Celebrations
Congratulations to the 2026 Religion/Theology/Vocation Seminar Participants
The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), through its Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE), has selected 12 individuals through a competitive nomination process to participate in the 2026 summer seminar on Religion/Theology/Vocation. CIC and NetVUE are grateful for the support of Lilly Endowment Inc., which makes this event possible. The seminar is for full-time faculty members to 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. Participants in the 2026 Religion/Theology/Vocation seminar will gather from August 3-7 at The Alexander in Indianapolis, IN.
Seminar discussions will cover a range of activities that can enhance vocational exploration in undergraduate education. The primary focus of the seminar will extend beyond classroom applications to include research, writing, and institutional leadership on the topic of vocation. Participants will be led in conversation and reflection by Jason Mahn, professor of religion and director of the Presidential Center for Faith and Learning at Augustana College, and Nicole Johnson, professor of religious studies and chair of the department of interdisciplinary humanities at the University of Mount Union. For more information about this and other seminars that NetVUE offers, visit the NetVUE website.
The following individuals were selected for the 2026 Religion/Theology/Vocation seminar:
Stephen Haynes, Rhodes College (TN)
Carl Hughes, Texas Lutheran University
Krista Hughes, Wofford College (SC)
Zachary Karanovich, Mount Mary University (WI)
Jacob Kohlhaas, Loras College (IA)
Mandy McMichael, Baylor University (TX)
Wendy Mohler-Seib, Friends University (KS)
Kevin O’Brien, Pacific Lutheran University (WA)
Irfan Omar, Marquette University (WI)
Scott Paeth, DePaul University (IL)
Kristyn Sessions, Simpson College (IA)
Sr. Malia Wong, Chaminade University of Honolulu (HI)
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 Madeline Smanik, NetVUE communications specialist, at msmanik@cic.edu.