Faculty are also encouraged to use their gifts in this way," says Vaughn. "This opens up many opportunities for students to work alongside faculty. Architecture faculty have been involved in designing affordable housing in several parts of the world; students are able to learn directly from them. Every student has the potential to be in a position to address social justice issues; seeing it modeled in faculty and staff makes that clear."

Of course, no two Christian colleges or universities are alike. They carry out their individual missions in distinctive ways. Thus, once a young man or woman chooses a Christian institution, many additional choices remain. Some might prefer the relative peacefulness and isolation of a rural environment, while others crave the cultural opportunities that come from a major city.

Some schools have distinguished themselves based on particular program specializations. Often, these academic specialties are related to location. A school near the ocean, for example, is more likely to have a program in marine biology, while a school in an urban location is more likely to have a specialty in urban ministry.

These many differences, however, ought not mask the mission common to Christian colleges and universities. One could argue that in some sense, Christian institutions are in competition with one another, but this competition dwarfs when compared to the ultimate mission these institutions share, a mission represented by the CCCU.

Says Crown College's Moats, "What is common to the CCCU institutions is a dedication to what I call the capital "T" truth. We learn a tremendous amount from visiting with our CCCU peers and discussing issues that are common to all of us."

Calvin College hosted the most recent annual CCCU conference in the fall of 2006, bring together representatives from several schools. Says Calvin's DeVries Beversluis, "The world has a great need for leaders who are committed to following Jesus Christ and are skilled leaders, savvy about the world, dedicated to rigorous thinking and analysis, cross-culturally competent, and capable of being moved by both the beauty and the pain around them. The CCCU is educating many of those leaders."

The world today is in dire need of leaders and followers who stand for biblical values as they relate to social and public policy issues. It needs more people who are motivated by scriptural virtues such as compassion and justice. In short, it needs more followers of Christ who are committed to being his ambassadors in a confused and hurting world. CCCU schools are committed to shaping such persons, who will help to provide for the nation and the world a new moral compass.

Also see sidebar: Developing Character and Values Through Co-Curricular Activities.

Randall Frame is executive director of marketing and communications, Palmer Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, and a freelance writer living in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.