Connections: The NetVUE Newsletter

(Re-)Experiencing the NetVUE Conference | Upcoming Webinar

Whether you are looking to relive some of the biennial conference, to see and hear highlights if you could not be there, or simply to learn something new, you are welcome to register for the upcoming webinar, (Re-)Experiencing the NetVUE Conference. Join us on Thursday, April 16, at 4:00 p.m. (Eastern) for reflections and insights from various members of the NetVUE staff.

Join (at no cost!) a Scriptural Reasoning Hub Near You | Upcoming Opportunity

NetVUE is pleased to offer a second round of Scriptural Reasoning training hubs. These gatherings are designed to help faculty members and staff learn how this practice can be used for encouraging vocational reflection and benefiting students academically. The hubs are planned for four different locations during May and June 2026; all accommodations, meals, and program costs are fully covered by NetVUE.

Christian Thinking as Pilgrimage: Open for Registration | Upcoming Event

NetVUE members are invited to register for a special gathering hosted at Huntington University (IN) on May 21, 2026, designed to engage the question, “What does it mean to think like a Christian?” Participants will join scholars of a variety of disciplines and institutions to join conversation with Douglas Jacobsen and Rhonda Hustedt Jacobsen, authors of the new book Christianity and Intellectual Inquiry: Thinking as Pilgrimage.

The Menu of Regional Gatherings for 2026-2027 | Upcoming Events

Regional gatherings offer opportunities for NetVUE members to learn with and from each other over the course of the academic year. Colleges and universities can bring larger teams to these regional gatherings, which offer an opportunity to invite into the conversation those colleagues who aren’t able to participate in the large biennial conference.

The First Issue of NetVUE’s Journal is Here! | NetVUE Resources

The first issue of NetVUE’s new interdisciplinary journal, Studies in Vocation and Calling, is now available in both print and digital formats. Connect with your NetVUE campus contact to inquire about print copies; the digital version (which is identical in content) can be accessed at the journal’s website.

New Offering From NetVUE: Topical Resource Guides | NetVUE Resources

NetVUE has a new set of digital resources designed to help campuses embed vocational exploration into programming areas that provide fertile ground for impacting students. Experts in various program areas have helped to create Topical Resource Guides for colleagues across the network. When planning programs—such as first-year experiences, capstone courses, or advising—you can use these guides to identify key questions, helpful resources, and sample activities.

Announcing 2027 Summer Seminars | NetVUE Opportunities

Over the past several years, NetVUE has dramatically increased the number of summer seminars that it offers. These selective five-day seminars offer deep and enduring professional development opportunities at no cost to those who work at NetVUE member institutions. For Summer 2027, NetVUE is pleased to offer six different seminars for faculty members, staff, and early administrators.

Supporting Students’ Callings: The Role of Vocation in Promoting Purpose in Higher Education | NetVUE Connections

NetVUE sent a team to the 2026 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) this past January. Click the link below for a short reflection on what was shared and how the audience responded, written by Sheila Bauer-Gatsos, special assistant to the provost at Dominican University (IL), who facilitated the panel.

Latest Update from the Scholarly Resources Project | Scholarly Resources

The newest volume from the NetVUE Scholarly Resources Project has gone to press! This volume—titled Vocation, Higher Education, and the Future: Imagining Possibilities, Cultivating Practices—addresses the pressures on higher education today and presents a case that educating for vocation can be a source of hope.

Reflection on Bobby Fong Memorial Keynote Address by Norman Wirzba | 2026 Conference

Norman Wirzba of Duke University (NC) kicked off the 2026 NetVUE Conference on the theme of “Vocation: An Itinerary of Hope” by acknowledging the many challenges higher education is facing, but quickly pivoting to invite participants to consider the meaning-making question of “what is this all for?” For a deeper look at how Wirzba answers the question, and his understanding of “sensuous intelligence” and sabbath, read Kari Kloos’s full reflection.

Reflection on Closing Plenary Address by Almeda Wright | 2026 Conference

The Conference concluded in a way that only a professor of religious education could have provided. Almeda M. Wright of Yale Divinity School (CT) excavated the examples of three Black activist-educators—W.E.B. Du Bois, Anna Julia Cooper, and Septima Poinsette Clark—to examine the calling of the educator. Read on for Krista Hughes’s reflection; she not only provides a summary, but offers four key insights for NetVUE colleagues to consider as they lead and teach in times that require radical change.

Reflections on the Quarterly Plenary Sessions: Advocacy, Advising, AI, and Athletes | 2026 Conference

At this conference, NetVUE experimented with offering quarter plenaries on Friday, an innovation that allowed the conference to elevate four distinct sessions on issues especially relevant to higher education at this moment. Focusing on the vocational terrain within advocacy, advising, AI, and student-athletes, campus teams were invited to split up and encounter different timely discussions.

Concurrent Campus Sessions: Lessons From the Field | 2026 Conference

One of the highlights of any NetVUE conference is the chance to hear from campus leaders about what is going well at their institutions. The conference featured concurrent campus sessions on both Friday and Saturday, allowing 18 different campuses to share their work with the wider NetVUE community. To provide a snapshot, four NetVUE staff members provide brief reflections on different campus sessions, offering a revealing look (if an admittedly limited one) at the ingenuity in vocational exploration that was shared by our member institutions.

Concurrent Workshops: Network Colleagues Address Central Themes | 2026 Conference

When NetVUE learns of practitioners who can offer wider lessons for colleagues in our network, these can be featured as concurrent workshops at the conference. This year, topics included first-year programming, career and internships, changing needs within chaplaincy, maximizing impact, and the relationship between character and vocation, to name a few. NetVUE staff reflect on two of these workshops and offer reflections to help translate this part of the conference experience to our readers.

Learning about NetVUE Resources, Opportunities, and Grants | 2026 Conference

As this newsletter often illustrates, NetVUE offers an abundance of resources. The conference created several opportunities for participants to orient themselves to these resources and consult with NetVUE staff on how best to use them. The article here features NetVUE staff members reflecting on a session designed to support the use of conversations cards on campuses, the drop-in consultation portion of the conference, and a post-conference workshop on writing compelling NetVUE grant proposals.

Callings | The NetVUE Podcast

NetVUE’s podcast continued to supply resources for its member institutions and for the general public. This edition of the newsletter includes a round-up of recent episodes and posts.

Vocation Matters | The NetVUE Blog

The NetVUE blog Vocation Matters has continued to publish new posts about once a week. Read more for a sample of the latest NetVUE blog posts from colleagues across the country.