In fall of 2018, Bates College and Gallup embarked on a study to measure the extent to which college graduates seek purpose in their work and identify the college experiences that align with finding purpose in work after graduation. 80 percent, or four out of five college graduates, affirm the importance of finding purpose in their work, but less than 50 percent say they succeed in finding purposeful work. Here at West Virginia University, we want to change that number for our students.
Exploring your purpose – whether as an individual or as a university – is the driver that pushes us onward. It propels us to try new things, to become more than we thought we could be. And that is why West Virginia University is going to use the power of purpose to transform higher education. To transform lives.
The Purpose Center, the only one of its kind to exist on a college campus, serves as a place for connection and self-exploration. Connecting students with resources across campus to pursue the things they’re passionate about and creating a safe space for them to discover who they are and the impact they want to have on the world around them.
The Purpose Center is set to rollout in phases. Currently, we are in the prospective and current student phase which will be followed by faculty and staff, alumni, K12 and community.
Since launching in Fall 2022, the Purpose Center has interacted with over 15,000 students, faculty, staff, alumni, and K12 and community partners conducting over 300 one-on-one coaching sessions and over 600 unique workshops.
