Elon College was founded by the Christian Church, one of the four main predecessor denominations of the United Church of Christ. It is no longer one of the full members of the United Church of Christ Council for Higher Education, but is on the list of historically related colleges and universities. The list of historically related colleges and universities includes many well-known institutions of higher education including Beloit, Carleton, Fisk, Grinnell, and Franklin & Marshall. Elon underwent a dramatic shift beginning in the 1970’s from a small, local college to a nationally-recognized top tier university. U.S. News and World Report named Elon the nation’s top “school to watch.” It is the subject of a study by George Keller that is well-known among academics titled “Transforming a College: The Story of a Little Known College’s Strategic Climb to National Distinction.”

There are a lot of world leaders who have visited and spoken at Elon, including U.S. Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. They’ve had Colin Powell and Madelaine Albright on their stage as well as Margaret Thatcher, Ehud Barak, Elie Wiesel, Muhammad Yunus, John Glenn, Buzz Aldrin, Brian Williams and Anderson Cooper. On October 4 Maya Angelou is the speaker for the ElonFall Convocation.

Graduates of Elon College or its Graduate Schools of Business, Communications, Education, Health Sciences or Law consistently garner top employment positions. It is an impressive small university. The school has 5,225 students enrolled in undergraduate programs and 691 postgraduate students and boasts a faculty of 364.

The Elon Phoenix was on the t-shirts of the leaders of the group of students and faculty we greeted last night. The group has been on a grand road trip, exploring the American West that has included backpacking, camping, tourism and service. Yesterday they started out in Cody, Wyoming, drove over the Big Horns to Sheridan and then visited Devil’s Tower before arriving in Rapid City at about 8:30 in the evening. Last night they slept on the floors of our church. Today they’ll get a look at a few sights in the Black Hills before heading to Pine Ridge.

Elon believes in the value of travel and service as essential parts of education and the formation of citizens. 71% of the students at Elon study abroad at least once before graduating. May classes involve travel as a part of the curriculum.

Rapid City is a long ways from Elon, North Carolina. I know, I’ve driven the distance a couple of times. And the group is on their way home. They’ve been farther away on this trip. They are traveling in large vans, which weren’t designed form cruising comfort. They were designed as people haulers. You get to sit close to your seatmates when traveling in such vehicles.

It isn’t surprising that top on the list of things for the students to see and do in Rapid City this morning is a visit to a Laundromat. They know they’ve got a lot of miles of sharing the van ahead.

Seeing dramatic sights such as Yellowstone National Park, the Bighorn Mountains, Devil’s Tower, Mount Rushmore and the cemetery at Pine Ridge can be experiences that help young people mature. Learing to live in close quarters with other students, sleeping on the floors of churches and having minimal privacy are also character-forming experiences. The trip will be remembered by the students for all of their lifetimes.

Elon is bucking a trend in American higher education. At a time when college is seen by many as an experience that should be cost-effective, quickly completed, and weighed purely on its impact on earning capacity, Elon has made a commitment to focusing on engaged minds, inspired leaders and global citizens. They understand that character and values are as essential to a healthy society as the ability to earn a salary.

One of the evidences of this commitment is the college’s commitment to having 75% of undergraduates living on campus. The university understands that students learn from the whole of their lives and not just from classes. Learning to live with others is as essential to the formation of engaged citizens as is acquiring academic proficiency. The Global Neighborhood, now under construction will be a six-building addition to the campus which will house 600 students. It will include faculty in residence an several language learning communities that immerse students in learning languages by living among others who are speaking that language. Spanish, French, Japanese, Italian and German language residences will be the start of the community.

As we greeted our guests last night I couldn’t help but wonder about the conversations I have had with parents about their students’ college careers. The high cost of education has gotten the attention of parents. They naturally focus on finding values for the money invested. Too many parents simply never allow their students to consider private colleges and universities assuming that the cost will be too high. There is no question that private higher education is expensive, but universities with adequate endowments provide financial aid to make education affordable to families.

Somehow, the families of the students we met last night have found a way to make an Elon education possible. I have no doubt that it involves sacrifice and struggle. Some things in this life are worth hard work and sacrifice. Education of the leaders for our future certainly is a high priority in my way of thinking. There are plenty of things of worth in this world that cannot be measured in dollars and cents. An inquiring mind, critical thinking ability and the capacity to continue learning well beyond the completion of a formal degree are all critical to our shared future.

The trip is more than a grand adventure. It is a lesson in living with other people and forming a learning community that supports individuals while encouraging sharing and collaboration. By opening our doors and providing a bit of hospitality for weary travelers we are making a small contribution to their education and to the future of our country.

The students staying at our church will live in San Jose, Costa Rica from October 21 to December 3. The full schedule of their trip can be found at the Elon website: http://www.elon.edu/e-web/admissions/gap-semester/schedule.xhtml.

Last night we met students of exceptional promise. It makes me feel good about the future of our country.

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