NetVUE renewal grant to assist Erskine examination of ‘calling’

Erskine College has received a $10,000 Vocation Exploration Grant from the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE). NetVUE is a special project of the Council of Independent Colleges. NetVUE previously funded a two- year project at Erskine, Flourishing and Vocational Excellence (FaVE).

“This renewal grant builds upon some of the promising developments from Erskine’s FaVE efforts, and targets faculty-staff development and student experience,” Grady Patterson Professor of Politics Dr. Ashley Woodiwiss said.

The planning team for the development of the renewal grant includes, in addition to Woodiwiss, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Brad Christie; Coordinator for Student Transitions Trent Payne; Assistant Professor of English Dr. Christine Schott; and Vice President for Communications and Strategic Initiatives Cliff Smith.

Three events related to the renewal grant are planned for this academic year, Woodiwiss said.

First, a retreat entitled “Our Students and Our Calling” is set for Sept. 9-10. The program will help Erskine faculty and staff “reflect on the ways in which students can be brought into meaningful and purposeful conversations about vocation which can take place beyond the routine encounters in classes and offices.”

In October, a retreat for third-year students “will provide an opportunity for a group of soon-to-be-seniors to consider the nature of a well-lived life and the integration of professional success and Christian service.”

During the spring semester, a second student retreat “focuses on first-year students and introduces them to the idea of vocation and the call to live life to the glory of God and in Christian service to the church and the world.”

Woodiwiss described the goal for all three retreats as “a deepening institution-wide commitment to the regular, ongoing reflection on what it means to live life well.”