Mission & Goals

Established in 2001, Furman University’s Cothran Center for Vocational Reflection was initially developed through a grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc. Directly serving students, faculty, staff and alumni with interest in vocation, we also provide resources to the Greenville community through annual public lectures and other events.

Our Mission

Our mission is to provide resources for individuals and groups to reflect upon their vocational choices through three essential questions:

• Who am I—most authentically?
• What do I believe—most deeply?
• What does the world need—​from me?

The Cothran Center fully embraces Furman’s core mission to prepare individuals for lives of purpose.

Goals of the Center

The five goals listed below are the ways we focus our larger mission at Furman and in the community. Each of the current and envisioned programs and resources facilitated by the Center supports at least one of the goals below:

1. We will provide ongoing vocational exploration and reflective engagement opportunities for students at pivotal developmental and transition times.
2. We will provide resources and support for faculty and staff in their own personal vocational journeys, and we will facilitate space for reflective engagement in the University setting.
3. We will cultivate and support a tradition of meaningful, lifelong, reflective engagement and vocational exploration in the Furman community.
4. We will create and maintain partnerships within the University and between the University and the Greenville community, for vocationally relevant opportunities.
5. We will support the university’s commitment to nurturing holistic development, reflective engagement, and enhancing the integrity of members of the Furman community.