​​The Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) is a nationwide network of colleges and universities formed to enrich the intellectual and theological exploration of vocation among undergraduate students. This initiative is administered by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) with generous support from Lilly Endowment Inc. and members' dues.

CIC administers NetVUE with guidance from an advisory council comprised of representatives from participating institutions.

Purposes of NetVUE

The purposes of NetVUE are to:

• Deepen the understanding of the intellectual and theological dimensions of vocational exploration;
  
• Examine the role of vocational exploration in a variety of institutional contexts;
• Share knowledge, best practices, and reflection on experiences across participating campuses;
  
• Facilitate the incorporation of additional colleges and universities into this enterprise; and
• Sustain an extended program in the intellectual and theological exploration of vocation.

Colleges and universities rooted in the liberal arts are particularly well suited to undertake the task of educating future leaders who are theologically literate, whose attitudes and behaviors are shaped by their values and commitments, and who are eager to sustain a life of service that is guided by a sense of calling.

Financial Support

Financial support of NetVUE comes from a combination of membership dues and support from Lilly Endowment Inc. Thanks to Lilly’s generous support, dues are modest. Incrementally, as Lilly’s level of support recedes by 2020, future network activities become self-supporting by dues from participating institutions, along with fees for some programs, events, and services.

History of NetVUE

​In 1999, Lilly Endowment Inc. launched Programs for the Theological Exploration of Vocation (PTEV) to support independent colleges and universities in establishing or strengthening programs that would (a) help students examine the relationship between their faith and vocational choices; (b) provide opportunities for young people to explore Christian ministry leadership; and (c) enhance the capacity of an institution’s faculty and staff to teach and mentor students in this regard. The objective was to identify and nurture a new generation of highly talented and committed leaders for religious communities and for society.

Over the subsequent years, Lilly supported 88 colleges and universities with PTEV programs. Efforts on each of these campuses encompassing the callings of students, faculty and staff were supported by a series of national conferences for representatives of participating institutions. As the Lilly Endowment’s active support concluded, a number of college and university presidents, pleased with the positive results of these programs, asked the Council of Independent Colleges to extend and expand a nation-wide campus-supported network for the theological exploration of vocation.

In early 2008, CIC began to craft a vision for such a network, identified its goals and laid the groundwork for an inaugural conference in March 2009. In the fall of 2009, NetVUE was launched as a network of colleges and universities committed to fostering the theological exploration of vocation in their campus communities.

National conferences and regional events are held in alternating years.  National conferences bring together teams of campus leaders with expert resource persons from across the country and serve as one of the NetVUE cornerstone activities. NetVUE funding from member dues and Lilly Endowment Inc. provides financial support for national conferences.

2019 NetVUE Conference

The 2019 NetVUE Conference was held on March 21–23, 2019, in Louisville, Kentucky. The conference theme was Broadening the Scope of Vocational Exploration.

View program information.

Previous Conferences

2015 NetVUE Conference
St. Louis, MO

2013 NetVUE Conference
Indianapolis, IN

2011 NetVUE Conference
Indianapolis, IN

Teaching Vocational Exploration Seminar

CIC is pleased to announce a multidisciplinary seminar, Teaching Vocational Exploration, for full-time faculty members in all fields at colleges and universities that are members of NetVUE.

June 17–21, 2019 (Chicago, IL)
View Program Information.

June 22–26, 2020 (Chicago, IL)
View Program and Nomination Information.

​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.

2019–2020 Regional and Topical Gatherings

Preliminary Schedule

Fall Semester 2019 Gatherings

Hearing Vocation Differently

This gathering will provide a venue in which NetVUE campus leaders can discuss the third book in the NetVUE Scholarly Resources series, Hearing Vocation Differently: Meaning, Purpose, and Identity in the Multi-Faith Academy (2019). Discussions will focus on the book’s implications for leaders of vocational exploration programs in multi-faith environments. Speakers will include David Cunningham, director of NetVUE and the book’s editor, and two contributors to the volume.

Educating for Citizenship: Vocational Reflection for the Public Good

This event is designed to generate conversations around the reclamation of one of the original purposes of American higher education: the making of citizens. Issues of social justice, civility, plurality and unity, and the common good are important for the cultivation of engaged citizens. This gathering will explore how vocational reflection can provide a framework for educating undergraduate students about citizenship. Speakers will be drawn from area nonprofits and community organizations.

Colleges Can Have Vocations Too

Transforming the mission of a college or university into a saga—a powerful and compelling narrative informed by a unique history—requires a strong sense of institutional vocation in which the college or university has been called and summoned to fulfill a special role. This gathering will consider institutional vocational discernment as a means of identifying and developing a saga, with attention to issues of religious heritage, educational philosophy, faculty commitments, and student outcomes. Speakers include Florence Amamoto, Gustavus Adolphus College; David Cunningham, director of NetVUE; Jason Mahn, Augustana College (IL); and Julianne Wallace, Alvernia College.

Vocation, Teaching, and Religious Studies: An AAR/SBL Pre-Meeting

Faculty members and scholars in religious studies will gather to discuss the role played by issues of vocation, meaning, and purpose in the field of religion. Attention will be given to the wide range of faith traditions and life stances that are addressed in the religious studies classroom. Speakers will include contributors to the 2019 books Interreligious/Interfaith Studies: Defining a New Field and Hearing Vocation Differently: Meaning, Purpose, and Identity in the Multi-Faith Academy.

Spring Semester and Early Summer 2020 Gatherings

Voices from the Margins: supporting Vocational Reflection with Underserved Students

The goal of this gathering is to explore how vocational exploration might be fostered among students whose identities and circumstances sometimes result in less attention and care from the institutions they attend. These underserved students come from a variety of social locations and identities, including first-generation students, students of color, LGBTQIA+ students, and others. Conversations will seek to identify best practices and innovative ways to foster culturally sensitive vocational exploration among students from marginalized communities.

Where the Campus Meets the World: Vocation and Post-College Transition

This gathering will explore strategies for faculty and staff members who seek to help students put into practice beyond the classroom and the campus what they learn about vocation in the undergraduate setting. It will include discussions of obstacles that can arise as students pursue their callings after college—including structural and socio-economic factors, disabilities, cross-cultural challenges, and the tendency of some forms of “service” to do more harm than good. The gathering will include a visit to the renowned Legacy Museum and the Memorial for Peace and Justice.

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.  They are co-directors of the NetVUE faculty seminar on Teaching Vocational Exploration.

Finding Ourselves at the Center

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.

Chaplaincy Implementation Grants

Chaplaincy Implementation Grants were offered to NetVUE member colleges and universities to implement plans to strengthen campus chaplaincy that were developed as a result of participation in one of the two 2014 NetVUE Chaplaincy Conferences. Eligible institutions were able to request up to $20,000 for use over one full academic year to support programmatic efforts to strengthen campus chaplaincy. This was a one-time opportunity.

View awards given.

Grants for Reframing the Institutional Saga

Grants for Reframing the Institutional Saga are available to support the efforts of NetVUE member institutions to create an updated account of their history and mission in light of their current context. All NetVUE member institutions may request grants in amounts ranging up to $40,000 for use over two years to examine the ties between their inheritance from the past and the vocations that situate them within their current context and call them into the future. By the end of the grant period, recipients are expected to have created one or more enduring products, such as a book (whether a monograph or a collection of essays) or other products that reflect deep research and that gather the results of the reframing process. This is the first of two anticipated rounds of selection for this grant program.

View eligibility and application information.

Application Deadline: August 14, 2020

Professional Development Awards

Professional Development Awards are available to support opportunities for the professional development activities that enhance the knowledge, skills, and expertise of staff and faculty members who support undergraduate vocational initiatives. Eligible NetVUE member institutions may request $5,000 to $10,000 for use over one full academic year to support professional development activities, in order to strengthen vocational exploration programming for students. This is the seventh round of selection.

View eligibility and application information.

Application Deadline: March 20, 2020

Program Development Grants

Program Development Grants are intended to deepen, expand, or otherwise strengthen vocational exploration programs that were already underway and supported by NetVUE member colleges and universities. Institutions that did not previously receive funding through Lilly Endowment’s prior Programs for Theological Exploration of Vocation (PTEV) initiative were eligible to request between $25,000 and $50,000 for use over a two-year period to develop existing vocational exploration initiatives. Since the PTEV program has concluded, the Lilly Endowment seeks to recognize and encourage colleges and universities that, with their own funds, have been striving for similar efforts. To date, six rounds of these grants have been awarded to 150 NetVUE member institutions.

View awards given.

Vocation Across the Academy Grants

Vocation across the Academy Grants are available to support institution-wide initiatives at NetVUE member colleges and universities to expand ongoing programming in the intellectual and theological exploration of vocation across the liberal arts and applied professional fields. Grants provide three years of funding for projects that will last at least four years, with the final year supported by the institution. Proposals that seek to integrate vocational exploration as a continuum from the first year through the senior year, or across the range of academic disciplines and applied fields, are especially encouraged. Optionally, proposals may seek to develop partnerships with local businesses, nonprofits, and community organizations. Institutions may request up to $25,000 for use in the first year. Matching funds from third-party sources must be raised by the end of the first year of grant funding in order to support activities in the second and third years. Upon fulfillment of the matching requirement, institutions receive an additional amount—equal to the original request—for use during the second and third years. Thus, the entire funding from CIC and third-party sources may be up to $75,000 over the three years of grant funding. This is the third round of selection.

View eligibility and application information.

Application Deadline: March 13, 2020

Vocation Exploration Renewal Grants

Vocation Exploration Renewal Grants were provided to NetVUE member colleges and universities for use in the 2016–2017 academic year. Eligible institutions were able to request up to $25,000 to refocus and reinvigorate vocational exploration programs for undergraduate education. These grants were provided to institutions that already had made substantial and long-term investments in vocation initiatives. This was a one-time opportunity.

View awards given.

Questions?

Questions about the NetVUE grant programs can be addressed to Lynn Hunnicutt, assistant director of NetVUE, at lhunnicutt@cic.nche.edu or (253) 535-7644.

NetVUE Consultants

NetVUE Request for Consultant Form

NetVUE Consultant Profiles - Carter Aiken, Julie Massey, and Hannah Schell

NetVUE Campus Visits Program

The NetVUE Campus Visit Program provides an opportunity for a three- to four-member team from a NetVUE member college or university to visit another NetVUE member campus to learn about effective practices in programs for undergraduate exploration of vocation. Visiting campus teams can observe and discuss with experienced faculty and staff members how they established successful programs, faculty and staff development activities, courses and course materials, and plans that led to stable, broadly supported programs. The goal is for the visiting team to strengthen its own program by taking advantage of the lessons learned by well-established programs.

A limited number of campus visit grants is available to NetVUE member institutions. Grants will cover travel, housing, and meals for a one- to two-day visit for up to $850 per team member for a team of three or four members. The use of grant funds should be planned with the host campus to support meal and lodging expenses during the visit. The NetVUE Campus Visit program is generously supported by a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to CIC.

NetVUE members interested in a visit should contact a potential host campus and make preliminary arrangements before requesting funding from NetVUE.

To request funding for a NetVUE Campus Visit, please complete a NetVUE Campus Visit form and submit it by email to lspoelhof@cic.nche.edu or fax to (616) 395-6753. The request should include the following:

• A brief description of the campus visit goals, needs, and interests;
• A listing of the names and titles of the visiting team leader and team members;
• The contact information for the host institution;
• A one-sheet budget to cover travel, meal, and lodging expenses for both the visiting team and the host campus up to a maximum of $400 for travel and $450 for meals and lodging per visiting team member for a team of three or four members (NetVUE will reimburse expenses to the institutions after the visit);
  
• A one-sheet proposed schedule for the visit; and
  
• Approval of President or Chief Academic Officer.

Within 30 days of the visit, the visiting team should submit a one- to two-page report to NetVUE summarizing what was learned and describing the next steps to be taken by the visiting campus. The report should be accompanied by a request for visit expense reimbursement.

For additional information, please contact David Cunningham, director of NetVUE, by email at dcunningham@cic.nche.edu or by phone at (616) 395-6750.​

​The Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) currently has 257 ​institutional members.

View a map and listing of NetVUE member institutions.

View membership and renewal information.