It has been called “the ultimate Leadership Journey” (LJ).

Scott “Doc” Carroll, professor of history at Cornerstone University, is the one who dubbed it the ultimate LJ. This may be because he is the one who leads the educational trip to Greece every summer for students from Cornerstone and other universities.

“I resumed doing Greece when a past student said that the high point of his 10 years of education was going to Greece,” said Carroll who has done the program at CU for the last seven years.

The month-long trip to Greece involves seeing and experiencing historical sights such as the Acropolis in the ancient city of Athens, the island Santorini and climbing the 9,570 ft. Mount Olympus.

“Students who are going should get credit. This is an academic-intense trip,” said Carroll. Jake Heaton, who went to Greece with Carroll in the summer of 2006, said, “It was amazing. I learned a lot and made a lot of cool friends. Almost every one on our trip just really connected.” Heaton, a junior, is currently attending Grand Valley State University.

“Looking back on it now, I cannot believe that I was there. I would like to go back some day because it has great memories for me,” said Heaton.

Bayard Baylis, provost of academic office at Cornerstone, also said that the administration has “heard good feedback” on the success of the Greece program.

“The Greece trip is successful, no question about it,” said Carroll. “You do not have people going back three to five times unless it is successful. It is a great education trip.

I am more bonded with my students who have gone on my trips the last 20 years than any other students because you spend a lot of time together on the highways and byways.”

Carroll also explained that the achievements of the trip should be encouragement and celebration instead of receiving little recognition of the effort and success of the program. In the 20 years of doing the trip, Carroll recalled his most inspirational moment during any Greece trip was the summer of 2005 when students helped three handicapped classmates climb Mount Olympus in specially-made wheelchairs.

However, Carroll said that with complications such as the American dollar falling in price, this coming summer of 2008 may be the last Greece trip. He said that with the dollar declining under the Euro it has “made it difficult to gauge flight and ground cost.” Over the past six years, the flight cost to Greece has increased $700.

“The soul is willing, but the flesh is restrained,” said Carroll, who hopes to continue the Greece program. “The faculty person, who has created it, is the expert. They are the ones who bring value to the program, and the program runs because of him or her. I could walk away from it, but there would have to be someone else who steps in with the same enthusiasm to pull it off.”

“Greece is my classroom. It is my heart and soul. The program runs because of the professor and the enthusiasm of the students,” said Carroll.