ST. PETER, Minn. (Oct. 30, 2000) – On Sept. 29, the Lilly Endowment informed Gustavus that it had been awarded a five-year grant of $1,964,425 as part of the Endowment's Theological Exploration of Vocation Program.  Gustavus was one of 20 church-related liberal arts college and universities from around the country to be recognized in this way and one of three in Minnesota, the other two being St. John's University and Macalester College.

The general concern motivating the Lilly Endowment to propose this new grant program was its observation that contemporary Americans tend to focus narrowly on their careers and matters of individual concern rather than on community needs.  The Endowment proposed to help colleges try to design programs that would encourage students to reflect more deeply on their "vocations" -- that is, their ongoing active concern for the welfare of the communities in which they live.   "Vocation" is broader than career.  It has to do with the whole of a person's life, including but not limited to parenting, political involvement, community service, and a job or career.  A primary goal of Lilly's grant program is to encourage the development of a new generation of talented, creative and committed lay and church leaders.

The award to Gustavus will support a comprehensive initiative to carry out more effectively some key aspects of the College's mission statement, and enhance the opportunities for students to reflect on their vocation -- i.e. to consider the challenge of living lives of commitment to the welfare of the whole community.  The purpose is not to coerce anyone to adopt a particular outlook -- only to provide opportunities for reflection about the issue of vocation and to encourage students to integrate their learning into their lives.  The funded program will build upon the ethos and climate of Gustavus by supporting existing programs, adding new ones, and creating a Center to coordinate and intensify those vocation-oriented activities.  In so doing, it will provide students with the foundational tools necessary for a lifelong exploration of their calling and a lifetime of community leadership and service to others.

Although some aspects of the proposed program will involve others, particularly high school students, the students of Gustavus Adolphus College are the primary beneficiaries of the funded program.  In order to reach as broad an array of students as possible, the program will target specific groups.  The coherence of the proposed program will stem from two sources:  (1) a focus on Gustavus students and (2) an idea of what factors stimulate and deepen a young person’s sense of vocation.  These factors include the following:

• Attention to the concept of vocation, i.e. clarifying what it is, and providing a common language of understanding.
• Time for reflection regarding the larger questions of meaning and purpose in life.
• A safe place for reflection, a place where aspirations and idealism will not be prematurely discouraged or, worse yet, disparaged.
• Conversation with others about vocation.
• A constructive engagement with "otherness," including those in need and those from other religious traditions.
• Mentor who are able to voice the challenges that push students to think more deeply about serving the community in all facets of their lives.
• Opportunities for reflection about the implications of experiential learning for vocation.
• The experience of one’s capacity to “make a difference.”

• Opportunities for Student Reflection
• Interfaith Dialogue
• Community Service
• Calling of the Professions
• Annual Lilly Endowment Conference on Vocational Reflection

• Chapel Apprentice Program
• January-term Courses
• "Inside Out:  Leading with Passion and Purpose," a summer leadership program initiated in 1999
• Summer High School Theological Conference on Vocation and Leadership
• Summer Church Camp Counselors Program

• First- and Second-year Faculty Orientation, the funding for which will provide ongoing support for a new faculty mentoring program for first- and second-year faculty, supported this year by an external grant from another funder
• Administrative and Support Staff Orientation
• Church-College Retreat
• Summer Faculty Development Workshop
• Year-long Faculty Collaboration Seminar (for three or four faculty each year from different disciplines)