Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education
The 2024 NetVUE Conference will be Announced on Monday, October 2
The Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) is a nationwide network of 300 colleges and universities formed to support and enrich vocational exploration and discernment among undergraduate students. A program of the Council of Independent Colleges, NetVUE is supported by the generosity of Lilly Endowment Inc. and member dues. CIC administers NetVUE with guidance from an advisory council comprising representatives from participating institutions.
CIC is grateful to Lilly Endowment Inc. for its longstanding support of NetVUE.
For a summary of NetVUE’s purpose and its programs and services, view this brief overview from David Cunningham, executive director of NetVUE; for a written account, view this two-page summary, updated annually, which may be downloaded, printed, and/or forwarded as needed.
Connecting Campus Leaders: NetVUE Conferences, Gatherings, and Seminars
NetVUE hosts a large biennial national conference (most recently in 2022, with 800 participants), which brings teams of campus leaders into conversation with expert resource persons from across the country. In the years between national conferences, NetVUE hosts a large virtual event (the NetVUE UnConference), as well as smaller, in-person regional and topical gatherings, which allow for smaller numbers of participants to focus on a specific theme. These events are held in various parts of the country, so that most member institutions will find one or two of these gatherings within a few hours’ drive. NetVUE also hosts an annual faculty development seminar and other opportunities for professional development of staff and faculty members, further enabling them to support their students who are exploring their many callings in life.
Strengthening Institutional Capacity: NetVUE Grant Programs
NetVUE currently offers four different grant programs, in amounts ranging from $12,000 to over $100,000 and designed to support programming for students and professional development for faculty members and staff. Grants range in length from one to four years. They are designed to strengthen the capacity of NetVUE member institutions to support and enrich the vocational exploration and discernment among undergraduate students. These initiatives are administered by CIC with generous support from Lilly Endowment Inc.
Promoting Knowledge and Networking:
NetVUE Print and Digital Resources
NetVUE provides a wide range of resources in a variety of formats—in printed publications, online content, audio, and video. The most “permanent” of these resources is a series of books, all published by Oxford University Press, that collect essays by leaders in the field of vocation and calling on a variety of themes. In addition, NetVUE supports the publication of journal articles, including a forthcoming issue of Christian Scholars Review on the theme of vocation. NetVUE also publishes a blog at www.vocationmatters.org and a podcast, now in its third season, with episodes available to stream or download at netvue.buzzsprout.com. Other digital resources include a regular series of webinars, curated lists of relevant web resources, and an online community network that includes bibliographies, course syllabi, recorded presentations from national conferences and regional gatherings, and a discussion board for peer-to-peer exchange of program ideas and best practices. The blog and podcast are publicly available, while the online community network can be accessed through a login by any member of the faculty or staff at NetVUE member institutions.
Building a Community of Practice: NetVUE Member Services
NetVUE promotes the sharing of knowledge and best practices through a number of services to its members, including low-cost consulting services, subsidized visits of campus teams to another NetVUE institution, and a Big Read project that provides free copies of a book on vocation-related themes for reading groups and related campus activities. In the coming years, with new additional funding from Lilly Endowment Inc., additional services will be offered—including on-campus professional development opportunities for faculty members, staff, and administrators.
Membership in NetVUE
The Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) currently has 300 institutional members and 9 organizational members. View a map of NetVUE members. Institutional membership is open to any independent college or university that would be eligible for membership in the Council of Independent Colleges. Organizational Membership is open to any organization that includes NetVUE institutional members among its own members or constituencies.
NetVUE membership operates on a calendar-year basis, with dues payable by December 31 for the following calendar year. Dues for institutional members are based on the college or university’s undergraduate full-time equivalent enrollment. Institutions may join at any time. Those that join in November or later receive membership benefits for the remainder of that year as well as the following calendar year.
Contact Information
For further information and for all questions, contact the NetVUE National Office, which is located on the campus of Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Call (616) 632-1060 or email Alex Stephenson, NetVUE administrative assistant, at astephenson@cic.edu. The mailing address is NetVUE, Aquinas College, 1700 Fulton St. E., Grand Rapids, MI 49506.