MARIETTA — Marietta College has received a nearly $100,000 grant to develop campus-wide mentoring and educational programs intended to help students connect their studies, experiences and future plans with a broader sense of purpose.

The $99,996 Program Development Grant was awarded by the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education, or NetVUE. Marietta College is one of 30 institutions nationwide selected to receive a 2026 grant through the program.

The two-year grant will fund a network of mentors and programs focused on vocational exploration. College officials said the initiative will encourage students to consider vocation not only as a career choice but also in terms of their values, purpose and contributions to their communities.

“We’re excited about the opportunities this grant will open up for our students,” said Bev Hogue, program director for the grant. “We’ll be working to help students develop a sense of purpose that will guide them through a rapidly changing world.”

Planning will take place this summer, with programming expected to begin in fall 2026.

The initiative will focus on three areas, beginning with training for academic advisers and students selected to serve as peer mentors. Workshops, discussions and mentoring activities will prepare participants to help students connect their academic work with their long-term goals.

The grant also will support a vocational storytelling program featuring alumni, faculty, staff members, coaches and other mentors discussing their professional and personal journeys. Academic departments, athletic teams and other campus organizations will be able to host speakers through formal events and smaller gatherings.

A third portion of the initiative will incorporate discussions of purpose into classroom assignments and activities outside the classroom. The college said those efforts will help students examine how their education relates to their lives beyond graduation.

“This new grant will build on our previous work,” Hogue said. “We’re excited to see how these resources will challenge our students to pursue a sense of purpose that will serve them well long beyond their time here.”

Provost Suzanne Walker said the grant will strengthen advising, peer mentoring and opportunities for students to hear from people about their career paths.

“This NetVUE grant is an important investment in the heart of a Marietta education: helping students discover not only what they will do, but who they are called to become,” Walker said.

The grant follows an approximately $11,000 NetVUE Program Development Award received by Marietta College in 2024. That funding supported book discussions through which faculty and staff explored ways to help students consider their futures. College employees also have attended NetVUE conferences and professional development programs.

NetVUE is a program of the Council of Independent Colleges and includes more than 300 member colleges and universities. The network supports vocational exploration among undergraduate students and receives financial support from membership dues and Lilly Endowment Inc.