ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – Winthrop University’s new students will read “Callings: The Purpose and Passion of Work” this summer and then discuss the book’s themes of purpose, vocation, and meaningful work throughout the year as the 2025-26 Winthrop University Common Book.
Told through touching conversations between friends, coworkers, and family members, in “Callings,” StoryCorps founder David Isay presents unforgettable stories from people doing work they love. From a mom telling her daughter about her bricklaying career to a father sharing his contributions to the space race as an aeromedical field tester, these stories are poignant and heartfelt intergenerational explorations into the journeys people take to find the jobs they are meant to do. Some found their paths at a very young age, others upturned their lives to change careers later in life. All discovered meaningful jobs where they could use their passions to find purpose in every day.
The book was selected in part to align with Winthrop’s Quality Enhancement Plan, “Flight Ready,” which aims to integrate career readiness across the university curriculum. According to Adam Glover, an associate professor of modern languages and director of the university’s Common Book Committee, the book was a natural choice. “Winthrop is committed to prioritizing the career-readiness of our graduates, and we were excited to select a common book that reflected that commitment,” he said.
Incoming Winthrop freshmen and transfer students will receive the book during the summer and will discuss it in a variety of academic settings, including ACAD 101: Introduction to the Academy and HMXP 102: The Human Experience. First-year students are also encouraged to attend Common Book-related cultural events, which are open to Winthrop and the surrounding community, throughout the fall and spring semesters.
First begun in 2004, Winthrop’s Common Book Project is one of many programs designed to support student success during the transition to college life, and also supports the university’s goal of cultivating awareness and understanding of different perspectives.
For more information, contact Judy Longshaw, news and media services manager, at longshawj@winthrop.edu.
