Center for Life Calling and Leadership (CLCL) and Career Services
The Center for Life Calling & Leadership (CLCL) enables individuals to find an overriding purpose for their lives, equips them to make life decisions based on this purpose, and empowers them to develop this purpose into world changing leadership. Through the CLCL, students are encouraged to explore the concept of vocation in the context of spirituality and faith, and to approach the idea of vocation through stewardship – much broader than just a job, position, or occupation. Vocation should be seen in the context of a life calling that produces confidence in an overriding purpose for one's life to bring about positive change in the world, and then living out one's life consistently with that purpose.
The CLCL directs various programs for students who have declared a major as well as students who are still exploring for a major (pre-declared). These programs help to facilitate the discovery of purpose and to integrate leadership development into this discovery process.
- Pre-declared Community: Students coming to IWU as a part of the pre-declared program have an immediate support system in place that will facilitate their discovery of life calling, both curricular and co-curricular. The 3-credit freshman course, UNV-180LC, focuses on developing an understanding of the concept of life calling and the discovery of one's God-given design as a basis for this calling. Students evaluate their strengths, values, spiritual gifts, passions, abilities, personality, and experiences in order to develop a calling-based perspective in selecting a major and planning a vocational course of action.
- Life Coaching for All Students: The Life Coaching program assists both declared and pre-declared students in discovering their unique, God-given design; developing a life plan; and equipping them with fundamental life skills for academic success, and future personal and professional development. Life Coaches meet with students one-on-one and in workshops, utilizing a positive approach with students as they look for solutions to future questions.
- Career Development: The Career Development program provides strategies and innovative resources to help students develop the skill of lifelong purposeful career navigation. Students can meet with a Career Coach, enroll in a course, participate in internships, connect with a professional mentor, visit on-campus events hosted by the CLCL, and involve themselves in various stage-appropriate CLCL sponsored programs to develop a strengths-based plan for their lives.
- Leadership Studies: CLCL faculty, teaching in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Business, facilitate the Leadership Studies academic program which consists of a major and minor in Leadership.
