About CTI

• 76% of college students are “searching for meaning and purpose” in life
• 65% of high school students stop attending church after they graduate
• Only 51% of college students graduate within 5 years of initial enrollment

The transition from high school to college is a difficult one, and yet, it is a transition that is often overlooked.  College bound high school students are often told that their time in college is going to be the "best four years of their lives," but the reality can be quite different.  First, when students are not transitioning well they often think that it is their own fault or that something is wrong with them: I thought this was supposed to be the best time of my life?  Second, the statement is almost arcane.  Very few students graduate in four years.  While it is admittedly impossible to prepare students completely for the college transition, there are steps that can be taken to help students transition more smoothly. 

Imagine sending your 18-year-old son or daughter to a foreign country where they will spend the next 4-5 years.  How would you prepare him or her for the journey?  Generally speaking, you would probably want to know everything you could about the culture of the foreign country.  And, if you were a Christian parent, you would be especially concerned with the country's religious beliefs and practices: What/who is their god(s)?  How is the god(s) worshipped?  How does their religion differ from Christianity?  Are there Christians who live there?

In many ways, going to college is like traveling to a foreign country.  Unfortunately, we have not done an adequate job preparing young people for this transition.  Christians need to take this transition seriously.  According to Barna Research, less than one-third of all teenagers are likely to attend a Christian church once they are living independent of their parents.  Many students are not ready for the intellectual and personal challenges to the Christian faith that they will experience in college.

In his book, The Fabric of Faithfulness, educator Steven Garber reminds us, "For those whose pathway leads them into the world of the university, decisions are made during that time that are determinative for the rest of life. In the modern world, the years between eighteen and twenty-five are a time for the settling of one's convictions about meaning and morality: why do I get up in the morning? What do I do after I get up in the morning? One then settles into life with those convictions as the shaping presuppositions and principles of one's entire life."

Garber is correct.  The college years are developmentally critical for a healthy and successful adulthood.  Because this is an important time in a young person's life and because students are largely unprepared for the increasing tide of pressures they will face, CPYU has been actively asking God to direct us to an understanding of how we can best respond.  God has graciously provided the funding and the person needed to launch the first three years of our College Transition Initiative to help teenagers and parents transition smoothly to the "world of the university."

Through a partnership with the Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO), Derek Melleby has been hired to develop and oversee this exciting ministry project.  Derek brings with him six years of campus ministry experience, a masters degree in higher education from Geneva College and has spoken on many college campuses about issues of faith and culture as well to church youth groups concerning transitional issues.

The main focus of the College Transition Initiative will be creating a seminar for college bound high school students and parents of students to address the transition from high school to college.  The multi-media seminar will be engaging and interactive, challenging teenagers and parents to think deeply about questions that should be asked before entering college: (1) Why am I going to college (2) Who am I? (3) What do I believe? And (4) With whom will I surround myself?

Designed to focus on the unique pressures and influences students face in higher education, this seminar, its follow-up plan, and related support materials will help students and parents better understand and prepare to face these pressures and challenges from a distinctively Christian perspective.  Hope and encouragement will be offered to participants by challenging and equipping them to respond with solid and practical tools.