Gustavus Adolphus College

The Center for Vocational Reflection challenges and equips students, faculty, and staff to more intentionally reflect on their vocations - their callings to live out their distinctive gifts, passions, and senses of faith and meaning in ways that benefit their communities and help to address the world's deep needs. The Center helps to weave time, space, and opportunity for exploration of vocation into the fabric of the entire institution, fosters liberal-arts learning, and strives to be a catalyst for purposefully integrating the College's core values of faith, community, justice, service, and excellence in the life and work of those it serves. In so doing, it embodies and enhances the mission of the College, which is in part to "foster the development of values as an integral part of intellectual growth, to encourage students to work toward a just and peaceful world, help students to attain their full potential, to develop in them a capacity and passion for lifelong learning, and to prepare them for fulfilling lives of leadership and service in society."

The Center's invitation to reflect on one's life in terms of vocation reaches into every aspect of campus life - intellectual, physical, emotional, occupational, social, and spiritual. Through a wide range of programs and services (including retreats, workshops, courses, conferences, discussion groups, a resource center, special-project funding, and opportunities for individual and small-group conversation and discernment) the Center supports inclusively theological reflection on the meaning of vocation and helps to educate the whole person for a full life of servant-leadership in a global community.