Dr. W. Carter Aikin, director of the Center for Vocation, Faith and Service (CVFS) and assistant professor in the religion and philosophy department at Hastings College, has been appointed a national NetVUE Consultant. The Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) provides a nationwide campus-supported network of 139 member institutions to expand and extend the conversation about vocational exploration.
NetVUE Consultants are college and university leaders who have strong experience in developing and sustaining campus programs for the exploration of vocation. Based on their years of experience and reflection, NetVUE Consultants are appointed to help guide other NetVUE campus communities to implement similar programs and initiatives. Hastings College is a founding member of NetVUE.
The CVFS’ goal is to better help students pursue lives of meaning and purpose, integrate their faith and work, and improve connections among the college, local and non-local churches, and local/national/global service agencies. As director, Aikin coordinates three programs at Hastings College: The Christian Ministry Program, which provides scholarships for undergraduate study and local ministry-related volunteer work; The Service Learning Program, which offers curricular and co-curricular service opportunities as tools for a liberal arts education; and The Ethics and Leadership Program, which organizes interdepartmental academic minors on the subject of leadership ethics.
In his work at Hastings College, Aikin led the transition from a temporary, grant-funded program on vocation and values to a permanent, college supported, on-campus center. He designed CVFS in conjunction with members of the Hastings College faculty, administration and board of trustees to foster warm cooperation with the campus as a whole and the community of Hastings. Notable strengths of the Center are its harmony with the identity and mission of the college, integrative and interdisciplinary nature, cost efficiency and infectious transformation of the student body. Prior to his work at Hastings, Aikin was assistant director for the PTEV program at Hanover College after earning his M.Div. from Duke University and Ph.D. in Christian ethics from the University of Notre Dame.
Hastings College, founded in 1882, is a private, four-year liberal arts institution affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). A total of 64 majors in 32 areas of study and 12 pre-professional programs are offered to more than 1,190 students. Hastings College was named among “America’s Best National Liberal Arts Colleges” by U.S. News & World Report, a “Best in the Midwest” by The Princeton Review, and a “Best Buy in College Education” by Barron’s. Visit www.hastings.edu for more information.

For more information, contact Dr. Carter Aikin at (402) 461-7769.