The Lilly Project

The Lilly Project for the Theological, Spiritual and Ethical Exploration of Vocation at Willamette University

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"

Mary Oliver, The Summer Day

The Lilly Project for the Theological, Spiritual and Ethical Exploration of Vocation is a university-wide program dedicated to helping students to engage the larger questions of meaning and purpose, and to discern their vocation -- their calling in life. Funded by a generous grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc., the Lilly Project is embedded in the intellectual and residential life of the university, offering opportunities for members of the community to consider issues of vocation, service, meaning-making and life choices through a variety of academic and co-curricular programs.

Vocation, as we are using it in the context of the Lilly Project at Willamette, does not mean strictly religious vocations; neither does it refer to building a skilled workforce. Rather, it means the way in which we live out our passions in the world, the way in which our values, our commitments and our beliefs are embodied in our choices about work, about family, about our political and social lives. Exploring vocation means talking about engaging the larger questions of meaning and purpose, questions that, we hope, inform students’ decisions and shape their lives, both during their time here and after graduation. We are talking about vocation in the context of a liberal arts education, one that opens up choices and options, one that teaches students how to think critically, inquire freely, lead wisely, serve generously and live with integrity.

Since it began in 2002 Lilly Project at Willamette has opened up opportunities for members of the University and wider Salem communities, including:

Arts events, including performances by the Dance Theatre of Harlem, actress Melinda Strobel and guitarist Tinh Mahoney and screenings/discussions of award-winning documentaries by Macky Alston.
Convocation lectures on vocation, including "Professors Profess" panel discussions by Willamette faculty members and talks by Graduate Minority Fellow Claudia Nogueira, Associate Chaplain Karen Wood, Visiting Scholars Noel Baker and Jan Willis and filmmaker Macky Alston.
Visiting Scholars: Noel Baker, a screenwriter and author, met with several classes during his week at Willamette, and gave a public workshop on Writing as a Quest. Jan Willis, professor of religion at Wesleyan University, also met with students and gave a public lecture based on her memoir Dreaming Me: An African American Woman's Spiritual Journey.
Scholar-in-Residence: Islam scholar David Kerr met with classes and spoke on campus and in Salem and Portland during his month-long residency in the spring of 2004.

Students at Willamette are able to expand their opportunities for service, in three ways:

Apply for Outreach Grants, available to all residence halls, Greek chapters and student organizations, for new community service programs.
Join an expanded alternative spring break program, Take a Break, which has taken students to serve communities in Mississippi, Louisiana, California, Illinois, Washington, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Oregon, New York, and Texas.
Consult with staff to get ideas about how to serve, and how to reflect on that service to make it more meaningful.

Students are able to test a theological vocation in a number of ways:

Spend a seminary semester at an accredited seminary or graduate school of religion.
Take a "Seminary Road Trip" and visit seminaries with other Willamette students.
Apply for summer internships in congregations and religiously affiliated agencies. Numerous organizations have applied to become internship sites for six annual internship positions. Several of these organizations have applied as sites multiple years an have served and been served by several interns. Applications/proposals for 2010 sites will be accepted through December 7, 2009.

Students are able to explore issues of vocation through research and reflection through:

Summer grants for research and creative projects on issues related to the theological, ethical and spiritual exploration of vocation
Retreats to explore personal issues of vocation and life’s call, one in the fall especially for students returning from study abroad
Conversations with a part-time Vocational Discernment Counselor.
Student Development Grants

Faculty have been invited to engage in these issues in a number of ways:

Faculty summer research grants are available for scholarly exploration of issues relating to vocation
Curriculum enhancement grants will help faculty develop new courses or redesign current courses to address issues of vocation.
Faculty may propose Visiting Scholars to come to campus for one week, to assist in courses and to give public talks and workshops
A workshop for faculty advisors with an emphasis on enhancing mentoring skills is being developed.
Faculty may propose Scholars in Residence to spend one month on campus, meeting with students, giving public presentations, and offering opportunities for faculty development.

The Lilly Project at Willamette University is governed by an Advisory Board of faculty, students and administrators, and is administered by the Associate Chaplain.

2009-10 Lilly Advisory Board

Nathaniel Córdova - associate professor of rhetoric and media studies
Carissa Deethardt - Class of 2010, College of Liberal Arts
David Douglass - interim dean, College of Liberal Arts, and professor of rhetoric and media studies
David Gutterman - assistant professor of politics
Lisa Holliday - interim co-dean of Campus Life and director of Student Activities
Ann Nicgorski - professor of art history and archaeology
Annie Russell - university registrar
Charlie Wallace - university chaplain and associate professor of religious studies

The Lilly Project at Willamette is only one of 88 programs for the theological exploration of vocation at church-related colleges and universities throughout the United States. For more information about these programs, go to http://www.ptev.org.