This is part one of a two-part piece that Karl Stevens wrote for the Episcopal Cafe. You can read the whole piece here.
Campus ministry used to be easy. In the beginning, no such thing had to exist, because most colleges and universities in America were founded by specific denominations, and populated by members of those denominations. Then, in the late 19th century, students at state institutions began forming denominational groups. Some of those denominations called ordained chaplains to minister to them directly. The Episcopal Church didn’t, with some notable exceptions, preferring to establish parishes near campuses and work with student chaplains. And it was pretty clear who those chaplains and parishes were meant to serve – four year residential undergraduates, and graduate students who might stay for longer but certainly lived within the vicinity of the campus and the church.