The NetVUE Collaborative Read program provides individuals at members institutions an opportunity to connect with others who may be exploring some of the same vocation-related questions. These other NetVUE institutions may be located far across the country or just down the road. Reading groups can start with people who are already well acquainted; alternatively, the Collaborative Read can be used to make new connections. The goal of the program is for faculty members, staff, and administrators at NetVUE member institutions to connect and explore ideas with one another. Thanks to the generous support of Lilly Endowment Inc., NetVUE is pleased to provide the books for the Collaborative Read free of charge to the participants.
To participate, leaders at the host institution assemble a reading group, choose the book they want to read, and write a short proposal. The reading groups must include, in addition to individuals from the host institution, people from at least one other NetVUE institution. If you are interested in assembling a reading group and would like to invite people to join you, you can reference the map of neighboring NetVUE institutions to see nearby member schools that may be interested. You can also contact NetVUE staff for suggestions; more on this to follow.
Your reading group will choose a book to explore and discuss, and then create a plan for when and how you will meet. At the end of the program, we ask that participants create a small product at the end of their reading group to capture the discussion that emerged from the Collaborative Read. Examples of such products might include a post by a reading group member created for the NetVUE Blog, a book review written for the NetVUE newsletter, or an assignment or discussion guide to be used with the book.
Recommended Books
Below, you will find a list of books that are recommended for your use by your reading group. This list includes books by people that have been involved in recent work with NetVUE, whether through a conference presentation, podcast, blog, or book review. You can learn more about each book by selecting the cover.
NetVUE Volumes (including past “Big Read” books)
At this Time and In This Place: Vocation and Higher Education edited by David S. Cunningham (Oxford, 2016)
Vocation Across the Academy: A New Vocabulary for Higher Education edited by David S. Cunningham (Oxford, 2017)
Hearing Vocation Differently: Meaning, Purpose, and Identity in the Multi-Faith Academy edited by David S. Cunningham (Oxford, 2019)
Living Vocationally: The Journey of a Called Life by Charles Pinches and Paul Wadell (Cascade Books, 2021)
The Purpose Gap: Empowering Communities of Color to Find Meaning and Thrive by Patrick Reyes (Westminster John Knox Press, 2021)
Books by Conference Speakers and Callings Podcast Guests
Creating Wicked Students: Designing Courses for a Complex World by Paul Handstedt (Routledge, 2018)
Paul Handstedt was interviewed on the NetVUE podcast, Callings (Season 3 Episode 8).
Cultivating Vocation in Literary Studies edited by Stephanie Johnson and Erin VanLaningham (Edinburgh University Press, 2022)
Divine Abundance: Leisure, the Basis of Academic Culture by Elizabeth Newman (Cascade Books, 2018)
Elizabeth Newman was a speaker at a concurrent workshop of the 2024 National Conference.
The Good Life Method: Reasoning through the Big Questions of Happiness, Faith, and Meaning by Meghan Sullivan and Paul Blaschko (Penguin Press, 2022)
Meghan Sullivan offered the Keynote Address at the 2024 National Conference and was interviewed on the NetVUE podcast, Callings (Season 3 Episode 5).
Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation by Parker Palmer (Jossey-Bass; 1st edition, 1999)
Parker Palmer was interviewed on the NetVUE podcast, Callings (Season 4 Episode 2).
Working by Darby Ray (Augsburg Fortress, 2011)
Darby Ray led a roundtable plenary session at the 2024 National Conference and was interviewed on the NetVUE podcast, Callings (Season 1 Episode 3).
Books Reviewed in the Summer 2023 Issue of Christian Scholars Review
Calling in Context: Social Location and Vocational Formation by Susan Maros (IVP Academic, 2022)
Common Callings and Ordinary Virtues: Christian Ethics for Everyday Life by Brent Waters (Baker Academic, 2022)
Ecology of Vocation: Recasting Calling in a New Planetary Era by Kiara Jorgenson (Fortress Academic, 2022)
Neighbor Love Through Fearful Days: Finding Purpose and Meaning in a Time of Crisis by Jason A. Mahn (Fortress Press, 2021)
Redeeming Work: A Guide to Discovering God’s Calling for Your Career by Bryan Dik (Templeton Press, 2020)
Your Calling Here and Now: Making Sense of Vocation by Gordon Smith (IVP, 2022)
Application Information
NetVUE will directly support reading groups at member institutions that develop a plan to read a book and share an outcome. Reading groups can include faculty members, staff, and/or administrators. To qualify, reading groups must have at least 4 participants across at least two member institutions (more participants and/or more institutions are encouraged). Up to 12 free copies of the book will be supplied to reading groups that design a plan to read their book in a group setting (which may be virtual). Reading groups are invited to draft simple proposals (two-page maximum) that address the following five points:
- Contact information for the reading group leader.
- Names, positions, and affiliated institutions for participants that have agreed to take part in the collaborative read (more may be added later).
- A plan for meetings including available times that all team members could meet and the planned location for the meetings. We strongly recommend planning to complete the Collaborative Read within a period of a couple of months. If the meetings are in person, we ask that they not take place on the campus of the institution that organized the Collaborative Read to encourage collaboration and participation across all participating institutions.
- The book the reading group is planning to read. If you are planning to read a book that is not on the Collaborative Read list, please provide a brief summary of the book and why it is the right fit for your discussion about vocation.
- Plan for a product from the Collaborative Read. We suggest considering the following:
- A blog post by one of the reading group members for the NetVUE blog
- A book review for the NetVUE newsletter (if the book has not already been reviewed in the newsletter)
- A handout or discussion guide that could be used with the book (either for other reading groups or for use with students)A classroom assignment prompted by the book discussion
- A NetVUE webinar on a theme related to the book discussion
Books will be awarded and shipped directly to the applicant based on the proposal. To apply, the reading group leader should send a document (two page maximum) in MS Word or PDF format as an email attachment to Rachael Baker, NetVUE director of professional development, at rbaker@cic.edu. Proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis. Proposals should be submitted at least four weeks before the project is expected to begin (to allow adequate time for project approval and shipping).
Are you interested in a NetVUE sponsored opportunity to read with more people on your own campus, rather than across institutions? Consider joining the Big Read instead.
Contact Information
Questions about the Collaborative Read Program may be directed to Rachael Baker, NetVUE associate director, at rbaker@cic.edu or (616) 632-2910.
NetVUE Member Institutions
To report a technical problem with the website, or to offer suggestions for navigation and content issues, please contact Madeline Smanik, NetVUE communications specialist, at msmanik@cic.edu.