MOBILE, Ala. – The University of Mobile unveiled its Calling 2020 initiative at the annual faculty/staff Ignite Conference featuring a keynote address by best-selling author Jordan Raynor.
The Calling 2020 initiative is a university-wide focus on calling, career and community. Its aim is to help students find their unique place in the world and understand how that impacts their career choices, according to Todd Greer, academic vice president for the University of Mobile.
“We want to equip our faculty and staff to see the important role they play to provide our students with practical experiences to find their calling,” said Greer. “Every day we live out the call of Christ. Helping students find their calling is the purpose of our institution as we work to serve the Lord.”
The Calling 2020 initiative was announced at the annual three-day Ignite Conference, held on campus Aug. 10-12. This conference prepares faculty and staff for the upcoming school year through lectures, breakout sessions and prayer.
Jordan Raynor, national best-selling author of “Master of One,” spoke via Zoom about helping students discover their calling and find a career. His talk and the Ignite Conference were made possible with the help of a Lily Endowment-funded grant through the NetVUE program of the Council of Independent Colleges.
Raynor said people are called to see work as worship.
“We are created for good works, and we are working for God, not for men,” he said.
Raynor said many young adults of this generation will have multiple jobs before finding their long-term career. He encouraged faculty and staff to push students to explore their options and not be afraid to try new things.
“We see finding a job like love in the movies,” Raynor said, “we’re looking for ‘the one.’” Instead, Raynor said students should find the intersection of their passions, gifts and the opportunities before them in order to discover what God is calling them to do.
“We want to be a jack of all trades, but master of one,” Raynor said. “Passion is a side effect of mastery. Follow your gifts, and master what you’re good at.”
After Raynor spoke, faculty and staff broke into groups to discuss how they can assist students in finding their calling. Professors shared how they found their calling in work, and how they can use those stories to encourage students.
Faculty and staff also attended workshops on the different opportunities the University of Mobile has for students, such as the app Handshake, the Career Services Center, and the various gifts and talents each employee has that can assist students.
“We want to reach across campus to each other to connect and see how we can help students,” said Dr. Karen Dennis, assistant professor of education in the School of Education at the University of Mobile.
The Calling 2020 initiative will continue throughout the year and include a Campus Career Week with speakers to prepare students for their careers, and a career and graduate school fair.
For information about the University of Mobile, visit umobile.edu or call 251.442.2222.
About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.
For more information about the University of Mobile, visit the website at www.umobile.edu or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
Zac Douglas is the marketing communications specialist for the University of Mobile. He graduated from the University of Mississippi in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in integrated marketing and communications. As marketing communications specialist, Zac is responsible for writing and strategizing content about the university, assisting with media relations, and handling other marketing and communications projects. He is an active member at Cottage Hill Baptist Church and enjoys spending his time surfing, skating and climbing.