Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) –
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About NetVUE

No

​​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 supported 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 Events

No

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.


2017 NetVUE Conference

The 2017 NetVUE Conference was held on March 23–25, 2017, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The conference theme was Renewing the Theological Exploration of Vocation.

View Program Information.


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 18–22, 2018 (Chicago, IL)
View Program Information.

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


Previous Conferences


2015 NetVUE Conference
St. Louis, MO

NetVUE Chaplaincy Conferences:
2013 NetVUE Conference
Indianapolis, IN

2011 NetVUE Conference
Indianapolis, IN

Regional Events

No

​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.

2017–2018 Regional Gatherings

In 2017–2018 several NetVUE regional and topical gatherings will occur. Each is described below with links for details. To register for any of these events, please complete the NetVUE registration process which will include logging in first with your CIC login and password. Requests for cancellation received within seven days prior to the gathering are ineligible for a refund.

Vocation and Gen Z: Meaning-Making with Digital Natives

Hosted by Benedictine University (Lisle, IL)
October 13–14, 2017

Purpose: Gen Z is the first group of first true digital natives. This NetVUE gathering will focus on how to understand them and ways to engage them in reflection on vocation in a way that is authentic and gives them critical distance from the world of the glass screen. Critical reflection can help these students integrate their scattered interests, deepen their connections to God and social justice, and commit to sustained personal development of a life of meaning and purpose.

Event registration deadline: October 10, 2017
Lodging reservation deadline: October 6, 2017

Event Website

Note: Registrant should contact hotel to make a lodging reservation–a link to hotel options can be found on institution’s event website.


New Scholarly Resources on Vocation

Held at the American Academy of Religion annual meeting (Boston, MA)
November 17, 2017

Purpose: Even though the language of vocation and calling has deeply theological (and even specifically Christian) roots, it is being increasingly employed by a variety of academic institutions, including secular ones and those with multi-faith constituencies. The NetVUE Scholarly Resources Project represents one attempt to think through the impact of this language, drawing on the work of scholars in theology, religious studies, philosophy, and related fields. This one-day gathering is designed to provide an academic setting in which to examine and discuss the Project's three books, all of which are published or forthcoming from Oxford University Press.

​Event registration deadline: November 3, 2017
Lodging reservation deadline: October 15, 2017

Event Details

Note: Registrant should contact hotel to make a lodging reservation–a link to hotel options can be found on the event website.

Vocation Across the Academy: Storytelling, Mapmaking, and a Sense of Direction

Hosted by Berry College (Rome, GA)
February 23–24, 2018

Purpose: This NetVUE gathering is a book retreat to discuss content and use of the second NetVUE Scholars book, Vocation across the Academy: A New Vocabulary for Higher Education. NetVUE scholars will focus on the importance of narrative as students set directions through both liberal arts nad profession-related studies. Thoughtful exchanges about the book will be interwoven with a campus tour and reception as well as other activities on these exceptional campus grounds.

Event registration and lodging reservation deadline: January 19, 2018

Event Website


Note: NetVUE staff will make your hotel reservation and you will receive an email confirmation.

Vocation Across the Academy: Calling, Conflict, and the Necessity of Action

Hosted by California Lutheran University (Thousand Oaks, CA)
March 9–10, 2018

Purpose: This NetVUE gathering is a book retreat to discuss content and use of the second NetVUE Scholars book, Vocation across the Academy: A New Vocabulary for Higher Education. NetVUE Scholars and experienced leaders will focus on the importance of guiding students through competing claims to core commitments. Thoughtful exchanges about the book will be interwoven with practices and experiences that illustrate California Lutheran University strategies for vocational exploration.

Event registration and lodging reservation deadline: February 2, 2018

Event Website

Note: Registrant should contact hotel to make a lodging reservation–hotel options can be found on institution’s event website.

Mentoring Undergraduate Students of Color: The Shape of Deep Purpose

Hosted by Elizabethtown College (event held in Washington, DC)
March 23–24, 2018

Purpose: This occasion will explore in community both the general and particular callings, strengths, and possibilities of CIC NetVUE schools related to mentoring undergraduate students of color in both predominantly/historical White institutions and in minority-serving institutions. Leaders will explore cultural interpretations of vocation, spirituality, religion, deep meaning, and purpose in the lives of students of color as well as high-impact practices that support their explorations.

Event registration and lodging reservation deadline: February 23, 2018

Event Website

Note: NetVUE staff will make your hotel reservation and you will receive an email confirmation.


The Changing Nature of Work: Career Development and Vocation

Hosted by Augustana College (Rock Island, IL)
June 12–13, 2018

Purpose: This NetVUE gathering provides an opportunity to explore the connections among career development, academic advising, and vocational reflection – and to do so in highly practical ways. Specifically, it aims to foster collaboration across various campus offices and academic divisions. Career services personnel, academic advisors, faculty members, and others may all be promoting vocational reflection and discernment, but they may sometimes find themselves nudging students in very different directions. How might vocational exploration be integrated into a more holistic model of career development, while still validating the liberal-arts orientation of NetVUE institutions? Through keynote presentations, networking, and conversation, participants will learn about best practices, hear from experts doing this work, and think collaboratively as campus teams.

Event registration deadline: May 25, 2018

Event Website

Note: Registration fee of $50 includes overnight accommodation at Augustana College on the night of June 12 and all conference meals.

Grant Programs

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​NetVUE currently offers the following grant programs to strengthen the ability of NetVUE member institutions to enrich the intellectual and theological exploration of vocation among undergraduate students. These initiatives are administered by CIC with generous support from Lilly Endowment Inc.


Vocation Across the Academy Grants

Vocation across the Academy Grants are available to support institution-wide initiatives at NetVUE member colleges and universities over a three-year period to expand ongoing programming in the intellectual and theological exploration of vocation across the liberal arts and applied professional fields. Proposals that seek to integrate vocational exploration as a continuum from the first year through the senior year are especially encouraged. For this new grant program, institutions may request up to $25,000 for use in the first year. Matching funds raised from third-party sources are required to support the proposed activities in the second and third years. Upon fulfillment of the matching requirement, institutions may receive up to $10,000 in additional grant funds for use during the second and third years. Thus, the entire funding from CIC and third-party sources may be up to $60,000 for the three-year period of the grant.

View eligibility and additional information.


Professional Development Awards

Professional Development Awards are available to support opportunities for the professional development activities that enhance the knowledge, skills, and expertise of faculty and staff members who support undergraduate vocational initiatives. All NetVUE member institutions that do not have a Program Development Grant at the time of application are eligible to request $5,000 to $10,000 for use over one full academic year to support professional development of faculty and staff members to strengthen vocational exploration programming for students. This is the fifth and final annual round of selection.

View eligibility and application information.

Application Deadline: April 13, 2018

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, five rounds of these grants have been awarded to more than 100 NetVUE member institutions.

View eligibility and application information.

Application Deadline: September 21, 2018

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.


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 Shirley Roels, assistant director of NetVUE, at sroels@cic.nche.edu or (616) 526-6557.

Consultants and Campus Visits

No
​A consulting service and campus visits program are two key programmatic element of NetVUE.


NetVUE Consultants

NetVUE Consultants are college and university leaders who have strong experience in developing and sustaining campus programs for the exploration of vocation. Some have expertise in student mentoring programs, while others have established vocational exploration in academic curricula. They have created venues in which to deepen faculty understanding of the historical, psychological, religious, and cultural dynamics that shape vocation. These leaders are knowledgeable about religious and secular texts as well as resources that support and encourage the search for meaning. They have worked to embed such emphases in ongoing campus life. Based on years of experience and reflection, NetVUE Consultants are available to guide NetVUE campus communities.

A NetVUE Consultant can provide advice on a specific aspect of undergraduate vocational exploration through an on-campus visit. A limited number of on-campus consultation grants is available to NetVUE members. Grants will cover the time and travel of the NetVUE Consultant for a one to two-day visit. Host campuses are expected to cover on-site accommodations and meals during the visit.

To arrange for a NetVUE Consultant’s visit, complete the request form for a NetVUE Consultant Campus Visit and send it by email to NetVUE@cic.nche.edu. The request should include a brief description of your campus goals, needs, and interests, the designation of campus leaders who will take part in the onsite visit, and an attached schedule for the visit. You may request a specific NetVUE Consultant who seems to match the needs that you identify. However, final consultant matches will be made by NetVUE in close consultation with your campus regarding needs and expertise, as well as consultant schedules and availability. Profiles of NetVUE Consultants are listed below.

NetVUE Request for Consultant Form
NetVUE Consultant Profiles - Carter Aiken, Lynn Hunnicutt, and Julie Massey


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 NetVUE@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.​

Scholarly Resources Project

No
View the NetVUE Scholarly Resources Blog.

Despite the increasing interest in the intellectual and theological exploration of vocation, its further development on college and university campuses faces significant challenges. The current economic climate has led to a focus on shorter-term educational goals. Many institutions find themselves fighting to preserve emphasis on the importance of broader vision and deeper wisdom in undergraduate education. The liberal arts disciplines—traditionally a bulwark for conversations about questions of meaning and significance—are frequently on the defensive. Students increasingly encounter a wider array of religious traditions on campus and also find themselves with the uncertainties that characterize what we have learned to call “emerging adulthood.” These and related challenges have prompted many new questions about the concept of vocation and how it can best be explored by today’s undergraduate students.
 
NetVUE member colleges and universities would benefit from access to new scholarly resources that facilitate better theological understanding of vocation among students and faculty members. Although a number of such resources were produced as a result of the PTEV initiative, each new decade brings with it new questions related to faith and vocation. Three major issues have been identified by scholars of vocation and NetVUE’s leaders for the development of new scholarly resources.
  • First, how can colleges and universities educate undergraduates about vocation? In the face of an ever-changing context, institutions need resources for increasing student attentiveness to vocation, for describing the nature of vocational exploration in fresh and compelling ways, and for connecting students with vocation-based practices across institutions with diverse missions and religious heritages. Click here for further description and seminar scholars.
  • Second, how can vocational considerations be integrated into diverse fields of study? Particularly in applied fields such as business, education, engineering, health care, and information science, teachers and advisors face an acute shortage of reliable scholarly resources on vocation. Click here for further description and seminar scholars.
  • Third, how can vocational discernment and practices be advanced in a multi-religious world? Well-educated students will need to become better informed about religious traditions other than their own, if their understanding of vocation is to be useful in a pluralistic, global society. Click here for further description and seminar scholars.
NetVUE has brought together three groups of senior scholars who represent a wide range of theological traditions and who have expertise related to each of these themes. Each of these seminar groups studied one of the issues and convened three times over a 14-month period. Each seminar group produced a book and perhaps will produce other scholarly materials that respond to one of these three important vocational questions and become resources for colleges and universities. Each of the three groups incorporated theological foundations from many different traditions. The members of each seminar group compared ideas and perspectives that emerged from their common and individual readings and completed a coordinated writing project over the course of a year.
 
For additional information about the NetVUE Scholarly Resources Project, please contact David Cunningham by email at dcunningham@cic.nche.edu or by phone at (616) 395-6750.

Members of NetVUE

No

​The Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) currently has 224 ​institutional members.

View a map and listing of NetVUE member institutions.

View membership and renewal information.

Resource Libraries and Links

No
NetVUE offers a collection of resources to support the exploration of vocation in undergraduate education. These include the NetVUE Community Network site, speeches and presentation materials from national and regional conferences, and materials collected through the Lilly PTEV program.


NetVUE Community network site

The Community Network site is an access-controlled site for NetVUE members only. Through the site, leaders of member campuses can do the following:
  • Share documents, audio, and video files
  • Browse resources on books, movies, and course syllabi
  • Participate in listserv discussions
  • View a directory of other NetVUE member contacts
Access the NetVUE Community Network Site

If you would like to join the NetVUE Community Network site, send an email to NetVUE@cic.nche.edu and include your own name, your title, your institution's name, and your email address. Please allow 3–4 days for processing and verification. You will receive your login information after being registered with CIC.


PTEV Resources

Many resources were identified and developed during the past decade by the 88 colleges and universities who participated in the Lilly Endowment’s Program for the Theological Exploration of Vocation (PTEV). These resources include many texts, films, course syllabi to support vocation-related instruction at every level of undergraduate education. These resources may be of value to institutions planning and developing vocational exploration programs. Descriptions of the 88 PTEV campus programs are also included as a reference.
 
With the support of Lilly Endowment Inc., CIC is maintaining the PTEV website and its resources in their original form at www.ptev.org.

Other Resource Links

Interfaith Youth Core   
 
Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion

Advisory Council and NetVUE Staff

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​Stephen R. Briggs
President
Berry College
 
Donna M. Carroll
President
Dominican University (IL)
 
Andrew R. Chan
Vice President for Personal and Career Development
Wake Forest University

Darrel D. Colson
President
Wartburg College
 
Joel L. Cunningham
Vice Chancellor Emeritus
Professor of Mathematics
Sewanee: The University of the South
 
Beverly W. Hogan
President
Tougaloo College
 
Charlie T. McCormick
President
Schreiner University
 
Tracy Wenger Sadd
Chaplain
Executive Director, Purposeful Life Work and Ethical Leadership
Elizabethtown College
 
Paul J. Wadell
Professor of Religious Studies
St. Norbert College
 
Stephen K. Wilke
Vice President for Planning and New Programs
Executive Director, Institute for Discipleship
Southwestern College
 


David s. Cunningham 

Director of NetVUE

David Cunningham is director of NetVUE.  In this role, he oversees and guides NetVUE activities, working with both the CIC staff and the NetVUE Advisory Council from the NetVUE office based in Holland, MI.  Previously he served as the director of the NetVUE Scholarly Resources Project, overseeing the development and editing of three books published by Oxford University Press. He holds a faculty appointment as professor of religion at Hope College, where he also served as director of the CrossRoads Project, Hope's Lilly-funded Program for the Theological Exploration of Vocation (PTEV). He previously served on the faculty of Seabury-Western Theological Seminary and at the University of St. Thomas (MN). David has an undergraduate degree in communication studies from Northwestern University, a master's degree in theology and religious studies from the University of Cambridge, and a PhD in religion from Duke University.

David can be reached by email at dcunningham@cic.nche.edu or by phone at (616) 395-6750.


Shirley J. Roels

Assistant Director of NetVUE

Shirley Roels is assistant director of NetVUE. In this role, she oversees and guides the NetVUE grant program activities. She served as the founding director of NetVUE from 2009-2017. After serving as a faculty member in business and as dean of academic administration, Shirley directed the Lilly Vocation Project (a PTEV program) at Calvin College from 2002 until 2009. In addition to her NetVUE responsibilities, Shirley directed the Van Lunen Center from 2006-2012. She has an undergraduate background in communications, humanities, social sciences and teacher education from Calvin College, a master's in business administration from the University of Michigan, and a PhD in higher education from Michigan State University.
 
Shirley can be reached by email at sroels@cic.nche.edu or by phone at (616) 526-6557.
   


Lynne M. Spoelhof

NetVUE Program Coordinator

Lynne Spoelhof is the NetVUE program coordinator. In this role, she supports all NetVUE grants and initiatives, maintains regular contact with member campuses, plans programs and conferences, manages information and databases, and provides executive assistance to the director of NetVUE, working with CIC staff from the office based in Holland, MI. Prior to her current responsibilities, Lynne served as an elementary teacher for a number of years and developed her office management skills in both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. Lynne has an undergraduate degree in elementary education, communication arts and sciences, and English from Calvin College.

Lynne can be reached by email at lspoelhof@cic.nche.edu or by phone at (616) 395-6750.

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Lilly Endowment logo 
CIC is grateful to Lilly Endowment Inc. for support of NetVUE.