Last summer, the Council of Independent Colleges launched the NetVUE LIVE Project (Longitudinal Investigation of Vocational Exploration). This major study, funded by Lilly Endowment Inc., will follow two cohorts of students as well as faculty members from 39 NetVUE institutions. This is expected to be the largest-ever longitudinal study focusing on outcomes related to calling and vocation. The project aims to shed light on best practices in fostering a deepening sense of calling, vocation, and purpose, particularly among undergraduate students at NetVUE member institutions, as they progress through their college years and embark on adult life. While the project is still in its beginning stages, this initial report will provide early insight into the difference that programming in vocational exploration and discernment is making—for students, for educators, and for their academic institutions. This workshop will present highlights from the initial wave of this research effort—with results from faculty, staff, and student participants—and will invite attendees to consider the implications of the data and to ask questions via interactive, roundtable discussions facilitated by all eight members of the LIVE Project team.
Denise Daniels, Hudson T. Harrison Professor of Entrepreneurship, Wheaton College (IL)
Bryan J. Dik, Professor of Psychology, Colorado State University
Ryan D. Duffy, Professor of Psychology, University of Florida