Integrating vocation into first-year programming is appealing to many NetVUE leaders, given that it provides a means for reaching all incoming students at the same time and for getting early buy-in for vocation-related practices. On the other hand, NetVUE has heard from many institutions about the challenges—and even some disadvantages—involved in robust vocation programming in the first year. In this workshop, a team will present what they have learned from research and interviews about best practices in first-year programming, including what works well and what institutions might want to consider avoiding. Participants will have the opportunity to consider how they might approach vocation in their first-year programming based on the overall landscape of vocation at their institution.
Michelle Steffenhagen, Wellbeing Program Coordinator, Bethel University (MN)
Cynthia A. Wells, Dean for Faculty Development, Director of the Ernest L. Boyer Center, and Professor of Higher Education, Messiah University (PA)
Ryan J. White, Associate Dean of Leadership Development and Applied Learning, Hope College (MI)