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When the Rev. Richard W. McBride became chaplain at Elon University, he had the chance to decide what his role would be on campus.

"That's been part of the fun of it," he said. There's no hard definition of a what a chaplain can be.

He'll retire in May after 25 years.

Overall, his job has been reminding people that as the liberal arts are liberating and broadening our thinking, they also are touching on spiritual values, McBride said.

"All human beings are on this journey ... to a realization that we are part of a larger human family," he said.

Teens come to college not just for the educational and social aspects, but to figure out who they are and what they have to offer the world, McBride said.

"And that to me is spiritual work," he said.

His co-workers said his influence has reached beyond the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life building and permeated campus life.

"It's not just that he's a religious guy," said InterVarsity Campus Minister Ray Crompton, who's worked with McBride for 17 years. "He cares deeply about social issues. ... Shouldn't we all be concerned about that?"

To mark the fifth anniversary of the American invasion of Iraq, McBride and volunteers set up an exhibit near the student center to mark the death of each person during the war, including all Iraqis. They stuck dozens of stakes into the ground and strung fishing wire between them. Then they tied thousands of colored ribbons to the wire.

He has tried to challenge students' thinking and created many programs to guide students in the third element of Elon's mission: to transform the mind, body and spirit.

In 1988, McBride founded the school's Habitat for Humanity chapter. About two years later, he and students launched Elon Volunteers, a leadership program through which students organize volunteer projects.

McBride also started several other programs, including the Turning 21 Dinner, which encourages students to mark their 21st birthdays by honoring their mentors.

And each year he leads a special program for freshmen called Hometown Heroes. Every freshman nominates someone in their hometown who made a difference in the community. The freshman class officers choose five nominees to be honored by the chaplain's office.

The programs have helped him connect with students and keep cued into generational differences and social changes. For example, this fall he noticed that a high number of freshmen nominated their parents for Hometown Heroes.

"Attempting to be relevant" has been the biggest challenge over the years, McBride said. He has worked with students and staff through decades that have seen much political and social change. And people's values have changed, as well.

After the Sept. 11 attacks, McBride saw students begin talking to their elders again and putting more value on family, he said. And the past year has made many students return their attention to politics.

Parker McAllister, 22, a senior and Student Government Association treasurer, said McBride has succeeded in being relevant to students.

After talking to fellow students, senior SGA officers suggested McBride as one of their three nominees to speak at commencement.

"He's done a lot for our school," McAllister said. "A lot of us seniors, our lives have been influenced by Rev. McBride. ... He's very much a part of student life."

McAllister said he views the chaplain as a wise and compassionate person.

"He cares deeply about people," he said.

Being a chaplain has allowed McBride to teach, something he loves. Each spring, seniors vie for a seat in his class, "Life Stories," in which students reflect on their experiences before and during college, and their life goals.

McBride has counseled countless students and staff members and until recently led chapel each Thursday.

René Summers, program assistant at the Truitt Center, said many Elon employees will miss McBride's carefully crafted prayer at the monthly staff meetings.

"It is a meditation," she said. "It's always a teaching moment."

And even when you catch him off guard, McBride always seems to know just what to say in any given situation, said those who know him.

"He puts a lot of value in words, whether spoken or written," said Assistant Chaplain Phillip Smith.

McBride writes poetry in his spare time. Recently he came across a piece of paper with one of his poems, which are scattered about.

"I'd like to collect them," he said. "There might be a publication in there sometime."

He's also looking forward to retirement because he'll have more time for his grandchildren and will pick up the trombone again. He plans to join a community band in Hillsborough, where he lives.

McBride decided not to help select the school's next chaplain.

"It's up to the community to choose," he said.

McBride, 68, said he is proud of his accomplishments but "in some respects, I'm aging out."

He's done a lot but "no one person can exhaust what a chaplaincy can be," he said.

He's excited to see what the next chaplain will bring to Elon.

"There is unfinished work to be done," he said.

McBride will give his final piece of guidance to students this spring, when he gives the spring commencement speech.

Contact Jamie Kennedy Jones at jamie.kennedy@news-record.com or 449-4610.