Dr. Kevin Tate, Assistant Professor of Practice in the Counseling program at John Carroll University, has been awarded a 2026 Grant to Individuals for Vocational Exploration from the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) and the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE). The nationally competitive award supports projects that help students discover their purpose and many callings in life.
Tate is one of just 22 faculty and staff members from colleges and universities across the country to receive this grant. His project will explore how students' sense of calling develops during their engagement with John Carroll’s Onward promise, which blends academic learning, hands-on experiences, and career preparation for every student. Onward will officially launch in the fall of 2026, providing students with vocational discernment, intentional advising, career readiness, and a lifelong purpose.
“I am very excited to have the opportunity to support the important work being done through Onward,” said Dr. Tate. “Conducting this research will help John Carroll better understand how students’ sense of calling shapes their educational and career aspirations.”
Earlier this year, John Carroll received a $100,000 grant from NetVUE to support the continued advancement of Onward and expand its discernment-driven advising model. Dr. Tate’s research will build upon that investment by evaluating how Onward shapes students’ understanding of vocation and supports their success throughout their college journeys.
Through standardized surveys and student focus groups, Dr. Tate will evaluate how students’ evolving sense of calling intersects with career self-efficacy, critical consciousness, and belonging, with particular attention to how systemic barriers affect students from underrepresented backgrounds. His findings will help John Carroll and NetVUE evaluate the impact of Onward and the University's vocation-centered advising model while informing future enhancements to the program and contributing to national scholarship on vocation in undergraduate education.
“Kevin brings deep experience to this project because he has worked in college and university career centers alongside his professional training in Counseling,” said Bonnie Gunzenhauser, Vice President for Academic Affairs at JCU. “As John Carroll launches Onward, his expertise and research will provide valuable insight into how students connect their education to meaningful lives and careers, and these insights will help us to assess and strengthen Onward as we design new opportunities for students to discern how their academic experiences connect with their vocation.”
