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Vocare initiatives
A $2 million grant from the Lilly Endowment in 2002 enabled Northwestern College to launch Vocare: Find Your Place, initiatives that help students explore and discover their callings. Many of the initiatives are now funded by Northwestern.
The following initiatives continue to receive Lilly Endowment funding through the sustainability grant.
- Goal 1: Ministry discernment and pastoral leadership vocational exploration
- Ministry and worship assistants
Stipends are available for students hired to lead discipleship ministries and worship. The positions and funds are determined by staff in the Franken Center for Faith, Learning and Living.
- Vocare Internship Program
The Vocare Internship Program is a cooperative effort between campus ministry and the religion department. Students exploring ministry are selected for internships with churches, community-based ministries and intercultural para-church organizations.
- Goal 2: Deepening faculty and staff learning about vocation
- See Goal 2 under opportunities to apply for Vocare funds.
- Goal 3: Student leadership development and vocational exploration
- Leadership development for new students
Returning students mentor first-year students through a structured experience to help first-years explore leadership as vocation. Components of the program include service learning and an intercultural immersion.
- Strengthsquest
Funds are allocated to support the continued use of the Strengthsquest strength finder with campus individuals and groups.
- Goal 4: Conversation and community
- Hospitality
Vocare funds campus gatherings where community members can discuss, learn and celebrate together.
- Themed housing
Vocare funds themed residence life experiences for faculty, staff and students to live together in a campus cottage and pursue shared goals. Students have committed to speaking Spanish and serving Hispanic people in Sioux County while living in the Spanish House. Others have explored community and missional living in the Mission House.
- Goal 5: Intercultural competency
- Multi-ethnic resource representative
Vocare funds a contract with a multi-ethnic resource expert who visits campus to consult with faculty, staff and students and encourage intercultural competency.
- Diversity training
Faculty and staff participate in ongoing diversity training to improve their own intercultural competency and enable them to teach students.
- Multicultural student assistants
Stipends are available for students hired to assist the college’s Office of International and Intercultural Affairs.
- National Christian Multicultural Student Leadership Conference
Vocare funds enable students to attend the annual National Christian Multicultural Student Leadership Conference (NCMSLC, www.ncmslc.org).
- Goal 6: Christian practices
- All-campus retreats
Vocare funds all-campus retreats for students to reflect on calling and Christian practices.
- Goal 7: International academic program development
- Summer study abroad
Vocare provides funds for faculty and staff to travel abroad to plan sites and programming for summer study abroad courses.
- Semester study abroad
Vocare provides funds for faculty and staff to travel abroad to plan sites, programming and collaborative relationships for semester-long study abroad courses.
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 Campus ministry |
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