Lipscomb University receives NetVUE grant for peer mentoring program

Lipscomb University has received a two-year Program Development Grant from the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE). The grant will allow the university to expand various efforts within its Center for Vocational Discovery, which seeks to help students discover their vocational passions.

According to an article on Lipscomb University’s website, Candice McQueen, the university’s president, was quoted as saying of the grant, "The Center for Vocational Discovery has become an important part of the Lipscomb experience by helping students connect their passions, talents and faith with meaningful lives of purpose. This grant allows us to deepen that work, equipping more students and faculty with tools that will strengthen vocational discovery across our campus which will have an impact on the lives of our students for years to come."

The University’s Center for Vocational Discovery was established in 2022. The center aims to help students discover their vocational passions that align with their academic interests and their God-given gifts. The center seeks to integrate vocational discovery into students’ first year experiences, through CliftonStrengths coaching, classroom experiences, workshops, retreats, and one-on-one vocational coaching.

The NetVUE grant will assist with the development of the Center for Vocational Discovery’s Vocational Pathways Initiative. The CVD Pathfinders program will train students to become peer vocational mentors and will create a vocational exploration field guide that faculty can integrate into their coursework to further help students explore their passions. The program will train between 24 to 30 students to become peer vocational mentors, which will significantly expand the reach of the program. These students will take part in specialized leadership development, facilitate one-on-one mentoring, lead small-group discussions, assist with vocational workshops and retreats,

Rob Touchstone, who serves as the executive director of the Center for Vocational Discovery, said, "One of the greatest opportunities we have is helping students see that vocation is much bigger than choosing a career — it's discovering how their strengths, passions and faith can be lived out in service to others throughout their lives. This grant will allow us to multiply that impact by equipping students to mentor one another while also giving faculty practical resources to connect vocational exploration directly to their disciplines. Together, those efforts will help students make deeper connections between who they are, what they are learning and how they are called to engage the world."

For more information about Lipscomb University, visit the school’s website.