COLUMBIA, SC – July 10, 2025, – Benedict College is proud to announce that Dr Akilah Carter-Francique, Dean of the School of Education, Health and Human Services was selected to participate in the 2025 Teaching Vocational Exploration Seminar offered by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) through its Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE). The seminar was held at The Alexander in Indianapolis, Indiana.
This exciting opportunity aims to strengthen the teaching of vocational exploration by examining different meanings of vocation and their importance for undergraduate education, by considering content and teaching methods for courses that focus on vocational exploration, and by reflecting on the shape and experience of academic vocation. Dr. Carter-Francique is among 16 chosen during a competitive selection process of over 35 applicants.
‘My introduction to CIC occurred in 2023, when I received the 2023-2024 Professional Development Award. This award facilitated the creation of “The B.E.S.T. Career Exploration Program,” a faculty-led career mentoring initiative that engaged 20 students across STEM and human service disciplines. The program offered faculty mentorship and introduced participants to the concept of vocation. Program outcomes underscored the necessity of identifying additional pathways for earlier and more frequent student exposure to vocational concepts, with classroom instruction emerging as a pivotal pathway, said Carter-Francique. “The Teaching Vocational Exploration Seminar proved to be an intensive yet empowering week of learning and engagement. The seminar provided me, in my dual capacity as an administrative leader and faculty member, with invaluable resources and activities, dedicated time for reflection, and access to a vocational community network committed to higher education.”
“As an HBCU representative, I am confident that this seminar opportunity and its insights will significantly contribute to students’ academic development and further equip Benedict College and her students to become ‘a power for good’ in society, in their vocational explorations and in their broader life callings,” she further explained.
As part of their work for the 2025 Teaching Vocational Exploration Seminar, Carter-Francique developed a new course as noted with greater focus on vocational exploration. The College grateful to NetVUE for its on-going support of our campus’ efforts to encourage vocational exploration for our undergraduates, and we look forward to her future work.
NetVUE is a nationwide network of over 325 colleges and universities formed to support and enrich vocational exploration and discernment among undergraduate students. A program of the Council of Independent Colleges, NetVUE is supported by the generosity of Lilly Endowment Inc. and member dues. CIC administers NetVUE with guidance from an advisory council comprising representatives from participating institutions.
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About Benedict College (www.benedict.edu)
Founded in 1870 by a woman, Bathsheba A. Benedict, Benedict College is a private co-educational liberal arts institution offering 29 competitive baccalaureate degree programs and two master’s degree programs. The Midlands HBCU welcomes students from several counties in South Carolina, states across America, and countries around the world. The College also has a diverse faculty deeply engaged in teaching, research, and service.
Benedict College has been highly regarded and exceptionally ranked for its programs by several academic and traditional publications. Benedict College is the recipient of the 2024 UNCF Institutional Excellence Awardgiven by UNCF’s Institute for Capacity Building Program in celebration of an HBCU that achieved next-level performance. Benedict was also named HBCU of the Year by HBCU Digest and was listed among the top half of ranked HBCUs in the 2022 edition of Best Colleges by US News and World Report.
Benedict College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate and master’s degrees. Five of the College’s degree programs hold national accreditation: Social Work Program, Environmental Health Science Program, Environmental Engineering, Studio Art, and the Tyrone Adam Burroughs School of Business and Entrepreneurship.