This gathering is designed with two purposes in mind. First, it will give faculty members and staff at NetVUE member institutions an opportunity to engage more deeply with the theme of vocation and the common good. Second, it will serve as the launch of this year’s NetVUE Big Read, during which many leaders on our campuses will read together the newest volume from the NetVUE Scholarly Resources Project, Called Beyond Our Selves: Vocation and the Common Good (Oxford, 2024). The event will take place at Loras College, the home campus of the new volume’s editor, Erin VanLaningham.
The gathering provides educators with strategies to respond to current events on their campuses and in public life. Through a focus on the transformations of the common good, the event explores ways colleges and universities can promote collective well-being. As we consider the importance of educating through discussion, advocacy, and community engagement, our callings become oriented towards the common good.
All participants will receive a copy of the new volume, which is also NetVUE’s Big Read selection for the 2024–2025 academic year. While not required, campuses can also sign up for the “Big Read” prior to or at the event to secure additional complimentary copies for their institutions. The gathering will provide participants with opportunities to meet the writers, explore topics to take back to campus conversations, and connect with other campuses.
This event is a partner experience between the NetVUE Scholarly Resources Project and the NetVUE “Big Read.”
Event Registration
The cost of this event for those at NetVUE member institutions is $25 or $100 per person, depending on whether lodging is required. (The non-member rate is $100 or $300, also dependent on whether lodging is required.) Please register no later than August 30, 2024.
NetVUE member institutions that send at least one person to this gathering will have first priority to obtain free copies of the book for a campus reading group, as well as additional copies for those in attendance at the gathering.
Hotel Registrations
Registration for this event covers the cost of up to two nights lodging from September 12-14. Unfortunately, as of August 27, our room block at the Holiday Inn Dubuque/Galena is full. Participants must make their own reservations at a nearby hotel of their choice, and NetVUE will reimburse up to $115 per night, per person, following the event.
Tentative Event Schedule
Thursday, September 12
5:30 pm–8:30 pm
Welcome, Dinner, and Reception on the Mississippi River
Registered participants are invited to an evening at the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, in association with the Smithsonian Institution. Individuals are free to roam the exhibits as part of the event.
5:30 pm · Reception begins
6:30 pm · Welcome and Dinner
Friday, September 13
8:00 am–9:00 am
Check-in and Breakfast
9:00 am–9:45 am
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Donna Heald, Provost and Academic Dean, Loras College
Erin VanLaningham, Editor of Called Beyond Our Selves: Vocation and the Common Good and Director of the NetVUE Scholarly Resources Project; Professor of English, Loras College
9:45 am–10:45 am
Institutional Callings and the Common Good
Panelists:
Robert Pampel, Director of Student Academic Affairs and Associate Dean, College of Arts & Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis and author of “The University as the (Common) Good Place” in Called Beyond Our Selves: Vocation and the Common Good (Oxford, 2024)
David Timmerman, Provost and Executive Vice President for Operations, and Professor of Rhetoric, Carthage College (WI) and author of “A Too Uncommon, Common Good: The Role of Discussion and Deliberation in Vocational Discernment” in Called Beyond Our Selves: Vocation and the Common Good (Oxford, 2024)
Moderator:
Kate Parks, Associate Dean of the School of Science and Health and Professor of Sociology, Loras College
10:45 am–11:15 am
Coffee Break
11:15 am–12:15 pm
Vocation and the Transformations of the Common Good
Panelists:
Michelle Hayford, Associate Professor of Theatre and Director, Theatre, Dance, and Performance Technology Program, University of Dayton (OH) and author of “The Vocation of Advocacy: Enacting a More Just World” in Called Beyond Our Selves: Vocation and the Common Good (Oxford, 2024)
Geoffrey Bateman, Professor of Peace and Justice Studies, Regis University (CO) and author of “Queer Vocation and the Uncommon Good” in Called Beyond Our Selves: Vocation and the Common Good (Oxford, 2024)
Moderator:
Stacia McDermott, Director of Spiritual Life and Peace and Justice, Loras College
12:15 pm–1:30 pm
Lunch and Presentation: NetVUE Resources and the Big Read
Rachael Baker, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and NetVUE Director of Professional Development
David Cunningham, Executive Director of NetVUE
1:30 pm–2:45 pm
Plenary Address: Leading with Love
Mary Dana Hinton, President, Hollins University
About Dr. Mary Dana Hinton
Dr. Mary Dana Hinton is the 13th president of Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia, and President Emerita of the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota. An active and respected proponent of the liberal arts and inclusion, her leadership reflects a deep and abiding commitment to educational equity and the education of women.
Hinton earned a Ph.D. in religion and religious education with high honors from Fordham University, a Master of Arts degree in clinical child psychology from the University of Kansas, Lawrence, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Williams College. She is the recipient of the Bicentennial Medal from Williams College and honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees from Misericordia University and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. In 2021, Hinton was elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, an organization established more than 240 years ago by the nation’s founders to honor exceptionally accomplished individuals and engage them in advancing the public good.
Hinton’s scholarship focuses on higher education leadership, strategic planning, the role of education in peace building, African American religious history, and inclusion in higher education. Her new book, Leading from the Margins: College Leadership from Unexpected Places, was published by Johns Hopkins University Press in February 2024. She is also the author of The Commercial Church: Black Churches and the New Religious Marketplace in America and a frequent op-ed contributor across higher education publications.
Hinton is a member of the board of directors for the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, InterFaith America, The Teagle Foundation, and the Council on Higher Education as a Strategic Asset, and the board of trustees at Mount Saint Mary’s University Los Angeles.
Introduction:
Erin VanLaningham, Professor of English (Loras College) and Director of the NetVUE Scholarly Resources Project
2:45 pm–3:00 pm
Book Signing with President Hinton
Copies of President Hinton’s book Leading from the Margins: College Leadership from Unexpected Places (Johns Hopkins, 2024) will be available for purchase and signing from Dubuque’s River Lights Bookstore on site.
3:00 pm–3:30 pm
Break
3:30 pm–4:30 pm
Panel Conversation: Leadership and Advocacy in Higher Education
Panelists:
Jim Collins, President, Loras College
Travis Frampton, President, University of Dubuque
Moderator:
Sergio Pérez, Diversity Officer and Advisor to the President, Loras College
Introductions:
Art Sunleaf, Vice President for Student Development, Loras College
5:00 pm–6:30 pm
Reception and Dinner
5:00 pm–5:30pm · Reception and Social
5:30 pm–6:30 pm · Conference Dinner
The Special Collections room of Loras College will be open for participants to view various treasures, including multiple medieval illuminated manuscripts, including the largest book in Iowa, books from the earliest days of printing in the west, and many others. Hosted by Heidi Pettitt, Special Collections Librarian (Loras College) from 5:00-5:45 p.m.
In addition, attendees are invited to view a special exhibit of materials from Special Collections and the Center for Dubuque History that highlight the themes in the NetVUE Big Read title, Called Beyond Our Selves: Vocation and the Common Good. The exhibit will be on display during the hours the Library is open on the 3rd floor outside of the Special Collections room.
Musical Entertainment provided Bob Adams, Director, Center for Learning & Teaching and Online Course Development (Loras College)
7:00 pm
“Art on the River” and Gathering at Stone Cliff Winery at the Port of Dubuque
Conference participants are invited to enjoy Dubuque’s riverwalk and the new installation of “Art on the River,” the City of Dubuque’s annual public art exhibit. This year’s exhibit, entitled “Culture and Conversation,” “is meant to engage the community in conversations with each other and the artists behind the works; to encourage , challenge and educate; help overcome barriers; and foster economic growth and community prosperity.” (For more information, see www.cityofdubuque.org/311/Art-on-the-River)
There will be an evening gathering at Stone Cliff Winery in the Star Brewery Building on the River, hosted by NetVUE.
Conference hosts will meet participants in the Holiday Inn hotel lobby to walk to the riverwalk and to Stone Cliff Winery at 7pm. The walk is .8 miles, and is mostly flat, offering great views of the riverbluffs, the Mississippi River, and the bridges to Illinois and Wisconsin.
Should participants wish to drive, or in the case of inclement weather, parking is available at the Star Brewery (600 Star Brewery Drive).
Saturday, September 14
8:00 am–8:45 am
Check-in and Continental Refreshments
9:00 am–10:00 am
Concurrent Sessions
Education, Elected Office, and Public Service: Vocation and the Common Good
Kate Parks, President of the Dubuque School Board and Associate Dean of the School of Science and Health and Professor of Sociology, Loras College
Cultivating Advocacy in Student Leaders: The Story of the Loras College LULAC Chapter
Sergio Pérez, Diversity Officer and Advisor to the President, Loras College
10:00 am–10:15 am
Break
10:15 am–11:15 am
Concurrent Sessions
Common Good Space Walk
Stacia McDermott, Director of Spiritual Life and Peace and Justice, Loras College
Digging in the Archives for the Common Good
Heidi Pettitt, Director of the Center for Dubuque History and Special Collections Librarian, Loras College
Kristin Anderson-Bricker, Professor of History, Loras College
11:30 am–12:00 pm
Closing Remarks
Erin VanLaningham, Professor of English, Loras College, and Director, NetVUE Scholarly Resources Project
12:00 pm
Boxed Lunches
Travel
Loras College is a 5-10 minute drive, 1.5 miles “up the hill” from the Holiday Inn in downtown Dubuque. Parking is available in the Keane parking lot on Alta Vista Street, across from Keane Hall (1450 Alta Vista Street). The most direct walking route from the parking lot is to go through the archway under Keane Hall and Christ the King chapel and follow the central path through campus to the Alumni Campus Center (ACC).
For inquires regarding travel, please contact Susan Crook, associate professor of mathematics of Loras College at susan.crook@loras.edu.