Dec 8, 2002 - Mount St. Mary’s College
has been awarded a five-year, almost $2 million grant from the
Lilly Endowment, Inc., to engage students, faculty and staff in
a theological exploration of vocation, as well as their callings
to service and leadership.
The $1,999,191 grant will be used to
enhance current programs and create new opportunities for the
college community to explore vocations – primarily to service
and leadership. The program, titled: A Vision for Vocation:
Toward Our Third Century, will also support Mount students in
developing the skills, attitudes and commitments they need to
serve as leaders in the church and society.
Mount St. Mary’s was one of 39 colleges
and universities to receive a grant – part of Lilly’s $80
million commitment to the theological exploration of vocation.
In all, more than 300 institutions of higher learning submitted
proposals.
"For nearly 200 years, the Mount has
prepared the next generation of leaders for the Church, the
Republic and the professions," said Mount St. Mary’s President,
George R. Houston, Jr. "The Lilly Endowment, Inc. has provided
the Mount an opportunity to reflect upon our current programs
and develop a vision to strengthen the exploration of vocation
within our core curriculum, lay ministry programs and campus
activities.
"We must encourage each other to grow in
holiness, discern our vocation, have the courage to accept it
and the commitment to fulfill it," Houston said. "We sincerely
thank the Lilly Endowment, Inc., for its commitment to the Mount
community and our programs."
The grant proposal includes:
- The establishment of development
workshops for vocation in the Mount’s core curriculum;
- Service learning opportunities to
increase student participation and community involvement;
- Co-curricular and extracurricular
programs to explore vocation through lecture series’, campus
retreats, peer ministers, and service volunteer fairs;
- Lay ministry programs and
scholarships specifically designed for students seeking a
certification in lay ministry.
Additionally, the grant provides an
opportunity for the Mount to fulfill its mission more
completely, said Carol L. Hinds, Ph.D., college vice president
and provost.
"Part of the mission of the college is
‘to deepen understanding of our faith and its practice in just
and compassionate engagement with the world,’ " Hinds said. "The
successful completion of this project will enrich the lives of
students, faculty and staff by helping them consider how their
faith commitments relate to the ways in which they want to live
their lives."
"It will help all the communities in
which our students live, and it will help us provide the church
with the next generation of ordained and lay leaders," Hinds
added.