Newsletter Article

Erin VanLaningham In this post-pandemic reality, as educators continue to adapt to student needs and societal expectations about the value of a college education, Michael Roth’s new book, The Student may help us get our bearings . Roth provides a roadmap to contextualize the foundational values of American university education and helps us see the […]

Teaching Vocational Exploration in the Biology Classroom Prince Agbedanu (March 27, 2024) “The title of this post may make you pause, first to consider what it means to teach vocational exploration in biology, and then to consider how it could be done in your courses. In the undergraduate biology classroom, you may have to explain […]

On A Life Worth Living: Miroslav Volf As professor of theology at Yale Divinity School and director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture, Miroslav Volf is one of the most influential Christian theologians of this generation. He is also someone who cares deeply about issues of vocation and human flourishing. In this episode, […]

It’s the next best thing to being there! Rachel Pickett, NetVUE webinar coordinator, recently hosted a virtual gathering of several members of the NetVUE staff, including David Cunningham, executive director. For those who were on their institution’s team for the 2024 NetVUE Conference, this webinar offered an opportunity to relive some of the highlights and to discuss what worked well and what could be improved. For those unable to be in Atlanta, the webinar provided a small-scale vicarious experience of the event.

We hope that, whether from your experience at the conference or through the stories shared in this newsletter, you encounter ideas that help you think about next steps for vocation in your classroom or on your campus. Whatever your next steps are, remember that NetVUE has professional development programs that are designed to help you move your project forward by providing resources and additional support. You don’t have to travel to take advantage of most of these opportunities, which are made available to you through the generous support of Lilly Endowment Inc.

The sessions that took place under the general theme of “Is This My Calling? Or Just My Major?” were a new addition to the NetVUE conference offerings. Colleagues who work within similar fields from various institutions were grouped together to provide unique insight on the kinds of questions, challenges, and opportunities students in related majors have for vocational reflection. One central theme that stood out was that, even though we are all teachers of students (as opposed to teachers of disciplines), the disciplines do provide important languages for students to use and claim as they pursue futures informed by their educations.

In two rounds of campus-based sessions, teams of presenters from 19 different institutions shared projects, initiatives, and practices that they are using to enhance vocational reflection. If anything could stand out as a theme across 19 different sessions, it would be the importance of anchoring vocational reflection to the distinctiveness of a given institution.

The concurrent workshops were designed to bring together leaders and experts from different institutions who are working on similar themes. This piece highlights four of the nine sessions that considered the unique needs that different student populations may have in their pursuits of meaningful lives. Sessions reviewed here are “Accompanying Queer Students into Vocational Discernment” (RJ Rapoza, Kiki Kosnick, and Mary Elise Lowe, above); “Bringing ‘The Good Life Method’ to Your Campus” (Meghan Sullivan, at right); “Race, Class, and Belonging in Vocational Discourse”; and “Vocation and College Athletes."

In addition to the regular conference sessions, NetVUE provided special topical gatherings prior to the conference on Wednesday and Thursday and after the conference concluded on Saturday. For those who could not attend, the following reflections offer an entry point into the conversations from “Vocation: The Role of the Faculty,” “Making Assessment Practical: Tools for Evaluating NetVUE Grants and Programs,” and “Post-Conference Workshop: “How to Tell Your Story: Narrative Communication Strategies.”

The 2024 NetVUE Conference on “Vocation for the Life of the World” brought campus leaders from across the country together around the question of how best to prepare students to contribute to the common good. Anchoring that conversation were three powerful plenary speakers who, while approaching the question of vocation for the life of the world differently, strengthened and deepened our understanding of this important work.