The search for life's purpose in the university environment
When students go through periods of uncertainty and inquiry, universities can—and should—accompany them. In this way, beyond the transmission of knowledge, we contribute to shaping well-rounded and engaged individuals.
University and purpose
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University faculty and staff who pay close attention to their students often notice that various worries cause students serious anxiety. During their first months at university, students experience a period of adjustment in which doubts surface about whether they have chosen the right studies and how they should organize their life and schedule. As their academic journey progresses, they begin to worry more about decisions related to specializations, elective courses, extracurricular activities, and internships. As graduation day approaches, worries about the initial direction of their career begin to weigh heavily.
This leads to an important question: Is helping students legitimate and worthwhile?
As faculty and university staff, we could claim that addressing these concerns is beyond our professional responsibilities. Nevertheless, we are in a unique position to support students given our constant interactions with both current and former students. Indeed, if we reflect on past conversations with students, we will probably realize that we are already helping them in these matters — explicitly or implicitly.
The university's commitment
This commitment by faculty and university staff aligns with ideas proposed by David Brooks regarding the challenges faced by universities. Brooks explains that, since the 1930s, American universities have adopted a meritocratic model, placing a strong emphasis on intellectual knowledge. However, this model no longer works effectively for two reasons: firstly, it has failed to create genuinely meritocratic elites; and secondly, intellectual knowledge alone does not sufficiently prepare university students for the labor market or a meaningful professional and personal life. Brooks calls for a humanistic shift that redefines merit based on four essential qualities: curiosity; a sense of direction and purpose; social intelligence; and adaptability. As a result, he proposes that the role of university staff should extend far beyond the mere transmission of intellectual knowledge.
This brings us to the next question: How can we support students as they navigate the fundamental questions that arise during their academic journey?
How to accompany students
In the following series of articles, we outline a series of proposals for faculty and non-teaching staff who wish to provide meaningful support to students. These recommendations are based on three key assumptions:
- The decisions that cause anxiety for students are also an opportunity to begin considering the purpose of their lives.
- “Life purpose” is the unique way in which an individual approaches and responds to each situation and makes decisions that faithfully express their own way of living.
- Offering support does not imply dictating — subtly or otherwise — the decisions students should make in each situation. Instead, it means accompanying them in their intellectual and spiritual inquiry into life’s purpose as prompted by the personal and professional decisions they face.
We begin by framing the exploration of life purpose in terms of a perspective that is very appropriate for a university: as a skill. Janan Ganesh asserts that knowing how to make decisions about life is a skill – indeed, it is “the ultimate life skill.”
We then explore the notion of life purpose using a complex definition built around five key verbs: liberate, remember, integrate, commit, and listen. The progression of these actions forms a process of inquiry that enables students to practice this essential skill within a university setting and then continue refining it in their professional and personal lives after graduation.
We present proposals for universities that are willing to accept the challenge of offering support — or accompanying — students in their exploration of life’s purpose.
Finally, we connect these proposals with those initiatives currently underway at Esade to encourage engagement with life purpose. Specifically, Jesuits and the Jesuit universities in Spain (UNIJES) encourage reflection on life purpose through the concept of vocation. The idea of vocation can be understood as the Christian and religious counterpart to the broader notion of life purpose.
