NetVUE offers seminars and colloquies for faculty members, staff, and administrators at member institutions. These programs are funded through member dues and generous support from Lilly Endowment Inc., which means that they are available at little or no additional cost to members. Visit individual seminar and colloquy pages to learn more about the process and deadlines for applications and nominations.
NetVUE Summer Seminars
Teaching Vocational Exploration
The NetVUE faculty seminar, “Teaching Vocational Exploration,” is open to full-time faculty members in all fields at NetVUE member institutions. The seminar is designed for early- to mid-career faculty members, who will learn to strengthen the teaching of vocational exploration in their own classrooms and to initiate conversations about vocation and pedagogy with colleagues on their home campuses. The seminar takes place in June at a location in the central part of the country; all participant expenses are paid, including a travel stipend.
Faculty members must be nominated for this opportunity by the chief academic officer at their institution. They are asked to submit a CV and a statement indicating their interest in the seminar, as well as a description of the course that they hope to design or modify as part of their work at the seminar.
Vocation Across Campus
The NetVUE Staff Seminar “Vocation Across Campus: Supporting Students’ Search for Meaning” is open to full-time staff members—in any division—at the assistant director or director level or the equivalent. Participants will have the opportunity to learn more about vocation and its importance for undergraduate students, to develop or revise programming or initiatives to support vocational exploration, and to cultivate a broader network of colleagues committed to supporting students’ work in this area. The seminar takes place in June at a location in the central part of the country; all participant expenses are paid, including a travel stipend.
Staff must be nominated for this opportunity by the cabinet level supervisor at their institution. They are asked to submit a CV and a statement indicating their interest in the seminar, as well as a description of the program or project that they hope to design or modify as part of their work at the seminar.
Enhancing Vocational Exploration
The “Enhancing Vocational Exploration” Seminar is open to faculty members and staff at NetVUE member institutions. The seminar is designed to bring together a small group of educators who seek to contribute to the growing national conversation about vocation and calling. Participants in this seminar will bring to the table their experiences with vocation on their own campuses, whether in teaching, research, writing, service, or inter-office cooperation. The typical nominee will have some experience of vocational reflection—whether through classroom teaching, working with students outside of the classroom setting, reading and writing about vocation, or some form of institutional leadership around vocation. The seminar takes place in June at a location in the central part of the country; all participant expenses are paid, including a travel stipend.
Faculty members and staff must be nominated for this opportunity by the cabinet level supervisor at their institution. They are asked to submit a CV and a statement indicating their interest in the seminar, as well as a description of the anticipated results for the nominee’s work for their institution and for the wider national conversation on vocational exploration and discernment.
Institutional Leadership for Vocation
The NetVUE Seminar “Institutional Leadership for Vocation” is open to faculty members and staff who have taken on administrative roles (associate deans, assistant provosts, and the like) and who would like to explore campus-wide projects that encourage vocational exploration. The goal of this seminar is to bring together a group of current leaders who are eager to explore how vocational exploration and discernment can play a greater role across campus, particularly in the work that these leaders do with members of the faculty and staff, but also in curricular and co-curricular programming for students. The seminar takes place in June at a location in the central part of the country; all participant expenses are paid, including a travel stipend.
Faculty members and staff must be nominated for this opportunity by the cabinet level supervisor at their institution. They are asked to submit a CV and a statement indicating their interest in the seminar, as well as a description of their current understanding of and experience with leadership and with vocation, and the anticipated results for the nominee’s work for their institution.
Religion/Theology/Vocation
The NetVUE seminar “Religion/Theology/Vocation” is intended for full-time faculty members in the field of theology and/or religious studies at NetVUE member institutions. Participants will examine the interrelationship of the study of vocation and calling with the academic fields of theology and religious studies, exploring implications for research, teaching, and service to the institution. The goal of the seminar is to provide participants with a deeper understanding of the relationship of vocation to higher education, to support their investigations of the uses and disadvantages of these concepts within theology and religious studies, and to establish a broader network of faculty members committed to exploring vocation and calling as an area of scholarship within their discipline. The seminar takes place in August at a location in the central part of the country; all participant expenses are paid, including a travel stipend.
Faculty members may apply for this seminar directly. They are asked to submit a CV and a statement indicating their interest in the seminar, as well as a letter of recommendation from a colleague in the field.
Life and Health Sciences/Vocation
The NetVUE seminar “Life and Health Sciences/Vocation” is intended for full-time faculty members in scientific disciplines at all levels at NetVUE member institutions. Participants will probe a variety of understandings of vocation, focusing on the central themes of life, stewardship, and human health in undergraduate education. The goal of the seminar is to provide participants with a deeper understanding of how vocational discernment intersects with scientific inquiry and to establish a broader network of faculty members committed to exploring vocation as an area of scholarship within the life and health sciences. The seminar takes place in August at a location in the central part of the country; all participant expenses are paid, including a travel stipend.
Faculty members may apply for this seminar directly. They are asked to submit a CV and a statement indicating their interest in the seminar, as well as a letter of recommendation from a colleague in the field.
Writing Vocation: A Colloquy for Future Contributors
The colloquy “Writing Vocation” is open to writers from all disciplines, in all institutional roles, and with any level of experience. Participants in the colloquy will become familiar with and better equipped to write about vocation in different contexts. They will learn about opportunities within NetVUE to write about vocation, develop possible projects, and create a writing plan for such work. Colloquy facilitators will lead participants through a series of sessions and share insights into how to approach writing about vocation in different genres and for different audiences, such as writing for blogs and for professional journals Participants will be given time to explore writing projects about vocation, to do some writing, and to consult individually with the facilitators.
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