These events begin on Saturday, March 26, at 1:00 p.m. and conclude at 4:00 p.m. that afternoon. The price for either workshop is $50. Some participants may wish to remain for dinner at their own expense. For those who need an additional night of accommodation, a limited number of rooms may be available at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel for Saturday night at the conference rate of $184; to reserve your room, please ask for the extra night when you make your hotel reservation for the conference, and pay for the extra night on site.
Measuring Impact: Demonstrating the Value of Vocation-Related Initiatives
Educators recognize the centrality of data to academic decision-making, assessing program initiatives, showcasing successes, and addressing shortcomings. But not all educators have the background and resources to undertake this work, and not all assessment tools work for the entire range of vocation-related activities—from faculty workshops and in-classroom activities to co-curricular initiatives in student affairs, career services, or campus ministry.
This Saturday afternoon workshop will offer guiding principles and practical tips for those tasked with designing, directing, and assessing vocation-related programming. Participants will leave equipped with tools to demonstrate how well their programs achieve their stated goals. The workshop will focus on helping NetVUE leaders demonstrate the connections between vocation-related initiatives and their institution’s strategic priorities, including improved retention and graduation rates. Throughout the workshop, participants will work collaboratively, developing action plans that they can take back to campus, with the goal of quickly initiating or improving evaluation efforts in their vocation-related programming.
Tim Clydesdale, Vice Provost, Dean of Graduate Studies, and Professor of Sociology, The College of New Jersey
Lisa Jasinski, Special Assistant to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Trinity University (TX)
Promoting Vocational Exploration among Minoritized Students
Over the past two decades, programs to help students explore vocation and calling have had a significant impact on their collegiate experience, their career decisions, and the future direction of their lives. Unfortunately, however, the absorption of these programs among undergraduates has been dramatically uneven. In particular, at many institutions, students from minoritized groups participate in vocational exploration and discernment programming at a much lower rate than is the case for other identity groups.
In this Saturday afternoon workshop, participants will explore some of the reasons for this phenomenon: structural inequities that are built into many academic institutions, well-intentioned pedagogies that miss the mark, and messages that minoritized students have received throughout their lives—long before arriving at college. Most of the workshop will focus on practical steps to create vocation-related programs that are appropriate for the particular circumstances of minoritized students, making it possible for them to take full advantage of these opportunities. Workshop leaders will encourage participants to explore their own institutions’ practices—those that facilitate this work, as well as those that may be creating obstacles (no matter how unintentionally). Participants will also exchange best practices for developing programs that avoid creating a culture of mainstream and margins, but instead provide a “free and ordered space” in which all students can participate on an equal footing.
Chris Arguedas, Director, Intercultural Community Center, and Special Assistant to the President for Equity and Justice, Occidental College
Kiki Kosnick, Assistant Professor of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, Augustana College (IL)
Richard Sévère, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of English, Valparaiso University