Lipscomb University receives grant from Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education to support Center for Vocational Discovery

Lipscomb University has received a $12,000 grant from the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) in support of its Center for Vocational Discovery, which Lipscomb launched in 2022. The grant is a Professional Development Award that will help the school develop a capstone course to help students create their path forward after their education is completed.

According to an article on Lipscomb University’s website, Candice McQueen, who serves as the president of Lipscomb University, explained how the grant funding will be put to use, saying, “We are grateful for the support of NetVUE as we develop a key initiative in our initiative to integrate vocation and academics. The goals, activities and envisioned outcomes are aligned with Lipscomb’s Impact 360 strategic plan, and this grant will help us deliver our best as we develop this new initiative. The benefits will be felt by students and professors for years to come.”

The Center for Vocational Discovery’s mission is, according to its webpage, to give students the means to “Explor[e] opportunities at the intersection of your academic aspirations and life purpose.” The Center has been designed to take students on a journey throughout their academic career at Lipscomb, with each year of the student’s four years guided by a different pathway: their first year is Identity, their second year is Purpose, their third year is Vocation, and their final year is Location. Each pathway is a Christ-centered exploration of the student’s goals and purpose in life.

The grant from NetVUE will help develop a capstone course within the Center for Vocational Discovery to bring together the student’s learning experiences. The grant will specifically go toward training faculty via a seminar and retreat to discuss and develop the ideas within the Center’s curriculum, which the school is currently working on revising.

Provost Jennifer Shewmaker said of the grant, “It is our goal to walk alongside our students as they discover God's vocational call on their lives. This grant will allow Lipscomb to foster a community of practice amongst our faculty and staff as we support one another in teaching vocational exploration and serving as ambassadors and champions for vocation.”

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