NetVUE Summer Seminar: Vocation Across Campus

The NetVUE Summer Seminar: Vocation Across Campus is an enriching opportunity offered by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) specifically for full-time staff at member colleges and universities. This seminar is designed to assist staff in directing campus programs or serving in administrative roles without faculty appointments, focusing on supporting students in their search for meaning and vocation.

Taking place at the Central Station Hotel in Memphis, TN, the seminar spans five days, where participants will engage in discussions aimed at enhancing their understanding of vocational exploration and discernment. Staff will reflect on their personal vocational journeys and how these experiences can shape their work with undergraduate students. They will also explore various frameworks for vocation, considering how these align with their institutions' missions and how to foster deeper vocational exploration through existing office programs.

Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to design new or revised initiatives that incorporate vocational discernment, while learning about the characteristics of emerging adults and the dynamics that support or hinder their vocational exploration.

The seminar includes substantial social time to build a supportive cohort among participants. Nominees must be nominated by a cabinet member from their institution, affirming that they will be fully released from campus obligations during the seminar week. Participants are expected to develop or enhance programming focused on vocational exploration in the academic year following the seminar.

Nominations are open to one full-time staff member from each NetVUE member institution, specifically at the assistant director or director level. The seminar is financially supported by a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., covering most costs, including travel reimbursement. The selection of participants will be announced in January 2027, and this seminar is an excellent platform for staff to contribute to national conversations about vocation and calling, as well as to explore campus-wide projects encouraging vocational exploration.