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Purpose Through Practice is Southwestern Adventist University’s NetVUE-funded initiative designed to help faculty, staff, departments, and students deepen vocational reflection across the educational experience. Through grants, curriculum innovation, mentoring, department retreats, and creative expression, the initiative supports SWAU’s commitment to preparing students not only for careers, but for lives of meaningful service, faithful leadership, and purposeful engagement.
About Purpose Through Practice
Purpose Through Practice exists to cultivate a vocation-centered institutional culture at Southwestern Adventist University. The initiative invites the campus community to connect teaching, learning, mentoring, creativity, student success, and service with questions of calling, faith, purpose, identity, and meaningful work.
 At SWAU, vocation is understood as more than a career path. It is a calling toward meaningful service and faithful engagement in the world. Through this initiative, students are invited to ask deeper questions about who God is calling them to become, how their gifts can serve others, and how their academic formation connects with their future work and life.
Core Purposes
- Deepen faculty understanding of vocation and calling.
- Integrate vocational reflection across curriculum and co-curriculum.
- Support faculty and departmental innovation through structured grant opportunities.
- Increase student reflection on purpose, meaning, faith, and service.
- Create sustainable systems that embed vocation into SWAU’s academic culture.
- Align innovation initiatives with SWAU’s mission and strategic plan.
Due Dates
Applications for Fall are due July 1st. Applications for Spring are due October 1st.
Grant Opportunities
Review Process
Applications will be reviewed by the Purpose Through Practice Committee. The process is designed to be transparent, equitable, mission-centered, and aligned with SWAU’s institutional priorities.
- Eligibility screening by the VPAA office
- Committee review using the appropriate rubric
- Funding recommendations prepared by the committee
- Final VPAA approval
- Award notification and recipient onboarding.
Recipient Expectations
Grant recipients are expected to complete the approved project, participate in assessment activities, share outcomes with the campus community, and submit required artifacts to the SWAU Vocation Repository.
- Submit a revised syllabus, project plan, assignment, reflection tool, or other approved artifact.
- Include a student reflection activity or other evidence of student engagement.
- Complete required progress and final reports.
- Participate in workshops, showcase activities, or campus dissemination as appropriate.
- Submit materials to the SWAU Vocation Repository.
- Follow institutional purchasing and reimbursement procedures.
FAQ
Contact Us
Questions about Purpose Through Practice may be directed to the Office of the Vice President for Academic Administration at williamsmith@swau.edu