2025 NetVUE Regional Gathering
Vocation and the Common Good: The Call of Belonging and Community
Location: Furman University, Greenville, SC
Dates: February 20-22, 2025
REGISTER HERE
What is the NetVUE Regional Gathering?
Celebrating the new NetVUE volume Called Beyond Our Selves: Vocation and the Common Good, this regional gathering will feature some of the contributing writers to the volume around the topic of vocational discernment in the context of the common good. When we invite students to see their lives as connected with others’ well-being, the ways we define meaning, purpose and success shift.
Given the increasing polarization of contemporary civic life and the challenges within higher education, the regional gathering invites faculty, staff and administrators to consider how we live into/know our place and how we encourage students to discern vocations for the common good.
What topics will be discussed at the gathering?
This regional gathering will center on the theme of belonging considering such questions as:
- How do we help our students to explore and discern their vocations in ways that strengthen experiences of belonging in their current and future lives?
- How do our institutional narratives include those from our past who were once made to feel they did not belong?
- How can we create sustainable and compassionate classrooms so that our students feel they belong in our community?
- How do we engage with one another, across difference, so that we invite all into productive dialogue?
- What spaces on campus and activities beyond our campus can we create that connect us more meaningfully to one another?
Receive a free copy of the new volume, Called Beyond Our Selves: Vocation and the Common Good
All participants will receive a copy of the new volume, Called Beyond Our Selves: Vocation and the Common Good; which is also NetVUE’s “Big Read” selection for the 2024-25 academic year.
Regional Gathering Details
Thursday, February 20
- 6:30-8:30pm Welcome Reception-Downtown Greenville, The Lazy Goat, Caprine Room, 170 River Place, Greenville
- Hors D’oeuvres and beverages will be served. The Lazy Goat is a 9-minute walk from the Hyatt Place Downtown hotel, or a 4-minute drive.
Friday, February 21
- 8:00 am Transportation, Coach Service from Hyatt Place Downtown to Younts Conference Center, Furman University
- Complimentary coach service for registered participants, arriving at campus 8:30 am
- 8:15-8:45am Check-in, Younts Conference Center, Furman University, (1250 Duncan Chapel Road, Greenville)
- 9:00-9:30am Welcome
- Elizabeth Davis (President, Furman University)
- Michelle Horhota (Associate Dean for Advising and Mentoring, Furman University)
- 9:30-10:00am Overview of Vocation and the Common Good
- Erin VanLaningham (Professor of English, Loras College and Director, NetVUE Scholarly Resources Project)
- 10:00-11:00am Community Remembrance and Narratives
- Martin Dotterweich (Professor of History; Director, King Institute for Faith & Culture, King College)
- Christine Jeske (Associate Professor of Anthropology, Wheaton College)
- Teresa Cosby (Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Furman University)
- 11:15-12:15pm Transformational Encounters: Vocation in Community
- Jonathan Golden (Associate Professor of Religious Studies; Director, Center on Religion, Culture and Conflict, Drew University)
- Melanie Gordon (Director, Bridges to a Brighter Future, Furman University)
- Whitney Brown (Program Coordinator, Cothran Center, Furman University)
- 12:30-1:30pm Lunch, Watkins Room, Trone Student Center, Furman University
- This is a 12-minute walk through campus, Trolley service will be available for those wishing to ride over.
- 1:30-3:00pm Walking Tours on Furman’s Campus (Choose one)
- 1 Seeking Abraham Tour (a result of Furman’s self-study on slavery)
- 2 Furman Reflective Walk (a tour, with reflections, of locations on campus)
- 3:15-3:30pm: Snacks and Conversation
- Younts Conference Center
- 3:30-5:00pm Plenary Address and Facilitated Conversation
- Claire Whitlinger (Associate Professor of Sociology; Program Founder, Co-Director, Intergroup Dialogue Program, Furman University)
- 5:15 pm Conference Dinner – Younts Conference Center, Furman University
- 6:00pm Transportation, Coach Service from Younts Conference Center, Furman University to Hyatt Place Downtown
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- Complimentary coach service for registered participants, arriving at hotel at 6:30 pm
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Saturday, February 22
- 8:00 am Transportation, Coach Service from Hyatt Place Downtown to Younts Conference Center, Furman University
- Complimentary coach service for registered participants, arriving at campus 8:30 am
- 8:30-8:45am Check-in
- 9:00-10:00am Sustaining Vocations and Justice
- Meghan Slining (Associate Professor of Health Sciences, Furman University)
- Monica Smith (Vice President, Inclusion and Belonging, University of Richmond)
- Kerry Sease (Executive Director, Institute for the Advancement of Community Health, Furman University)
- 10:15-11:15am NetVUE Community Conversation
- John Harris (Professor, Mathematics; Director, The Cothran Center, Furman University)
- Elizabeth Smith (Professor, Politics and International Affairs; Assistant Faculty Director, The Cothran Center, Furman University)
- 11:30-12:00pm Closing Remarks (Erin VanLaningham, Professor of English, Loras College, and Director, NetVUE Scholarly Resources Project)
*Boxed Lunches Available for take-away
Registration Coming Soon!
- NetVUE member day rate (no lodging) – $50
- NetVUE member participants (includes lodging) – $100
- Non-NetVUE member day rate (no lodging) – $100
- Non-NetVUE member participants (includes lodging) – $400
The deadline to register is January 31, 2025. Lodging information is provided below.
Questions? Please contact us at [email protected].
All participants are responsible for their own travel to the Regional Gathering.
Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport is near Greer, South Carolina, midway between Greenville and Spartanburg, the major cities of the Upstate region.
Plan for a 25–30-minute drive to downtown Greenville. Rental cars (as well as Uber, Lyft, etc.) are available on site.
*Transportation from the airport to Hyatt Place Greenville Downtown is not included in the registration fee.
A complimentary shuttle bus will be provided for transportation between the hotel and the Furman Conference Center on Friday morning and afternoon, and Saturday morning.
Hyatt Place Greenville Downtown, South Carolina, puts you close to the city’s award-winning restaurants and bars, as well as exciting shopping and entertainment. The hotel is just steps from Falls Park on the Reedy River, Main Street, the Peace Center and Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
Hotel features include:
- Indoor pool
- 24-hour fitness center
- Complimentary breakfast
- A cozy bar
- 24/7 dining options
Lodging Reservation
NetVUE Regional Conference Reservation Link – Hyatt Place Greenville Downtown
Group Code: G-NVUE
- February 20 – 23, 2025 (Nights of February 20 and 21 are covered by registration).
- Cut-Off: January 31, 2025
- Parking: $15 per day for Valet, or $7.50 for self-parking across the street at the city garage
- 48-hour cancellation prior to arrival
Booking Instructions for Hyatt Place Greenville Downtown:
* Use the group-specific link here to book (the link puts the group code in for you), edit your arrival & departure dates (if needed) then click “update search”. Then click “select and book” on the room type you need. The nights of February 20 and 21 are covered by your registration fee. Additional nights at the group rate may be added at your own expense.
* OR Call 800-993-4784 and ask to reserve a room in the group block using the group name and group code G-NVUE over the contracted group dates.
Contact us with any questions regarding the Regional Gathering here:
- By telephone, reach The Cothran Center office at 864-294-2024.
- By email, [email protected]
This event is a partner experience between the NetVUE Scholarly Resources Project and the NetVUE “Big Read”. This event is made possible by the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE), and administered by the Council of Independent Colleges with generous support from Lilly Endowment Inc.