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Lindsey Wilson University Group Aims to Help Students Discover Their Vocation

Yearlong project to explore opportunities that will enable students to find ways to connect careers with values.

by Duane Bonifer

COLUMBIA, Ky. (08/13/2026) — Less than two weeks before the start of Lindsey Wilson University's fall classes on Aug. 24, a dozen faculty and staff members held an off-campus retreat to lay plans for an initiative they hope will benefit students long after they have graduated.

The all-day discussion on Wednesday, Aug. 12, centered around how to better help the university's undergraduate students discover their vocation. The initiative, which is funded by a Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education grant, will be developed during the 2026-27 school year with the hope that it will lead to programming that can be utilized across the university.

Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education, also known as NetVUE, is a nationwide network of nearly 350 colleges and universities formed to support and enrich vocational exploration and discernment among undergraduates. NetVUE is a program of the Council of Independent Colleges and supported in part by the Lilly Endowment Inc.

Lindsey Wilson's NetVUE grant was secured by university Chaplain the Rev. Tyler Brumfield and Art Instructor Kristyne Gilbert.

Discovering a vocation

Lindsey Wilson students have academic advisers who help shepherd them on the path toward graduation, but the purpose of the vocations initiative is to explore ways that will cause students to think more broadly about their interests and life calling so that they can find ways to connect their careers with their values.

"We want to start a campus conversation about how to help our students discover a vocation," said Brumfield.

Brumfield said that a big reason the Lindsey Wilson community is excited to receive the NetVUE grant is because it will give the university an opportunity to survey what is already taking place to help students discover their vocation, and then find ways to support, expand and unify those efforts.

He said at the end of the 2026-27 school year the group will recommend ways the university can expand existing efforts to support students on their vocational journey as well as measure the effectiveness of programming designed to support vocational discernment.

"Because helping students find their calling is already very much a part of the fabric of our campus culture, we anticipate this being a very exciting project that will have great benefit to our students," said Brumfield.

For example, the myriad of community service initiatives conducted every school year by Lindsey Wilson classes, student organizations and athletic teams often help students discern their vocation.

"Community service is a major part of the Lindsey Wilson ethos, and it's also been an opportunity for students to explore their values," said Brumfield.

Although the focus of Wednesday's meeting was on the careers of current and future Lindsey Wilson students, the discussion had moments that served as a reminder how often life plans can change. Several of the group's members recalled how their careers did not match the expectations they had when they were younger.

"I haven't heard anyone say they're doing exactly what they wanted to do when they were younger," said Brumfield, who shared that he once aspired to be an animator for Disney films.

Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 30 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university's 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.

Media Attachments

A group of Lindsey Wilson University faculty and staff members met on Wednesday, Aug. 12, to discuss ways the university can better help its undergraduate students discover their vocation. The initiative, which is funded by a Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education grant, will be developed during the 2026-27 school year with the hope that it will lead to programming that can be utilized across the university. Pictured, from left: Director of Alumni Relations Allison Cross ’09; Vice President for Academic Affairs Ray Lutgring; Art Instructor Kristyne Gilbert; School of Arts and Humanities Dean Allison Smith; Chaplain the Rev. Tyler Brumfield; Sustainability & Energy Applications Instructor Evan Mahanna ’22; Assistant Dean of Students Abe Cross; Dean of Students Chris Schmidt; Director of the Bonner Scholar Program and Civic Engagement and Leadership Yayi Sonnabend '23; School of Business and Communication Dean Benson Sexton '04; guest speaker Brady Banks of Nolensville, Tenn.

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