The definition of "chaplain" has obviously morphed a tad over the past few decades; and the sheepskin on this one has apparently become rather threadbare.
I've never given much thought to college chaplains; my own university system doesn't have a chaplain's office. It does have outstanding college groups/pastoral leadership no matter what your "flavor" because there are so many international students. Across the street from the main campus is the Hillel Foundation (Jewish) and also Canterbury House (Episcopalian), and only a block away is the Islamic Community's student center. On the other side of the campus are the Catholic (services in Korean as well as Spanish) and Methodist and Baptist student centers, so multiple clerics.
I went Googling:
What Does a College Chaplain Do?
As a college chaplain, your job is to counsel students on religion and other spiritual matters while they're at your campus. In this role, you may address challenging questions about faith, lead prayer sessions, help guide students to useful resources, and otherwise provide religious services and support as requested.
https://www.ziprecruiter.com/career/College-Chaplain/What-Is-How-to-Become
One college chaplain's opinion:
At a time when chaplains are found within a variety of institutional settings and social movements, one can make the case that they serve a vital role within the particular context of higher education, as learning requires those who are entrusted to care for that which is sacred, or in other words, “worthy of awe and respect.” Chaplains serve alongside people of diverse religious, spiritual, moral and ethical backgrounds. By inviting learners into the fullness of life, chaplains are called upon to draw from various traditions and practices to build community, provide guidance, lead rituals, facilitate interfaith cooperation and offer unconditional care.
...My hope is that more colleges and universities can develop safe and brave spaces to consider matters of belief, doubt, worship, meaning, meditation, prayer, pluralism, God, wonder and devotion. Through the recognition that learners are far more than brains and learning is far more than grades, chaplains help to ensure that students receive something that is far more than a ticket to an entry-level job: a trajectory toward an extraordinary life.
By supporting them, colleges can more fully educate the whole student and ensure graduates will not only do good but also be well, writes the Reverend Brian E. Konkol.
www.insidehighered.com
*This article explains the origins of the word "chaplain."
From the Harvard Divinity Bulletin:
Due to changing demographics and generally decreasing levels of religiosity, campus chaplains are more and more likely to be the first religious professionals that students encounter regularly. They assist students who are housing or food insecure, or who are undocumented, to access resources; help international students acclimate; and support activist students in finding their networks. They also ensure that students who are navigating trauma, sexual assault, or forms of domestic or psychological abuse find reliable long-term care. Campus chaplains care for and about students—and care about the issues that students care about—especially when their dignity is hurting, when their stress is high, and when their futures seem unsure. All the while, chaplains engage in the perennial task of modeling character alongside the mandate to help students navigate conflicts with parents, siblings, friends, roommates, intimate partners, and intimate partners of roommates. While juggling all this, the prayer space probably also needs another vacuuming!
In ordinary and extraordinary moments, college chaplains serve as ethical guides and exegetes of lived experience. By Celene Ibrahim, Elizabeth H. Aeschlimann, and Nancy Fuchs Kreimer
bulletin.hds.harvard.edu
