2023–2024 Annual Report

CIC-TEP is a network of member colleges and universities that accept full-time employees of participating institutions and their family members as students, tuition-free. An online portal facilitates the student application tracking and review processes. Nearly two-thirds of CIC member institutions participated in 2023–2024 and that number is expected to increase in the future.

• Students Receiving at Least One Award: 1,609
• Institutions Registered as of June 2024: 423
• Institutions Importing: 401
• Institutions Exporting: 378
• Students Applying: 2,663
• Applications Submitted: 5,239
• Awards Offered: 1,928

The Online Course Sharing Consortium (OCSC) allows participating colleges and universities to share courses, transfer credits and financial aid, and arrange for tuition payments through an online platform maintained by CIC’s partner Acadeum, with which CIC signed a new five-year agreement in 2024. The initiative helps students complete their degrees by enrolling in online courses offered by other consortium participants, avoiding the burden of transferring courses from outside institutions and filling excess capacity at partner institutions. In 2024, OCSC launched a credential marketplace for CIC members in the OCSC network.

• Members as of June 2024: 313
• Home Institutions: 311
• Teaching Institutions: 133
• Courses Available: 19,719

The Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) is a nationwide network of more than 300 colleges and universities formed to encourage vocational exploration among undergraduate students, with attention to the theological, ethical, and affective dimensions of their many callings in life. NetVUE is supported by the generosity of Lilly Endowment Inc. and member dues. Activities include a biennial national conference, regional gatherings, faculty seminars, consulting services, online resources, and the development of scholarly resources. A variety of grant opportunities are available to NetVUE member institutions to support professional development and vocation-related programming.

• Members as of June 2024: 317
• CIC Institutions: 288
• Non-CIC Institutions: 20
• Organizations: 9

NetVUE National Conference

The NetVUE National Conference is a biennial event that brings together three- to five-person teams from most NetVUE institutions. The event includes plenary sessions led by nationally-known speakers, a range of workshops (including shorter concurrent workshops and longer pre- and post-conference options), and campus-based sessions that showcase the work of member institutions—as well as plenty of time for networking and informal exchanges. Participation is heavily subsidized by member dues, such that the first three team members pay only $200 each for the entire event, including accommodations and meals.  

• Theme: “Vocation for the Life of the World”
  • Date: March 21–23, 2024
  • Location: Atlanta, GA
  • Attendance: 828 participants

Regional and Topical Gatherings

NetVUE campus teams gather regularly for professional development and sharing of best practices at regional and topical gatherings throughout the year.

• Theme: “Vocational Exploration in the Classroom”
  • Date: September 28–29, 2023
  • Location: Waynesburg University (PA)
• Theme: “Vocation and/as the Work of Our Hands”
  • Date: November 16–17, 2023
  • Location: San Antonio, TX
• Theme: “Vocation, Higher Education, and the City”
  • Date: May 16–18, 2024
  • Location: Calvin University (MI)

Faculty Seminar on Teaching Vocational Exploration

This yearly multidisciplinary seminar helps faculty members strengthen the teaching of vocational exploration, develop new courses or course content, improve pedagogical resources, and establish an expanding network of faculty members committed to teaching vocational exploration.

• Date: June 24–28, 2024
• Location: Indianapolis, IN
• Attendance: 14 participants

Scholarly Resources Project

Five distinct groups of senior scholars, representing a wide range of theological traditions and expertise, work collaboratively to produce articles, books, and other resources for use on campuses. The fourth book was published in early 2024.

• Title: Called Beyond Our Selves: Vocation and the Common Good
• Director: Erin VanLaningham, professor of English, Loras College (IA)
• Contributors: 12 scholars

NetVUE Research

CIC supports an empirical investigation of the impact of initiatives for vocational exploration and discernment at NetVUE member institutions. The work focuses on the ways that such programs can transform faculty cultures, curricular initiatives, administrative priorities, and institutional goals.

• Topic: The impact of vocational exploration and discernment at NetVUE institutions
• Director: Dave S. Guthrie, NetVUE Grants Assessment Coordinator (through March 31, 2024), Rachael A. Baker (starting April 1, 2024)
• Anticipated Publication: To be determined

Consultants

• Cumulative: 36

Campus Visits

• Cumulative: 22

NetVUE Online Resources

CIC provides a wide range of online resources for NetVUE members, including a dedicated website, an online community site, a publicly accessible blog, a webinar series, and a social media presence.

• LinkedIn: NetVUE (Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education) (837 followers as of June 2024)
• Blog: VocationMatters.org
• Podcast: “Callings: Conversations on College, Career, and a Life Well-Lived”
  • Season 3 (2022–2023): 11 episodes
  • Season 4 (2023–2024): 8 episodes as of June 2024
• Periodic Webinars:
  • “Vocation in Film: Finding Meaning Making at the Movies” (September 2023)“Peace, Conflict Resolution, and Vocation” (November 2023)“Taking Vocation beyond Campus” (February 2024)
  • “(Re)Experiencing the NetVUE 2024 Conference” (April 2024)
• Newsletter:
  • October 5, 2023 (sent to 1,669 contacts)November 16, 2023 (sent to 1,662 contacts)February 1, 2024 (sent to 1,654 contacts)
  • April 11, 2024 (sent to 2,184 contacts)

NetVUE Grant Programs

• Program Development Grants
  • CIC awards grants to strengthen existing vocational exploration programs that are already supported by campus budgets. Member institutions may request between $30,000 and $60,000 for use over a two-year period to further develop or extend existing initiatives.
  • Cumulative: $10,148,273 to 233 institutions
• Professional Development Awards
  • CIC awards grants of up to $12,000 to enhance the knowledge, skills, and expertise of faculty and staff members who support undergraduate vocation-related initiatives at NetVUE member institutions. Up to $15,000 is available for projects with a special focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • Cumulative: $2,222,424 to 220 institutions
• Vocation across the Academy
  • This grant program is designed to strengthen the link between professional preparation and students’ exploration of meaning, purpose, and identity. Three-year grants support campuswide initiatives that emphasize this link as a continuum from the first year through the senior year, and/or across the range of academic disciplines and applied fields. The grant involves a partial donor match that can bring the total award to $90,000 in CIC and third-party funding, or $105,000 for projects that create partnerships with businesses, nonprofits, and community organizations.
  • Cumulative: $2,946,415 to 80 institutions
• Grants for Reframing the Institutional Saga
  • This program offers grants of up to $40,000 over two years to help institutions produce an updated account of their history and mission, with focused attention on the current state of the institution’s demographic profile, surrounding community, and founding organizations.
  • Cumulative: $2,658,788 to 77 institutions
• Fostering Leadership for Communities of Faith
  • The newest NetVUE grant program provides up to $40,000 over a two-year period to develop programming for students and/or professional development for faculty members and staff with the goal of connecting students to local faith communities and supporting these students as they explore and discern possible future leadership roles.
  • Cumulative: $364,648 to 18 institutions 
• Support for NetVUE Organizational Members
  • These grants are designed to help organizational members of NetVUE deepen their capacities to strengthen the networks that they comprise, to broaden opportunities to promote vocational exploration and discernment among students at their member institutions, and to communicate the benefits of NetVUE membership to those institutions within their networks that are not yet members of NetVUE.
  • Cumulative: $67,850 to 3 organizations (4 separate grant awards)   

The Belong community is a network of CIC members dedicated to making their campuses more welcoming and inclusive. Belong’s suite of professional development resources for faculty and staff includes credentials by ACUE, all campus Cornerstone Webinars, Belong’s unique and popular “Push” resource library, and monthly community of practice meetings.

• Members as of June 2024: 72
• Credentials Available to Belong Members: 420
• Faculty and Staff Webinar Registrants: 5,200
• Faculty and Staff Eligible for Belong’s Push Library: 11,500

In May 2024, CIC announced a 12-month AI Ready network to foster learning, share resources, and increase effective adoption related to artificial intelligence (AI). The network will focus on both pedagogical and business uses for AI, bringing the current conversation about AI to key areas of campus, and will launch in Fall 2024. To ensure AI readiness, the network includes the following two programs:

• Program 1: All Campus Essentials (an opportunity to learn about and engage with nine pressing topics)
  • Enrollment as of August 2024: 87 institutions
• Program 2: Build Your Own (a small, space-limited, pilot program for institutions ready to implement generative AI on campus)
  • Enrollment as of August 2024: 22 institutions

CIC’s State Councils are consortia of private colleges and universities with the mission of advancing and strengthening their member institutions. Through its State Councils program, CIC provides member services and organizational development opportunities for these consortia, as well as grants and professional support for their activities in three specific program areas:

• Increasing recognition and enrollment of member institutions through collective public relations and branding initiatives that help “make the case” for private colleges and universities;
• Putting a college education within reach for deserving students of all income levels by raising private gifts and grants for scholarships;
• Expanding student internship and career opportunities, as well as developing corporate grant and sponsorship support, by connecting the private college sector to America’s business community.

Annual Conference

The State Councils Annual Conference is a convening of state council executives and their staff that offers a forum for face-to-face networking and an opportunity to share best practices with colleagues. Programming at the Annual Conference includes sessions dedicated to emerging trends and relevant topics providing tools for state executives colleagues to better serve their constituency of private colleges and universities.

• Date: April 21–23, 2024
• Location: New Orleans, LA
• Attendance: 33 total participants; 16 State Councils organizations represented
• Sponsorship: $30,000 from two sponsors

State Council Scholarship Programs

• CIC/UPS Educational Endowment
  • The CIC/UPS Educational Endowment provides grants to State Councils for innovative, collaborative projects within states and for programs that enhance access and success for students demonstrating financial need. Through these grant programs, the CIC/UPS Educational Endowment continues to impact the advancement of the independent college sector nationwide.
  • Value: $50,114,460 (as of June 30, 2024)
• CIC/UPS Scholarships Program
  • Each year, State Councils receive grants from CIC to provide CIC/UPS Scholarships for use at every four-year private college and university in the State Councils network. The scholarships are given in the name of UPS, whose financial support was the basis for the CIC/UPS Educational Endowment. Since 1985, approximately $62.2 million has been awarded in scholarship grants to assist students at independent colleges across the country demonstrating financial need.Fiscal Year 2024: $1,398,400 to 25 State Councils, $3,200 to 437 State Council member institutions
  • Cumulative: Over $65,200,000 to 23,197 students 
• Dorothea M. Waterbury Scholarship
  • The scholarships are provided by an endowment, established by Dorothea Waterbury of Newton, MA, to fund scholarships for Pell-eligible students enrolled at selected CIC member New England colleges and universities.
  • Fiscal Year 2024: $9,000
• Named Sponsorships
  • Fiscal Year 2024: $23,500 to support six students

State Council Grant Programs 

• Capacity-Building Grants
  • The CIC Capacity-Building Grant Program was created to provide “seed money” grants for State Councils to enhance or expand their capacity to raise money to support their programs and member colleges. The grants are intended to provide funding for fundraising programs, particularly those targeted at attracting donors and financial support and/or organizational and staff development projects that strengthen the organization’s capacity to raise gifts and grants from corporations, foundations, and individuals.
  • Fiscal Year 2024: $109,800 to 11 State Councils
  • Cumulative: Approximately $762,845 across 75 projects
• Scholarship Challenge Grants
  • Presidents of independent colleges and universities have made it clear that one of their highest priority needs is additional scholarship aid for deserving students. A second need is for scholarships that can improve student retention beyond the first year. CIC offers State Councils the opportunity to apply for challenge grants designed to leverage additional gifts for scholarships. To receive the CIC Scholarship grant, State Councils must raise the challenge grant amount from outside sources before the end of the fiscal year.
  • Fiscal Year 2024: $175,000 to each of eight State Councils with an anticipated reach of 123 State Councils colleges and universities
  • Cumulative: $3.71 million
• First Opportunity Partners Grant
  • Generously funded by an Inequality and Economic Empowerment Grant from the UPS Foundation, the mission of the First Opportunity Partners (FOP) Grant Program is to fund CIC State Councils in support of new, collaborative, and/or innovative approaches to increasing college access and success of students demonstrating need. The final FOP grant program offering is dedicated to supporting programs and initiatives that support diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) implemented or supported by the State Council organizations.
  • Fiscal Year 2024: $166,442 to eight State Councils
  • Cumulative: Over $3.8 million