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  • Conference Registration

  • Breakfast

  • Lunch by Campus Role

    ​Conference participants are asked to sit at tables designated by campus role for conversation with colleagues in similar positions.

  • Reception

  • Dinner

  • Plenary Session

    Speakers:

    Discerning Hope: Charting New Relationships in a Time of Disruptive Innovation

    The disruptive forces of technological innovation and economic constraint that recently have impacted American higher education are affecting the college chaplaincy as well. How can campus leaders cultivate innovative campus chaplaincy leadership while being mindful of both tradition and change? What role can campus chaplaincy play in helping college communities discern hope in the face of unprecedented change and uncertainty?

    Chair: David C. Crago, Provost and Vice President for Academic
    Affairs, Ohio Northern University

  • Evening Prayer

    Speakers:

    ​Conference participants are invited to take part in a time of prayer and reflection.


    Leader: Linda Morgan-Clement, Chaplain and Director of Interfaith Campus Ministries, The College of Wooster

  • Breakfast with Campus Teams

    ​Campus teams are invited over breakfast to discuss conference take-aways and begin to plan next steps to strengthen the chaplaincy on campus.

  • Concurrent Campus Presentations: Effective Chaplaincy Practices

    Assessing the Outcomes of Campus Chaplaincy

    Colleges and universities are increasingly asked to determine whether student learning and educational outcomes fulfill the institution’s mission and strategic plan. How can the efforts of campus chaplaincy initiatives most appropriately be assessed? Presenters will discuss how they approach the evaluation of the chaplaincy on their campuses.
    Nancy A. Dallavalle, Associate Professor and Facilitator for Mission and Identity, Fairfield University
    Trygve D. Johnson, Dean of the Chapel, Hope College
    Thomas C. Pellegrino, Vice President for Student Affairs, Fairfield University
    Chair: Marshall E. Flowers, Senior Vice President and Provost, Montreat College

    Building Connections with Campus Vocational Initiatives

    Campus leaders across many departments and programs share responsibility for the vocational development of their students. As potential mentors, how can faculty members and staff collaborate to support the academic, personal, and spiritual development of students? Presenters will describe steps their campuses have taken to create and sustain effective campus partnerships that support vocational exploration and student development.
    Terrence G. Bensel, Associate Provost, Director of the Gateway, and Professor of Environmental Science, Allegheny College
    Jane Ellen Nickell, College Chaplain, Allegheny College
    Andrew Polaniecki, Director of Campus Ministry, Holy Cross College (IN)
    Chair: Kristin M. Hansen-Kieffer, Vice Provost and Dean of Students, Messiah College

    Practices for Effective Campus Chaplaincy

    As campus chaplaincy leaders juggle competing demands on their time, how can they determine which priorities are most central to their work? Three chaplains will provide brief opening reflections about the changing context of chaplaincy and the challenges and opportunities they face in their ministries. A time to exchange observations, ideas, and resources to strengthen chaplaincy will follow.
    Jonathan R. Huggins, Chaplain, Berry College
    Anne D. McKee, Campus Minister, Maryville College (TN)
    Susan E. Young, Director of Religious and Spiritual Life, Occidental College
    Chair: Crystal Sullivan, Director of Campus Ministry, University of Dayton

    The Campus Mission Officer and the Chaplain: Structures and Roles

    Many independent colleges and universities seek to uphold religious traditions and practices that are specific to their institutional missions. At some institutions the campus mission officer is expected to orient faculty members, staff, and students to the educational mission and religious heritage that guide institutional practices in and beyond the classroom. How can a mutually beneficial relationship develop between the campus mission officer and the campus chaplain, both of whom have concern for the institution’s spiritual climate and educational mission?
    Michael Galligan-Stierle, President, Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities
    Evelyn S. Quinn, Vice President for Mission Integration, Georgian Court University
    Chair: Joy Smith, Vice President for Campus Life and Dean of Students, Presbyterian College

  • Break

  • Concurrent Campus Presentations: Effective Chaplaincy Practices

    Campus Religious Diversity: Ecumenical and Interfaith

    Many NetVUE colleges and universities are encountering greater religious diversity among their students. On some campuses, institutions that are historically rooted in a particular Christian theological tradition are becoming more ecumenically Christian in their orientation and vocational programming. On other campuses, students, faculty members, and staff from a variety of religious traditions, including Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu, seek to create interreligious communities of learning, conversation, and practice. How can the chaplaincy address the increasing religious diversity on campus?
    Patricia M. Gibbs, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, Wesleyan College (GA)
    Melissa M. Maxwell-Doherty, Campus Pastor, California Lutheran University
    Chair: Alexander W. Whitaker IV, Chief of Staff, Berry College

    Engaging Religious Partners beyond the Campus

    Campus chaplains frequently develop partnerships with off-campus religious organizations, including local congregations, para-church groups, and ministerial associations. What issues do chaplains and religious life leaders need to consider in order to develop effective working relationships with such groups? How do campus organizational structures and alignments assist or impede in establishing and sustaining such partnerships? Presenters will discuss varied models and strategies to address partnerships with off-campus religious organizations.
    J. Wayne Clark, Chaplain, Hendrix College
    Melanie-Prejean Sullivan, Director of Campus Ministry, Bellarmine University
    Chair: Fred W. Rhodes, Vice President for Student Affairs, Bellarmine University

    Relationships with Founding Religious Bodies and Current Stakeholders

    College and university leaders have substantial engagement with religious organizations that can influence future directions of the institution. These organizations may include sponsoring religious bodies, founding societies, and other stakeholders, such as trustees, alumni, and donors. What do presidents and other senior campus leaders think about relationships with historic and current religious partners as they seek to strengthen campus chaplaincy and foster vocational exploration?
    Francesco C. Cesareo, President, Assumption College
    Frederik Ohles, President, Nebraska Wesleyan University
    Chair: Loren E. Swartzendruber, President, Eastern Mennonite University

    The Chaplain’s Role in Developing Religious Literacy and Faith Fluency

    Whether they come to campus with a particular faith commitment or no religious belief, students frequently encounter a diverse array of religious traditions and practices. Beyond achieving a better understanding of these traditions, many students seek guidance in making personal choices about religious faith as well as the practices, beliefs, and values associated with specific faith traditions. Presenters will discuss the faith-formation needs of students and approaches used by those charged with shepherding the spiritual development of their students.
    William M. Joensen, Dean of Campus Spiritual Life, Loras College
    Amy Zalk Larson, Campus Pastor, Luther College
    Chair: Charlie T. McCormick, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Schreiner University

  • Break

  • Closing Plenary Session

    Speakers:

    The Chaplaincy, Vocational Exploration, and Institutional Mission and Identity

    What role can campus chaplains play in nurturing institutional mission and identity and in fostering the intellectual and theological exploration of vocation by colleges and universities that value the liberal arts? How can campus chaplains address the process of vocational discernment by students, faculty, and staff? Presidential reflections on the positive effects campus chaplaincy can have in NetVUE member colleges and universities will be followed by questions and discussion.

    Chair: Elizabeth A. Dinndorf, President, Columbia College (SC)

  • Boxed Lunches and Departures

  • NetVUE Advisory Council Meeting

  • Opening Plenary Session: Panel of Presidents

    Speakers:

    Why the Chaplaincy Matters to Institutional Mission and Strategic Goals

    What is the relationship between institutional mission and effective chaplaincy strategies? Three college presidents will address their institutions’ understandings of the chaplaincy in relation to institutional mission, culture, structures, and connections to various religious organizations. Each will consider how chaplains support religious and spiritual formation and vocational exploration by students, faculty members, and staff. The panelists also will discuss the role of the chaplaincy in campus-wide planning, resource decisions, and communication with core institutional stakeholders.

    Moderator: James E. Collins, President, Loras College

  • Refreshment Break

  • Poster Session: Networking to Strengthen the Chaplaincy

    ​Each participating team will present poster materials that illustrate a strategic effort to strengthen the chaplaincy and identify areas for which advice from other NetVUE members would be helpful. Campus teams will be invited to ask questions, provide observations, and recommend resources to assist the presenting teams in achieving their goals.

  • Plenary Session

    Speakers:

    Forming Faith: How the Religious and Spiritual Lives of Students Are Shaped in College

    Based on their current research, which spans a variety of college and university settings, Perry L. Glanzer and Jonathan P. Hill will discuss the undergraduate search for purpose and meaning. Drawing on their analysis of surveys and focused interviews of students, they will describe how such a quest is shaped by students’ religious and spiritual backgrounds as well as the varied campus experiences in which students participate.

    Chair: Joseph J. Cicala, Vice President for University Life and Dean of Students, Alvernia University

  • Refreshment Break

  • Concurrent Workshops: Resources for Strengthening the Chaplaincy

    Effective Campus Practices for Faith Formation

    Many students yearn to live in ways that are life-giving to others, attentive to the presence of God, and good for an endangered planet. What campus practices intentionally encourage these priorities? This session will explore the chaplain’s capacity to teach students about living together for the good of all.
    Lisa D. Rhodes, Dean of Sisters Chapel and Director, Sisters Center for WISDOM, Spelman College
    L. David Witkovsky, Chaplain, Juniata College
    Chair: Jason Barnhart, Executive Director of Religious Life/Campus Chaplain, Ashland University
     

    Guidelines for Presidents about the Chaplaincy

    Oversight of campus chaplaincy often requires critical judgments about how to deploy campus ministry leadership for maximum benefit to the campus community. A new presidential handbook for campus chaplaincy will be presented and discussed. Based on research gathered through the National Study of Campus Ministries, this resource provides guidelines for presidents and other senior administrators to use as they carry out new initiatives to strengthen the campus chaplaincy.
    James Fitz, SM, Vice President for Mission and Rector, University of Dayton
    Brian T. Johnson, Executive Director of Campus Ministries, Valparaiso University
    Tracy W. Sadd, Chaplain and Director of Religious Life, Elizabethtown College
    Chair: Noel Snyder, Chaplain and Director of Spiritual Life, Alma College
     

    Interfaith and Intercultural Challenges for Chaplains

    As campuses become more diverse in religious and cultural backgrounds, new opportunities for religious life are emerging. Interfaith engagement takes different forms on campuses where adherents of religious traditions interact with students who identify themselves as “spiritual but not religious” or who check “none” as their religious affiliation. Students of different nationalities and cultural experiences add to this diversity. A panel of experienced chaplains and leaders of religious life will discuss their own campus approaches to increased religious and cultural diversity.
    James E. Collins, President, Loras College
    Beverly W. Hogan, President, Tougaloo College
    Diane Steele, SCL, President, University of Saint Mary (KS)
    Chair: Laurie M. Joyner, President, Wittenberg University
     

    The Evolving Role of College and University Chaplaincy

    How has the role of independent colleges and universities in nurturing the religious and spiritual formation of students evolved in recent decades? What can be learned from recent research regarding ministry on campus? Participants will consider the history of strategies and structures for the chaplaincy and related campus ministries, including the work of chaplains who participated in Lilly Endowment’s Programs for the Theological Exploration of Vocation.
    John A. Schmalzbauer, Blanche Gorman Strong Chair in Protestant Studies, Missouri State University, and Consultant, National Study of Campus Ministries
    Chair: Crystal Sullivan, Director of Campus Ministry, University of Dayton
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