Regional events and national conferences are held in alternating years. NetVUE supports regional gatherings and multi-campus collaborations on specific topics. NetVUE member campuses, or a group of campuses, are encouraged to organize and host such gatherings based on issues or themes of interest. These events will build smaller networks among member campuses based on location, affiliation, program offerings, or other points of mutual interest. NetVUE funding from member dues and Lilly Endowment Inc. provides financial support for regional gatherings.
View a summary of the 2017–2018 regional gatherings.
View a summary of the 2019–2020 regional gatherings.
View a summary of the 2021 regional gatherings.
Upcoming Regional and Topical Gatherings
June 1–3, 2022 • St. Norbert College • De Pere, WI
Engaging Faculty Members in the Work of Vocation
As experience and research have shown, sustaining a commitment to vocation-related efforts on a college campus over time requires the engagement of faculty members, as well as ongoing investments on their part. This gathering will consider strategies for faculty engagement—including past successes, present-day obstacles and opportunities, and fresh ideas for the future. Campuses are encouraged to send teams that include at least one faculty member and at least one professional whose portfolio includes the recruitment of faculty members for these efforts. The keynote speakers will be Paul J. Wadell, professor emeritus of religious studies at St. Norbert College and Darby K. Ray, Donald W. and Ann M. Harward Professor of Civic Engagement and Director, Harward Center for Community Partnerships at Bates College. They are co-directors of the NetVUE faculty seminar on Teaching Vocational Exploration.
September 23–24, 2022 • Assumption University and College of the Holy Cross • Worcester, MA
SCIENTIFIC CALLINGS: MENTORING AND VOCATIONAL EXPLORATION IN THE NATURAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES
This NetVUE regional gathering of colleagues in the natural sciences and in pre-professional health sciences and nursing programs will provide a space to discuss best practices for initiating and nurturing mentoring relationships that help diverse populations of students discern callings in STEM and pre-professional (nursing, health sciences) fields. Building meaningful mentoring relationships with students, especially with first-generation and other underrepresented, minoritized undergraduates, is essential for promoting academic success and encouraging vocational discernment. By engaging with keynote speakers, sharing vocational stories, and participating in breakout sessions, attendees will learn valuable lessons on mentoring in the natural sciences, pre-professional health sciences, and nursing that they can practice at their home campuses.
October 5–7, 2022 • Schreiner University • Kerrville, TX
INSTITUTIONAL SAGA: A TOOL FOR ALIGNING MISSION, VOCATION, AND INNOVATION
All colleges and universities have their own historical narratives or “institutional sagas.” When a campus community commits to exploring, shaping, and sharing its saga, opportunities for vocational discovery emerge. This regional gathering will enable participants to examine the value of uncovering, recovering, and claiming an institution’s saga—including the complications and nuances of those narratives. The event is designed to create space for considering where an institution’s saga begins and ends, how it includes (or excludes) particular individuals and groups, and how the story is presented to others. The gathering will include a welcome dinner showcasing local foods and a “Star Party” at Schreiner’s Loftis Observatory, as well as a “Vocation Celebration” featuring music, conversation, and an interactive exploration of the undergraduate vocational journey.
November 17–18, 2022 • Preceding the AAR/SBL Annual Meeting • Denver, CO
VOCATION AND CATASTROPHE: AN AAR/SBL PRE-MEETING
Over the last few years, the world has experienced a global health pandemic, extreme polarization along lines of race and class, an increase in armed violence, and a surge of climate-related disasters. How have these events and trends altered conversations with undergraduate students about vocation and calling? How are students, staff, and faculty members affected by a sense of impending catastrophe? This event aligns with the American Academy of Religion’s 2022 theme (“Religion and Catastrophe”) and builds on NetVUE gatherings at AAR/SBL meetings in 2019 and 2021 (focusing on interreligious conversations and issues of justice). As always, the event will include panel presentations, book discussions, and interactive conversations, as well as opportunities for socializing and networking. Attendees of the AAR/SBL Annual Meeting are invited to arrive in Denver a day or two early for this pre-conference gathering.
May 31–June 2, 2023 • Bluffton University • Bluffton, OH
FINDING OURSELVES AT THE CENTER: COLLABORATIVE SPACES FOR PURPOSE, WORK, LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT
Many institutions have established “centers” as integrated spaces that combine areas once considered distinct: career development, academic advising, community engagement, vocational discernment, diversity initiatives, internships, and more. This gathering will examine both the impetus for and the outcomes of such creative realignments. What can be done together—at the “center”—that cannot be done from individually defined locations at the periphery? The gathering will explore models and best practices for involving various constituencies in this enterprise, including faculty members, administrators, program directors, and the local community.