Faculty and staff were invited to attend an on-campus retreat sponsored by the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) from Aug. 8 through 10. The retreat circled around enabling faculty and staff to help students realize and find their calling in life.

On the first day of the event, attendees participated in a dinner which was followed by keynote speaker Dr. Timothy Clydesdale, author of the book The Purposeful Graduate. He also opened up the days activities the following day.

Wednesday’s agenda was full of speakers and presentations and lots of hands-on activities for those in attendance to participate in and try out the different approaches and techniques in helping students discover who they are, how they learn best, and who they want to be.

Assistant Provost Dr. Marie Leichliter-Krause and Academic Grants and Projects Coordinator Genna Steele gave a presentation on the opportunity of $500 mini grants that staff can apply for.

“We would like to see a lot of programming on vocation around campus,” said Leichliter-Krause. “We would love to have people apply for the mini grants. Faculty and staff are encouraged to apply for programs, activities, workshops, any idea they have where they can work with students on calling and vocation.”

The mini grants can help to fund or partially fund those activities.

One of the most prominent accomplishments from the retreat was held on the final day, Aug. 10. That was the introduction and workshop the “Pathways Explore Your Purpose” program. The “Pathways Explore Your Purpose” program includes a giant spinning wheel which is focused on exploring students, but can be useful to all students. The wheel consists of several symbols and a deck of question cards and help cards. There is a mountain, which stands for values; hands, which stand for service; a map, which stands for learning; and a lamp, which stands for faith. There’s also a compass, which has questions on how you live intentionally; and a back pack, which asks questions on sustinance.

“All of the questions on the are supposed to thought provoking. We have some questions that are so deep and students who have already done this activity have had stop and think about how they would really respond to these types of questions,” said Leichliter-Krause. “There’s one that says ‘If you died tomorrow, what would be on your tombstone?’ They’re really meant to make you reflect.”

They used this during the scavenger hunt that first-year students took part in and many students had answers that were “full of so much thought and depth” as opposed to the “surface answers” they staff expected. The idea for the wheel came from DePaul University, where they also had a wheel and shared they’re idea with staff.

Students and staff will have opportunities to utilize the “Pathways Explore Your Purpose” program with or without the wheel and can find was to adapt it to a course or major.

The final event to take place at the retreat was the unveiling of the new Fiat Lux book students will be reading in class along with discussing and doing activities around. “Wine to Water”, “How One Man Saved Himself While Trying to Save the World” by Doc Henley, founder of Wine to Water is this year’s Fiat Lux book.