Summer Research Grants for Students

Introduction

The Lilly Project for the Theological, Spiritual and Ethical Exploration of Vocation is a university-wide program dedicated to helping students to engage the larger questions of meaning and purpose, and to discern their vocation -- their calling in life. Funded by a generous grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc., the Lilly Project is embedded in the intellectual and residential life of the university, offering opportunities for members of the community to consider issues of vocation, service, meaning-making and life choices through a variety of academic and co-curricular programs.

Vocation, as we are using it in the context of the Lilly Project at Willamette, does not mean strictly religious vocations; neither does it refer to building a skilled workforce. Rather, it means the way in which we live out our passions in the world, the way in which our values, our commitments and our beliefs are embodied in our choices about work, about family, about our political and social lives. Exploring vocation means talking about engaging the larger questions of meaning and purpose, questions that, we hope, inform students’ decisions and shape their lives, both during their time here and after graduation. We are talking about vocation in the context of a liberal arts education, one that opens up choices and options, one that teaches students how to think critically, inquire freely, lead wisely, serve generously and live with integrity.

Summer Research Grants for Students

The Lilly Project provides stipends for students for summer research and creative projects related to the exploration of vocation. Grants of $3000 are available to all Willamette University students who will be enrolled the year following the summer in which they receive a grant. Faculty sponsors will receive a stipend of $500. Lilly Summer Research Grants will be awarded to students who propose research or creative projects focused upon the theological, spiritual and/or ethical dimensions of vocation. These grants are not intended to aid students in the experiential exploration of a particular vocation, but rather to support research related to the idea/theory of vocation. Students interested in testing vocations experientially should contact the Associate Chaplain for Vocational Exploration for more information about internship opportunities.

The goal of these grants is to promote scholarly and creative activity that explores a wider understanding of vocation as the way in which our gifts, skills and commitments find expression in the world through work, study, service, and other human activities. Proposals should have the intent of seeking outcomes that include presentation at Willamette, thus furthering the conversation about vocation on campus.

Recipients for Summer 2007

Presentations will be given on December 4 and 6, 2007 in the Hatfield Room of the Mark O. Hatfield Library.

Becky Gullberg ('08): Ghanaian Healthcare Professionals: Private Decisions and Public Impacts - Sponsor: Joyce Millen, assistant professor of anthropology
Lauren Pressler ('08): Oregon Jewish Museum: Uncovering My Family History - Sponsor: Ellen Eisenberg, professor of history
Beth Van Veen ('09): Children Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination Programs in the Salem-Keizer School District: Fostering a Call to Social Justice - Sponsor: Nathaniel Córdova, assistant professor of media and rhetoric studies
Allie Wils ('08): The Rhetorical Vision of Benedictine Sisters in Light of Vatican II - Sponsor: Jeanne Clark, professor of rhetoric and media studies

Recipient for Summer 2006

Jennifer McKenzie ('08): Painting Bridges: Empowerment of Youth Through Murals and Willamette's Past Revisited - Sponsor:Rebecca Dobkins, associate professor of anthropology

Application Process

Please complete the application* and sponsor recommendation* and submit it to the Office of the Chaplains. Lilly Student Summer Research Grant proposals for summer 2008 are due in the Office of the Chaplains by 5:00 pm on Friday, February 15, 2008.

*These forms require Microsoft Word. If you do not have access to Microsoft Word, please contact the Office of the Chaplains to have a copy of the form(s) sent to you.