During the 1980s, considerable focus in education was placed on a student's vocation (instead of career) and aligning life goals with curricular choices instead of following traditional majors without understanding one's passions. Many schools, like Indiana Wesleyan University, began to focus on "whole-person development," and became ripe for the research and development of a coherent educational philosophy based on the notion of purpose. The Lilly Endowment, Inc. funded a major Program for the Theological Exploration of Vocation initiative for universities to assist with helping students to understand better their life calling, or vocation. Indiana Wesleyan University was one of the recipients of these grants, and the $5 million grant helped with the intense research and development underpinning purpose-guided education, and especially with the founding of the Center for Life Calling and Leadership, a general education curriculum with "Becoming Worldchangers" as its main course, a humanities-based first-year seminar. The entire education experience at Indiana Wesleyan is based on "World Changing Outcomes", involves learning experiences involving both faculty and student development, and includes a Dean of Mentoring and a Mentor Residence Hall.Pattengale, J., D. Sprowl, R. Thompson and K. Parker (2008, January 1) The Purpose-Guided Campus—Homework to Mentor Hall. Recruitment and Retention. Magna Publications.
