I. Program Purpose and Goals

The purpose of Seton Hall University's proposal for 'The Theological Exploration of Vocation' is clear: to establish a Center for Vocation and Servant Leadership at the University. Through the work of this Center, we want nothing less than to permeate every process and program in our University and literally 'impact' every person associated with our University with four energizing processes: (1) self-discovery, (2) skill and character formation, (3) transitioning toward seeing one's work as vocation, and (4) seeing oneself as called to leadership in the Church and in the world. We believe that this institutional 'human investment' in all our constituencies will bear rich dividends, namely, the formation of a new generation of spirit-filled servant leaders for the University, the Church and the world.

The program and initiatives outlined in our proposal emerged from our planning process facilitated by Lucien Roy, John Neafsey and Fr. John Haughey of Loyola (Chicago), and Fr. Howard Gray and Patrick Byrne from Boston College. Three planning committees consisting of staff, faculty and administrators were established to explore three theological understandings of 'vocation' and were charged with proposing initiatives that would inspire, motivate and promote a particular kind of calling:

• The Called to Church Ministry Committee explored the understanding of vocation as a call to ministry in the Church. This committee suggested initiatives that would 'impact' vocations to lay and ordained ministries.
• The Called to Servant Leadership Committee explored the understanding of vocation as a call to service in all that we do - a calling that is fundamental to our own University Mission and Vision, as the entire Seton Hall University community is committed to forming, and becoming, 'servant leaders for a global society.'
• The Called to Cultural Transformation Committee explored the vocation of the University itself, namely, to transform the culture in which we live and work with a special emphasis on serving the needs of the community in which the University is situated.

The goals of the initiatives that these planning committees developed are (1) to make available four deeply theological processes, described below, to every constituency in such a way that our entire University community is invited (2) to experience the intellectual and spiritual transformation that we believe is necessary for both discerning and answering God's call.

The Four 'IMPACTS' Processes
Seton Hall University's theological exploration of vocation, conducted as part of the Lilly Endowment Planning Grant, has identified four discrete processes that, we believe, give rise to initiatives that both promote and sustain vocation. We concluded that these four processes were so valuable that they should be offered in some way to every constituency served by our University. We have called the ensemble of processes 'IMPACTS' because we are convinced that they will Inspire, Motivate and Promote A Call To Service in the world and in the Church. The four IMPACTS processes are:

1. Self-discovery: We want every member of our University community to be given the opportunity through retreats, seminars and workshops to focus and reflect on their gifts, talents, charisms, inclinations, passions, relationships, as well as the defining personages and events in their life story. We also want everyone in our community to be given the opportunity to view their faith commitments as a rich matrix from which their personal calling can be discerned.
2. Character Formation: We want every member of our community to be given the opportunity in a variety of formats (courses, public lectures, seminars, retreats) to reflect upon and appropriate the skills and character formation (virtue education) needed to become the kind of persons they are called to be. During this process we will share the deep convictions and values of our University so that all in our community can become habitually disposed to cherish the common good, to hear, acknowledge and promote the rights of the poor and to see in every human being 'the clearest expression of God's presence.'
3. Work to Vocation: We want every member of our University community to begin viewing their work not solely as a paycheck or something one 'does in-between weekends' or as 'death on the installment plan,' but as a divine vocation in which one's deepest bliss intersects with the needs of others. We want members of our University community to begin to see their professions in the older sense of the word, involving not merely standards of technical competence, but standards of public obligation that could at moments of conflict override obligations to self and others.
4. Servant Leadership: We want every member of our University community to be given an opportunity to hear a call to servant leadership exercised for the Church and for the world. It is not surprising to us at Seton Hall that the great saints of our Catholic tradition - Augustine, Francis, Benedict, Elizabeth Ann Seton - were leaders. Like all leaders, they encountered unmet or poorly met human needs; they devised creative strategies to meet those needs; they articulated those needs to others in an engaging way; and by their principled behavior, engendered the trust, support and involvement of associates in meeting the needs of others. These are classic leadership qualities and, through retreats, seminars, courses and workshops that include opportunities for service, we want everyone in our University to encounter and internalize these qualities.

The Center for Vocation and Servant Leadership
As a result of the intense work of our planning, Seton Hall University proposes to establish a Center for Vocation and Servant Leadership.

Through a variety of formats (retreats, seminars, workshops), The Center for Vocation and Servant Leadership will offer the IMPACTS processes which constitute 'the centerpiece' of Seton Hall's Lilly implementation proposal. The 'IMPACTS' retreats and seminars not only describe our institutional purpose to explore the meaning of vocation; they also embody the spirit in which we will proceed with that task. Through the IMPACTS retreats, seminars, and workshops we will 'Inspire, Motivate, and Promote A Call To Service' in the Church and in the world throughout our entire University community. Further, under the title 'SETON CALLS', the Center will offer opportunities for true service and ministry.

Overview of the Center's work:

1. IMPACTS for Core Leadership. The Center will commence its work by offering a series of 'train the trainer' seminars under the heading 'IMPACTS Seminars' for the core leadership of our University. Those participating in these IMPACTS seminars will be trained in the foundational concepts and dynamics of the four processes: self-discovery; character formation; transitioning from an instrumentalist view of work as job/career to vocation; characteristics and dynamics of servant leadership in the Church and in the world.
2. IMPACTS for University Constituencies. The Center will provide the participants with the necessary resources and institutional support to take what they have received from the seminars and through a variety of organizational and personal formats, introduce the concepts, dynamics and benefits of the four processes to their peers and the University constituencies they serve. Over a period of three years, the Center will offer IMPACTS seminars for our faculty, staff, students, regents, administrators and alumni.
3. SETON CALLS Initiatives. Finally, we will provide a series of discrete initiatives entitled 'SETON CALLS' which embrace the following: transformation of the core curriculum through curriculum development initiatives, seminars, internships, scholarships, interdisciplinary seminars, and faculty research on vocation viewed from a faith-based perspective. These initiatives arise from, and are directed for, the various constituencies represented in our Lilly planning process. Their purpose is to incarnate and operationalize the skills and insights gleaned from the IMPACTS processes.

Our overarching goals of Seton Hall University's program are:

1. Through the IMPACTS processes and seminars, to engender among all our constituencies a more profound sense of vocation in their work; and
2. Through SETON CALLS initiatives, to offer our University community specific opportunities to hear and answer the call to servant leadership in the Church and in the world.