Celebrations
Congratulations to the 2026 Recipients of NetVUE Grants to Individuals for Vocational Exploration
The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), through its Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE), has awarded NetVUE Grants to Individuals for Vocational Exploration to 22 individuals for a total of over $325,000, supporting projects that will develop and expand the existing field of scholarship, conversation, and pedagogy on vocation in undergraduate education. CIC and NetVUE are grateful for the support of Lilly Endowment Inc., which makes this grant possible. This is the second set of awards of this NetVUE grant during the first year in which it was offered, bringing the total to 39 Grants to Individuals for Vocational Exploration awarded to faculty members and staff at NetVUE member institutions.
“The Grants to Individuals program has surpassed our expectations in its first year,” said Kari Kloos, NetVUE grant program officer. “We received many excellent proposals, and the recipients’ projects will expand the scholarly field of vocation in areas such as undergraduate research, fine arts, intercultural engagement, sports management, and overcoming systemic barriers to vocational exploration.”
NetVUE empowers independent colleges and universities to guide undergraduates in exploring and discerning their many callings in life. This cohort of 22 individuals are undertaking important projects in resource development, programmatic research, curriculum development, and scholarship in the area of vocation. For more information about each project, visit the NetVUE website.
The list of individuals receiving a NetVUE Grant to Individuals for Vocational Exploration in 2026 includes:
Suzanne Ashworth, Otterbein University (OH)
Lydia Bechtel, Friends University (KS)
Tara Brooke Watkins, Salve Regina University (RI)
Jennifer Browdy, Simon’s Rock at Bard College (NY)
Nathan Carson, Fresno Pacific University (CA)
Kelly Chaney, Morningside University (IA)
Stephenie Chaudoir, College of the Holy Cross (MA)
Justin Compton, Stonehill College (MA)
Danielle Corple, Wheaton College (IL)
Michelle Falter, St. Norbert College (WI)
Jamie Fazio, Nazareth University (NY)
Alvaro Gonzalez Alba, Regis University (CO)
Precious Hall, St. Lawrence University (NY)
Lori Lohman, Augsburg University (MN)
Molly Lockart, Samford University (AL)
Rebecca Loret de Mola, Aquinas College (MI)
Laurel Potter, University of St. Thomas (MN)
Ellen Prusinski, Centre College (KY)
Michelle Steffenhagen, Bethel University (MN)
Kevin Tate, John Carroll University (OH)
Matt Vos, Covenant College (GA)
More about CIC and NetVUE
The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) is an association of over 600 nonprofit independent colleges and universities, state-based councils, and higher education affiliates that works to support college and university leadership, advance institutional excellence, and enhance public understanding of independent higher education’s contributions to society. CIC provides members with ideas, resources, and programs that help institutions improve their leadership expertise, educational programs, administrative and financial performance, and institutional visibility.
The Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) is a program of CIC with over 350 members. The purpose of NetVUE is to increase the capacity of independent colleges and universities to support their undergraduate students as they explore and discern their many callings in life. The process of vocational reflection is an interdisciplinary endeavor, bringing together theological, philosophical, ethical, historical, and affective approaches, and implementing the theoretical reflections of these fields in vocation related practices. Campuses are encouraged to support students in this work through a variety of academic departments, pre-professional programs, and campus offices. NetVUE is governed by a principle of subsidiarity: individual member institutions are encouraged to shape their work related to vocation and calling— including the vocabularies that they use to describe this work—in ways that are best suited to their own missions, teaching philosophies, student demographics, and other matters best known to those who lead and guide this work on campus.
To report a technical problem with the website, or to offer suggestions for navigation and content issues, please contact Alex Stephenson, NetVUE communications coordinator, at astephenson@cic.edu.