What goes on in the classrooms of Christian colleges and universities makes a major contribution to the formation of character and values among men and women who will go on to become salt and light in the world. However, the classroom experience is just one component of the Christian college experience.

Values and character are inculcated also through schools' various extracurricular (some call them "co-curricular") activities. Below is a sampling of how co-curricular activities are shaping students' character.

Boyce College is dedicated to the task of preparing ministers. Thus a Boyce education is both academically challenging and centered on a classical biblical and theological program of study.

A Boyce College education, however, does more than fill students heads. It also changes their hearts. In addition to studying for ministry, students are enabled in many ways to pursue spiritual growth, healthy relationships, and service to the church. These emphases are part of Boyce College's commitment to training well-rounded Christian leaders for the churches of the world.

Co-curricular activities play an important part in achieving these goals. A one-hour evening worship service is a weekly highlight for Boyce students; hundreds gather for one purpose: to praise the true and living God. Since Boyce College is a school of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, students may also attend the twice weekly seminary chapel services, featuring some of the nation's best pastors and preachers in addition to faculty from both the college and the seminary.

Boyce provides various other opportunities for students to develop the Christian leadership skills needed to serve faithfully and with excellence. These opportunities come in a variety of forms. Whether it is in the dorms serving as a resident leader; facilitating spiritual growth and connectedness through the Student Council; or leading worship with the school's praise team, Aletheia, or the Boyce College Chorale; Boyce College trains future leaders by equipping them for present service.

Many of CBU's co-curricular activities are built around the university's commitment to Christ's Great Commission— a vision carried out in meaningful ways and that students experience from day one. "We show students that their Christian life can be relevant, whether here or globally," says John Montgomery, CBU's dean of spiritual life.

At CBU, local service begins in the students' backyard with community ministries that include mentoring at-risk youth, adopting senior adults near the campus as surrogate grandparents, and raising awareness of social issues by, for example, participating in activities associated with World AIDS Day. The university is actively recruiting students for its "Active Compassion" club, where student leaders engage their peers and help fuel new ministries.

Last year marked the tenth anniversary of CBU's signature "International Service Project" (ISP), which each year sends students, faculty, and staff to various locations around the world. ISP team members from CBU have served in every continent except Antarctica.

The milestone ISP anniversary saw the number of participants in a single year top 150 for the first time. Of that number, more than 80 took part in projects designed to begin a lasting partnership in the African nation of Rwanda, featuring the P.E.A.C.E. program created by Pastor Rick Warren, CBU alumnus and founding pastor of Orange County's renowned Saddleback Church. This year, over 20 will travel to 14 countries seeking to "make disciples of all the nations."

One example from the co-curricular area at Calvin is its emphasis on leadership and virtue for its athletes. Every summer, team captains gather for a week at a ranch in Montana, where they learn servant leadership skills and consider the role of character in the leadership of their teams.

Another important area for character formation is in the area of student discipline. All students experience times of failure, and at Calvin this is a very important time to walk beside students and contribute to their moral formation.

Off-campus students are encouraged in their attempts to get involved in local neighborhoods and to learn to care about the places where they are. Calvin also offers a full range of service learning and volunteer activities.

Cedarville's mission to prepare the next generation of leaders for the church extends far beyond the classroom. The Cedarville University Leadership Institute is a character-based, co-curricular initiative providing instruction on topics such as "Biblical Principles of Leadership" and "Communication Skills for Leaders."

Perhaps more important are the student organizations and ministry teams that provide more than 500 leadership positions for students to practice their leadership skills. These kinds of co-curricular programs help to create a culture of leadership on campus.

Last year's response to Hurricane Katrina provides a powerful example of the value of Cedarville's emphasis on character-based, Christian leadership. Students raised more than $100,000 and provided a total of more than 14,000 hours of labor for victims the hurricane.

Cedarville focuses on developing leaders so that its graduates can take a spirit of service and sacrifice into the churches and communities of the future.

Students at Crown are encouraged to take advantage of mission trips and internships as ways to learn about culture and about the impact they can make. When a student gives up a spring break to serve others, it becomes a lifechanging experience for them and for those they serve.

The John Templeton Foundation has consistently recognized Gordon for its commitment to character development, listing the college among the top 100 institutions nationwide for promoting character development. And Gordon's co-curricular activities go a long way towards explaining why.

Gordon has a high level of participation in mission trips and non-required volunteer service. Last year more than 570 students, along with many faculty members, gave their time in servicelearning opportunities to the city and people of Lynn, Massachusetts. Gordon in Lynn is a unique program that integrates students into urban community organizations to help address inner-city issues faced by this economically challenged and ethnically diverse area.

Most Christian colleges regularly send teams of students for short-term mission projects. At Judson, a course in Intercultural Ministry Studies walks students through the entire process of "how"—planning, fundraising, and building relationships with local ministry partners. But first it grounds students in learning how to approach those whom they serve with humility, learning how to best meet their felt needs. This course exists in conjunction with missions projects co-led by students and faculty/staff. Student-led initiatives related to diversity, environmental stewardship, community outreach, prayer and worship, and small groups, all help students develop leadership qualities.

Many of Messiah's co-curricular activities are rooted in the college's firm conviction that service in the ministry of reconciliation is impossible without a knowledge of and appreciation for the culture of others with whom we live in historically broken relationships. The school's Agapé Center hosts some of school's most significant extracurricular initiatives.

The Agapé Center links students, faculty, and the community in their common interests of learning and serving. Students "learn to serve and serve to learn." Faculty use service activities to enrich courses through the interaction of "real life" experience with academic reflection and theory. Community agencies use student volunteers to strengthen their programs and expand their services.

The name "Agapé," the Greek word for selfless, caring love, reflects the intention of the center to incarnate the love of God, which is demonstrated in our lives through acts of service, mission, reconciliation, and peace. From Hurricane Katrina relief work to service initiatives both locally (e.g. Habitat for Humanity, Bethesda Soup Kitchen, Food for the Hungry, New Hope Ministries) and around the world (e.g. World Christian Fellowship, Dokimoi Ergatai, SEND International) Messiah students contribute to the lives of those in need and are transformed through the experience of serving others.

In addition, Messiah's Office of Multicultural Programs provides a powerful means to bring racial and ethnic reconciliation through "addressing issues of reconciliation and the establishment of a more welcoming and inclusive campus culture."

In 2005, Palm Beach Atlantic made a major addition to its co-curricular offerings by developing an ethics forum that brings men and women of faith and high ethical standards to campus to interact with students.

The first forum featured four individuals who were intimately involved in strategic policy making during the Ronald Reagan presidency: the Honorable William Brock, senator from Tennessee and former trade representative and former Republican National Committee chairman; J. Douglas Holladay, former White House and State Department staff member; Robert McFarlane, III, former national security advisor; and the Honorable Edwin Meese, former attorney general.

Senator Brock told students that politicians can choose to stand by their value system and vote by their moral compass instead of being tied to voting with a majority opinion. During the daylong event, supported by the Albert E. and Birdie W. Einstein Fund, Inc. and the Tarzian Endowment, students met with the speakers during chapel, in classes, and at a luncheon for student leaders. Selected students served as campus escorts for the guests, giving them rare one-on-one access to these leading thinkers.

Year two of the ethics forum focused on ethics and the media. It featured Bill Plante, CBS Evening News White House correspondent and Emmy Award winner; Jody Hassett Sanchez, former ABC & CNN correspondent and Peabody Award winner; and David Aikman, author and Time magazine correspondent for 23 years. The 2007 event will feature speakers on ethics in business.

University President David W. Clark says, "The University continually strives to provide students opportunities that foster citizenship, service, and character formation outside as well as inside the classroom."

Point Loma Nazarene University's Loma Learning Communities (LLCs) constitute a unique program in the residence halls at Point Loma. Students apply to a particular LLC based on various interests, then compete for spots in different dorms with different LLCs. Once selected, students in that LLC live as neighbors, meet for at least one hour a week, and participate in various activities together. LLCs provide an exciting opportunity for students to enhance their residential experience by joining a community united by a common purpose.

Research in higher education indicates that students who are part of LLCs achieve significantly higher grades, are intellectually stimulated, are more likely to graduate, and have greater developmental growth. Students participating in LLCs are also more satisfied with their residential and academic experiences.

Examples of current LLCs include men's groups such as Wilderness at Heart, a group that participates in extreme outdoor activities such as rock climbing and backpacking while searching for God in nature; and Surf Transcendence, a group that uses the lens of the surfing culture to look at academics and vocations, and provide experiences that both engage surf-related interests and broaden the individual's sphere of understanding and reflection on their spirituality.

Women participate in a variety of groups as well, including Healthy Living, a group that focuses on making healthy life choices in physical, mental, and spiritual activities; and Art Speaks, which focuses on the use of various forms of art to engage social issues in our world.

SPU has a formal mentor program for all undergraduate students. More than 170 pairings are made each year between students and professionals in a wide variety of fields who agree to consult with the students on issues surrounding professional and personal development.

The class "Social Enterprise," offered by The School of Business and Economics, examines "blended value" businesses designed to achieve both financial return and social benefit, emphasizing the rewards of earnedincome ventures within missionbased organizations.

The mission organization SPRINT (Seattle Pacific Reachout International) Program offers cross-cultural education and service trips for SPU faculty, staff, students, and alumni. The goal is to transform the lives of SPU students so that they will be equipped for globallyminded service.

SPU also offers student-led cocurricular programs on campus. "Acting on AIDS" was founded in 2004 by three SPU students who wanted to encourage their peers to respond to the global AIDS pandemic. Their goal was to raise awareness on college campuses and to challenge students to respond to the devastating consequences of AIDS. This program was eventually funded by World Vision, and has become a national movement, with chapters on more than 50 college and university campuses across the nation.

At Toccoa Falls, professors intentionally integrate a biblical worldview into the classroom, and co-curricular activities are geared toward supporting the goal of spiritual formation. Students are involved in daily chapels, and take part in and lead small groups designed to help them find places to discuss the intersection of faith and life.

Young people face major decisions and challenges on an almost daily basis. Central to the mission of Toccoa Falls College is the goal of assisting students in developing the capacity to successfully navigate these uncertain waters.

Jerry Fliger, director of the School of Communications at Toccoa Falls, says, "Tomorrow's questions may differ from today's. The principles of Scripture, which never change, must be applied in a thoughtful manner and with a critical mind."

Fliger adds, "Toccoa Falls College is intentional about the development of a character and intellect that will equip students to make an impact on their world with the love and message of Jesus Christ."

At Union the term "co-curricular activities" has taken on new and innovative meanings. Upperclassmen at Union lead a ministry called LIFE Groups. This enables new students to form lasting relationships in a small group setting that is relaxed and comfortable. Activities span an entire semester rather than just a few days during orientation.

In a reading group program called Rounders, students discuss important works with faculty and other students. Female students participate in Klemata, a Bible study that partners them with adult women.

Global Outreach (GO) trips involve Union students in ministry and service. In 2007, trips are planned to 21 locations on four continents.

Finally, each year Union University effectively shuts down for a "Day of Remembrance," during which students, faculty, and staff perform community service. Last year, more than 60 local projects were completed on this one day.

Also see main article: Creating a Moral Compass.

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