It鈥檚 a given that career prospects will rank at the top of the list for nearly any college student, but how much better if they actually enjoy the work that they go on to do and make a difference while doing it?
That鈥檚 the premise behind the book 鈥淎t This Time and in This Place: Vocation and Higher
Education,鈥� edited by Dr. David S. Cunningham of the 麻豆视频 faculty and published
this past fall by Oxford University Press. Featuring contributions by 13 authors,
the book is a scholarly examination of the concept of vocation鈥攑ursuing a meaningful
calling in life鈥攁nd how higher education can help students identify paths that offer
more than a paycheck alone.
鈥淎s students and their families invest in a college education, it鈥檚 natural that they鈥檙e concerned about employment, but there鈥檚 no reason for education to end there鈥攁nd very good reasons why it shouldn鈥檛,鈥� said Cunningham, who is a professor of religion at Hope as well as director of the college鈥檚 CrossRoads Project and David J. Klooster Center for Excellence in Writing. 鈥淲hat an unhappy life it would be to spend hours each day, and year after year, doing work one disliked, when some additional guidance could lead to a better understanding of what really matters and how to integrate these concerns into work that鈥檚 fulfilling. Who wouldn鈥檛 want that instead?鈥�
鈥淎t This Time and in This Place: Vocation and Higher Education鈥� is designed to help readers understand the nature and significance of vocational reflection and discernment. It describes how faculty and staff can help students reflect on the 鈥渂ig issues鈥� of meaning and purpose through classroom conversations, co-curricular activities, programs for community engagement, and even attention to a campus鈥檚 physical features. Its topics also include a historical overview of vocational discernment, as well as discussions of the current state of higher education, the role of faith in calling and vocation, and broader cultural trends.
The book is the first of three being developed by the Scholarly Resources Project of the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE), which is sponsored by the Washington, D.C.-based Council of Independent Colleges (CIC). Cunningham has directed the Scholarly Resources Project since it was created in 2012.
NetVUE is a nationwide network of more than 200 colleges and universities formed to enrich the intellectual and theological exploration of vocation among undergraduate students. Established in 2009, it is an outgrowth of the Programs for the Theological Exploration of Vocation (PTEV) initiative launched by Lilly Endowment Inc. in 1999, providing an ongoing opportunity for discussion and additional resources for institutions that had participated in PTEV as well as for others.
Hope received grants from Lilly Endowment Inc. in both 2003 and 2008 to establish and enhance CrossRoads, which has helped expand campus exploration of vocation, including through long-running academic programs such as Hope鈥檚 First-Year Seminars and Senior Seminars; support for individual departments creating additional programming; and participation in workshops and external events for students. Based on the success of Hope鈥檚 program, and his active engagement nationally in discussions related to the development of programs on vocational discernment, Cunningham was asked by the CIC to organize a 2008 conference (out of which NetVUE originated). Subsequently he was named director of that organization鈥檚 Scholarly Resource Project.
Cunningham noted that Hope has been a national leader in what has been a growing movement in higher education, reflecting not only the success of CrossRoads but the overall character of the education that Hope provides.
鈥淚 think the ground here at Hope was well prepared for a conversation about vocation and calling,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hese were questions that people here were already asking: 鈥榃here can I go and have an impact?鈥� 鈥榃here can I meet a need in the world?鈥� 鈥榃hat makes for a flourishing life鈥攁 life well-lived?鈥欌��
In addition to Cunningham, the book鈥檚 authors include Quincy D. Brown of LaGrange college; William T. Cavanaugh of DePaul University; Douglas V. Henry of Baylor University; Thomas Albert (Tal) Howard of Gordon College; Kathryn A. Kleinhans of Wartburg College; Charles Pinches of the University of Scranton; Darby K. Ray of Bates College; Caryn D. Riswold of Illinois College; Hannah Schell of Monmouth College; Paul J. Wadell of St. Norbert College; Stephen H. Webb of Wabash College; and Cynthia A. Wells of Messiah College.
鈥淎t This Time and in This Place: Vocation and Higher Education鈥� costs $35 and is available at the college鈥檚 Hope-Geneva Bookstore. The bookstore is located on the ground level of the DeWitt Center, 141 E. 12th St., and can be called at 800-946-4673 or (616) 395-7833 or emailed at bookstore@hope.edu.