Franklin College announced today it received a Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) Professional Development Award in the amount of $9,770 from The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC). The award is made possible by funds CIC received from Lilly Endowment Inc.

The award will be used to reinvigorate faculty and staff by providing opportunities to explore vocation at the employee, student and institutional levels. A steering committee of eight faculty and staff members will guide a yearlong program that will be open to all interested college employees. Participants will engage in a series of conversations sparked by a short, virtual presentation prompt anchoring themes related to vocational discernment and identity. Through this experience, faculty and staff members will articulate a renewed vision for both their own vocation and place in the world, which will prepare them to guide students in their own vocational identity formation. This program will also be a catalyst for future vocational programming design at the college, including informing its reconceptualization of academic advising practices.

Participants will have a vision for how vocation-centered advising can provide students the care and attention they need to thrive and persist. Included within each event will be an intentional discussion opportunity with participants regarding how topics and themes related to vocation exploration can be embedded into the delivery of their course content, supervision of student internship experiences, or co-curricular offerings.

“We are grateful to NetVUE for their recognition of this proposal that will allow us to invest in our faculty and staff, which in turn will allow them to better support our students,” said Kristin Flora, Ph.D., vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college. “Our campus community has spent 18 months pouring themselves into the work of educating students through a pandemic, so creating space for them to find renewal in their work is a demonstrable way of supporting their own well-being.”

NetVUE is a nationwide network of colleges and universities formed to enrich the intellectual and theological exploration of vocation among undergraduate students. The initiative is administered by the CIC with generous support from Lilly Endowment Inc. and members’ dues.

NetVUE Professional Development Awards may be requested by any member institution in amounts ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 for use over one year for professional development activities that enhance the knowledge, skills and expertise of faculty and staff members who play important roles in undergraduate vocational initiatives. The purpose of the initiative is to develop campus conversations about vocation and to deepen the capacity of those who lead vocational exploration efforts at NetVUE member institutions.

For more information, please contact the Franklin College Office of Communications at (317) 738-8185.

POSTED Aug 26, 2021