Abby Conley,
Reporter
With funding from the Lilly Grant, the Institute for Servant Leadership will offer many initiatives for students as part of Milligan’s mission to educate men and women to be servant-leaders.
According to Director of the Institute for Servant Leadership Beth Anderson, the Institute assigned a focus for each class that will lead to discovery and fulfillment of God’s calling for their lives.
The freshman class will focus on seeking God’s call through the mandatory classes, Introduction to College and Calling, Old and New Testament Survey and Humanities.
“(In the classes) students start thinking about their vocation, their calling and their purpose in life,” Director of Student Success Leslie Glover said. “Our goal is to put them on a journey to answer these questions.”
The sophomore class’ focus will be on answering the call of God. A new discernment summit is planned for this class. The summit is a one-day event where sophomores are encouraged to evaluate their spiritual and vocational calling. This school year, the summit is planned for sometime during the spring semester.
The junior class will look at changing lives through a class service project. Next fall, the entire junior class will return to school five days before the majority of the student body. During this time, the class will worship, hear speakers and serve together.
“It is a week of activity to help them see how they can make a difference in the world through service,” Anderson said.
The senior class will focus on the idea of shaping culture. Seniors will be able to expand their capstone by participating in the “Senior Forum on Christ and Culture” and look at how they are fulfilling the college’s mission of “shaping culture.”
But there is more to the Institute’s goals than the academic realm.
The volunteer position of Resident Chaplain has been added to each dorm. Each one is assigned to a group of students, usually on the same floor that they live.
According to Campus Minister Nathan Flora, “Resident Chaplains exist to provide small group connections, Bible studies, opportunities for fellowship and service, as well as pastoral care in the residence hall. They host weekly events for service, fellowship or small group study and coordinate service projects for the entire residence hall.”
Additionally, “class nights” will be offered twice each semester. Each class has a night specifically geared for its members’ needs. They will also count as convocation selects, formerly known as make-up convocation.
Physical changes can also be seen on campus. Dorms now have well-equipped study rooms as a result of funding from the Lilly Grant.
“First and foremost, students are here for academic reasons,” Glover said. She went on to explain that the new rooms offer a safe, easily accessible place to study.
The Center for Calling and Career Exploration is located at the top of the stairwell in the McMahan Student Center. According to Glover, this is where students can go for help with pursuit of their careers, from building a resume to negotiating a salary.
“All of these initiatives are student-centered,” Glover said, “and we want students to take ownership of the services that we provide.”
Glover stresses that the services are for all students: traditional and non-traditional undergraduate and graduate levels.
“Don’t let the opportunity go unnoticed,” Glover said. “You can never leave here and say Milligan wasn’t all about servant leadership and helping (you) to understand God’s calling.”