KEENE, Texas — Southwestern Adventist University has been selected to receive a Program Development Grant from the Council of Independent Colleges’ Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE). The $96,950 grant, made possible through support from Lilly Endowment Inc., will fund SWAU’s two-year initiative, “Purpose through Practice: Integrating Vocation and Calling into SWAU’s Innovation Framework,” from May 1, 2026, through April 30, 2028.

The grant will support SWAU’s continued work to help undergraduate students explore calling as part of their academic experience. Building on the university’s previous NetVUE-supported project, “Purpose through Practice” moves vocation-centered learning from meaningful campus conversation into sustained practice across the university.

The initiative is rooted in SWAU’s Pick One Innovation Framework, a university-wide effort that invites each department to pursue one mission-aligned project each academic year. Through this grant, faculty will have dedicated space to reflect on vocation within their disciplines and redesign learning experiences that help students connect their studies with a deeper sense of purpose. Faculty mini-grants will support course and advising projects that bring questions of calling into everyday academic life.

The project will also create structured opportunities for faculty and staff formation. Vocation-focused retreats and colloquia will give participants time to reflect on the spiritual, intellectual, and practical dimensions of their work. These gatherings are intended not as additional tasks, but as spaces for renewal and shared discernment, helping faculty consider how their fields contribute to SWAU’s mission of Christ-centered education.

Students will also be invited to reflect on vocation through an annual Arts Showcase on Vocation. The showcase will provide a creative space for students to express how they understand calling through visual art, music, writing, performance, film, and other forms of artistic work. Select pieces will be preserved through a digital archive and a printed anthology titled Stories of Purpose, allowing the campus community to celebrate the many ways students connect learning with meaning.

According to Dr. William Smith II, Vice President for Academic Administration, “This grant will help strengthen our commitment to helping students connect faith, purpose, learning, and service while supporting and empowering faculty to integrate vocation-centered practices throughout the university experience,” He adds that SWAU is “grateful to NetVUE and CIC for this opportunity to further advance Christ-centered innovation and student transformation.”

As part of the project, SWAU will develop vocation-centered materials for classes, advising conversations, and student support programs. Faculty models and revised course materials will be preserved in a campus vocation repository so the work can continue beyond the grant period. The university will also welcome guest speakers from NetVUE’s national network and peer

Christian institutions, connecting SWAU’s efforts to the broader conversation on vocation in higher education.

At its core, “Purpose through Practice” reflects SWAU’s mission to inspire knowledge, faith, and service through Christ-centered education. By helping students see their education as part of a larger calling, the initiative seeks to nurture graduates who understand their academic preparation as a foundation for faithful service.