Otterbein University promises to educate the “whole person,” and that commitment informs the institution’s vision of vocational exploration. In 2021, Otterbein also promised that “Every student will be ready to meet their future.” In this session, we will share our five-year quest to launch a comprehensive personal and professional development program called READY. More specifically, it will illuminate the campus’s definition of vocation; demonstrate how First Year and Senior Year Seminars serve as curricular touch points for READY; describe the creation of an annual, campus-wide READY Day conference; and narrate the emergence of 1-credit Experiential Studies courses that deepen the students’ engagement with pivotal vocational skills and issues. This session will be of interest to institutions that may want to consider how to start their own programs, to learn from challenges, and to maximize success.
Suzanne M. Ashworth, Co-Director, First Year and Senior Year Experience Programs, Otterbein University (OH)
Kate Lehman, Assistant Provost and Executive Director of Student Success and Career Development, Otterbein University (OH)