Learning and Networking | The NetVUE Big Read Program: Request Your Books and Join the Upcoming Webinar

Finding the time to organize meaningful professional development opportunities on campus can be challenging. NetVUE’s Big Read program provides an easy way to engage campuses in meaningful conversations about vocation. This year’s selection, Norman Wirzba’s Love’s Braided Dance: Hope in a Time of Crisis, is a timely text that many campuses have already found useful. As part of the program, NetVUE provides campuses with complimentary copies of the book, along with several resources to help guide discussion, including a series of webinars and blog posts developed to support this program. To participate in the program, Campus Contacts need to submit a brief proposal.  

In September, NetVUE hosted a conversation with Wirzba for its first webinar of this year. The recording of this webinar and two blog posts about the book on Vocation Matters are available for campus leaders to use for discussion and reflection:

• “Big Read Webinar (2026–27), Part 1: A Conversation with the Author”  
• “Hope, Resonance, and Work that Matters: Reflecting on Love’s Braided Dance” 
• “Building Connections and Community through NetVUE’s Big Read” 

Coming up, check out the “Big Read Webinar (2026–27), Part 2: Questions Across the Disciplines” on Wednesday, November 4, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern (3:00 p.m. Central, 2:00 p.m. Mountain, 1:00 p.m. Pacific). Hosted by John Barton and Erin VanLaningham, this 60-minute conversation will feature Mari Elise Ewing from Austin College (TX) and Justin Klassen from Bellarmine University (KY). The discussion will surface key questions that Big Read facilitators and participants might find useful as they read the book together. Some readers might have questions about the ecological focus of the book, while others might be interested in exploring how Wirzba’s theological framework informs his discussion. Presenters will offer some approaches on how to ask good questions from a variety of disciplinary perspectives and campus roles. 

This webinar is open to anyone at a NetVUE member institution at no cost, but registration is required. To learn more about the webinar, visit the webinar’s website. To register, go to the registration page. Encourage your colleagues to register for the webinar and consider using it as a starting point for campus conversations about this year’s Big Read.