Learning and Networking | Exploring Our Callings to Higher Education: An Invitation to Join the Conversation

Consider your vocational journey with its many twists and turns, surprises and setbacks. For what parts of your vocational journey are you grateful today?

This question comes from a Big Read reflection resource developed by Kari Kloos, NetVUE grant program officers and interim vice president for mission at Regis University. The resource is intended to help people reflect on their vocational experiences, and its reflective questions could be used at the beginning of a gathering or perhaps as a pre-meeting reflection. Drawn from the Ignatian Examen—which itself was adapted from the ancient Stoics—this reflection is just one of the resources included with the Big Read program as part of the network-wide conversation this year about our callings to higher education.

This year’s Big Read features Bonnie Miller-McLemore’s book, Follow Your Bliss and Other Lies About Calling. A nationally and internationally recognized leader in Christian theology and in women and childhood studies, Miller-McLemore is the author, co-author, or editor of eighteen books, as well as over a hundred chapters and journal articles. Follow Your Bliss and Other Lies About Calling offers a unique opportunity to foster meaningful dialogue among faculty members, staff members, and administrators about the realities of calling—especially in times of uncertainty, burnout, or transition. By participating in the Big Read, faculty members and staff at NetVUE institutions can discover language, ideas, and prompts from Miller-McLemore that may be helpful as they explore challenging and worthwhile questions with colleagues and students.

Over 400 individuals have already joined the conversation this year. Some institutions completed their Big Read during the fall semester, while others will continue into the spring semester or are just getting started. One institution shared that “participants highlighted the value of hearing vocational stories from across campus, reflecting on their own journeys, and encountering new ways to connect purpose with practice. The text itself provided common language and compelling frameworks for thinking vocationally in community.” Another institution that completed their Big Read this fall also echoed the value of spending time together:

“During each meeting, participants expressed that they appreciated a chance to gather and talk more about vocation after having committed so much time to the initial callings program. One participant went so far as to say that she would ‘gladly meet once a week to have these conversations because they help keep her focused on vocation when working with students.’ Another participant said this book discussion ‘was especially helpful because it put the focus on others when vocation can seem more inwardly focused.’”

Your institution can join the conversation by starting the Big Read at any time of the year. The start of a new semester could be a good time to launch your programming, or a summer reading group might make more sense for your campus. Institutions that would like to participate in this network-wide conversation can request up to 20 copies of the book (through the institution’s NetVUE campus contact) for a planned reading group. Visit the NetVUE Big Read website to apply and view the range of resources that we offer.