Studies in Vocation and Calling is an open-access journal that advances scholarly study and professional practice related to the concepts of vocation and calling in contemporary culture. While especially attentive to the role of these frameworks in higher education, the journal seeks to host broad, interdisciplinary conversations about vocation and calling in all sectors of society and from a wide range of perspectives, scholarly and applied—historical, literary, philosophical, theological, ethical, psychological, sociological, pedagogical, artistic, and more. The journal appears both digitally and in print and is published twice per year.
The submission portal is now open, and the first issue of Studies in Vocation and Calling has been published and is available digitally. Attendees of the 2026 NetVUE Conference in Kansas City received early print copies with more arriving on member campuses in April. The second issue will arrive on campuses and be available digitally in October 2026.
The Mission and Purpose of Studies in Vocation and Calling
The journal publishes peer-reviewed scholarly articles, editorially-reviewed reflections, and reviews of books and other resources. We invite submissions of articles that engage the theory and/or practice of vocational exploration and discernment—especially (but not exclusively) in higher education, whether from within a specific academic field or through interdisciplinary approaches. Articles that foreground co-curricular perspectives from other areas of campus life are also encouraged; these may focus on areas such as career services, community engagement, experiential learning, athletics, student success, or religious and spiritual life.
In addition to scholarly articles (which are double-blind peer reviewed), we invite the submission of less formal reflective pieces that engage themes of calling and vocation. Reflections are reviewed by the editors for possible inclusion and can be in the form of an essay, fiction, poetry, or other genres as appropriate for their content. Suggestions for reviews of books, films, podcasts, and other resources should be sent to the Book and Resource Review Editor; contact information in available below.
A Wide Range of Contributions Are Welcome
In higher education today, interest in vocation is expanding rapidly, as more educators (both within the NetVUE family and beyond) seek to equip undergraduates to discern and explore their callings to live a life of meaning, purpose, and contribution. In addition to NetVUE’s own digital and print resources, a range of books and articles have been published in recent years—some of them featured as part of NetVUE’s Big Read program—as the field expands to consider deeper and more complex questions about vocation and calling. The time is ripe for a journal dedicated to this expanding interdisciplinary field that is demonstrating impact within the academy as well as in the wider culture.
A vital component of this expansion is an explosion of interest from student-facing staff on college and university campuses: career development, academic advising, religious and spiritual life, community engagement, internships, athletics, student success, international studies, and more. Educators are coming to appreciate the impact of working with students as they explore and discern their callings, both within and beyond the curriculum. Studies in Vocation and Calling is therefore structured to feature a range of professional voices from across the academy, from classroom faculty to student-facing staff to coaches to administrators—and even student leaders.
Whatever your role on campus, we invite you to consider contributing!
Frequently Asked Questions
If I am a faculty member and need credit for publishing, does this journal provide it?
Studies in Vocation and Calling includes a double-blind peer reviewed section of articles. This is the common standard for providing faculty members with credit for scholarly publication. We invite traditional academic articles that engage questions of vocation using theoretical frameworks from a range of disciplines. Articles may focus on theory or practice, and should engage with the emerging scholarly literature on vocation.
Can I write about the vocation-related work being carried out on our campus?
Yes. We invite professionals from across campus to write about concrete practices that help develop and strengthen the vocational capacities of their students. What has and has not worked in your curriculum or programming? What theoretical frameworks or conversations are informing your program or curricular development? What are you observing, experimenting with, and learning? Contributions can be used to join (or start) a conversation about the practices that encourage vocational exploration and discernment among students, whether through narrative descriptions, case studies, qualitative or quantitative research, interviews, or any other format that helps readers understand what is working (and what isn’t) in the realm of vocational exploration and discernment.
I just want to write about my own perspective on vocation. Is that an option?
Yes. Vocational reflection takes many forms, and there is space for personal perspectives in Studies in Vocation and Calling. We invite essays, poetry, fiction, and other genres that highlight themes related to calling and vocation, with a particular focus on the role that these concepts play in higher education, especially at the undergraduate level. These contributions are reviewed by the journal’s editors (i.e., they are not peer-reviewed). Feel free to submit material via the portal, or—if you want to talk through an idea—contact Managing Editor Krista Hughes at khughes@cic.edu to discuss your project.
What background do I need, in order to write?
If you have been involved in vocation-related projects on your campus, you probably already have some good raw material with which to work. In addition, a wide variety of resources is available to support the work of vocation and calling—not only books and articles, but also films, podcasts, television shows, documentaries, and more. We encourage you to use these resources, where appropriate, as you write. In addition, we are always looking for new resources to provide to the NetVUE community and beyond. What have you encountered that enriched your thinking about vocation and would support other professionals in the network? If you have a good idea, reach out to Erin VanLaningham, NetVUE director of project development, at evanlaningham@cic.edu.
Yes, I am interested! Where can I learn more?
The submission portal is now open. Submissions are considered on a rolling basis. For full consideration to be included in a Fall issue, authors should submit their work no later than February 1 of each year, and for full consideration to be included in a Spring issue, authors should submit no later than August 1 of each year.
If you have questions or would like to explore an idea for development, contact Krista Hughes, NetVUE director of resource development and managing editor of the journal, at khughes@cic.edu.
Editorial Details
Studies in Vocation and Calling is produced by the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE), a program of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), and is made possible through the generosity of Lilly Endowment Inc. Opinions and positions expressed in the journal are solely those of their authors and do not express the opinions or policies of the NetVUE program, CIC, or Lilly Endowment Inc.
Editorial Staff
Editor-in-Chief: David S. Cunningham, Professor of Theology, Aquinas College (MI) and NetVUE Executive Director
Managing Editor: Krista E. Hughes, Professor of Religion, Wofford College (SC) and NetVUE Director of Professional Development
Book and Resource Review Editor: Erin VanLaningham, Professor of English, Loras College (IA) and Director of Project Development
Graphic Designer: Alexandra Stephenson, NetVUE Communications Coordinator
Editorial Board
Marjorie Hass, CIC President, Chair
Julie Massey, Boston College (MA)
Donna Carroll, Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities
Rachel Mikva, Chicago Theological Seminary
Andy Chan, Wake Forest University (NC)
Alison Noble, Fresno Pacific University (CA)
Joel Cunningham, Sewanee: The University of the South (TN)
Eboo Patel, Interfaith America
Richard Hughes, Lipscomb University (TN)
Shirely Roels, Founding Director, NetVUE
Esteban Loustaunau, Assumption University (MA)
Paul Wadell, St. Norbert College (WI) Emeritus
Jason Mahn, Augustana College (IL)
Lamont Wells, Network of ELCA Colleges and Universities
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.