Discover Your Vocation
Vocation lives in the heart of a Wartburg College education, and it frames everything we do. Helping individuals discover who they are called to be and what they are called to do is essential to our mission. Students explore this through essential education courses, learning opportunities in their major, and various experiences on and off campus. Staff and faculty are invited to participate in ongoing discernment through professional development and mentoring opportunities. All are invited to name, claim, and frame their vocations and callings in this community.
Vocation at Wartburg
Vocation comes from the Latin word “vocare” which means “to call.” At Wartburg, we often refer to vocation as “calling,” using the two terms interchangeably in our day-to-day interactions. The way in which we describe vocation at Wartburg is much like Frederick Buechner, an American writer and theologian, who states, “…the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” It is a call inside oneself — a strong inner impulse — to a particular course of action and usually aligns with one’s profession, purpose, and/or faith.
So what does this all mean? It means there is something out there — a task, a position, a need — that will require one’s unique set of skills, interests, passions, values, and personality to fulfill it. A vocation or calling is distinctive to the individual and consists of their own personal gifts, as well as the needs of the world. At a very basic level, one can begin discerning their calling by reflecting on what they are passionate about and what their community/world needs. When one considers these very basic elements and starts finding connections between the two, then they begin to discover that which they are called to do.
Though consideration of one’s passions, the needs of the world, and the connections between the two seems simple, it is actually very complex. For many, discovering and claiming one’s calling may take a lifetime. However, we want to encourage Wartburg students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends to keep leading, serving, and learning. Knowledge and understanding come from these important practices and according to Martin Luther, there is one element above all else that truly helps individuals find their calling; education. The German priest and professor of theology once described education as indispensable in equipping young men and women to “take their own place in the stream of human events.”
Exploring Me Retreats
Exploring Me Retreats are vocational retreats that provide students with an opportunity to take a night away from campus and explore some of the big questions on their minds. Not only do these retreats provide students with an opportunity to explore some of their big questions, but they also provide a chance to meet new people and spend some much-needed time away from busy campus life. Exploring Me Retreats are sponsored by the Student Success Center and Spiritual Life & Campus Ministry, and are free for students to attend and participate in.
Knight Nation Job Shadowing
The Knight Nation Job Shadowing program is career mentoring program for current students. Each spring, students travel to Des Moines and Minneapolis to connect with Wartburg alumni and friends of the college who have specific knowledge and experience about an occupation or career that the student is interested in. Students are allowed to ask questions, learn about certain occupations, and network in their respective field while experiencing the everyday life of a full-time professional. In addition to their shadow experience, students learn how to navigate city transportation, develop professional documents (resumes and applications), and experience some of the attractions unique to the respective cities. This opportunity also allows current students and alumni to share their own unique Wartburg stories with one another.
First-Year Peer Mentoring Program
The First-Year Peer Mentoring Program is a program including all first-year students at Wartburg College. The program focuses on mentoring students wherever they are in their college experience. Every section of SEM 100 (first-year seminar) will be assigned a mentor who will attend class and interact as directed by the course instructor. Mentors are not only in the classroom but also available to meet one-on-one outside of the classroom to help students with various needs. The First-Year Peer Mentoring Program was created to help students pursue and meet their academic, personal, and professional goals.
Faculty Mentoring Program
Full-time faculty who wish to be reappointed, promoted, or have their contract renewed must prepare a professional portfolio that documents their performance and professional goals. Faculty have the option of having a mentor who will provide support, guidance, and feedback preparing their portfolio. This particular program is specifically designed for faculty and participation is optional. In addition to helping full-time faculty develop their professional documentation, a mentor in this program can also offer general support and guidance in his or her professional development and vocation as a teacher, scholar, and faculty citizen.