Heather Brady Receives NetVUE Grant for Vocational Exploration; Civic Educator Award

March 2, 2026

Heather Brady, Professor of Liberal Arts at Grand View University, has been selected to receive a prestigious NetVUE Grant to Individuals for Vocational Exploration. She joins a distinguished group of faculty and staff from NetVUE member institutions whose work will advance the study of vocation in undergraduate education.

The grant will support Dr. Brady’s project focused on advancing scholarship and teaching related to vocation in undergraduate education. Through this work, she will explore new approaches to helping students reflect on purpose, calling, and community engagement in her Core II seminar, "More than Just a Game: Youth Sports in Our Community." In partnership with Findley Elementary school in the Highland Park Neighborhood, Grand View students are teaching a wide range of sports skills and leadership to fourth and fifth graders. This unique opportunity for authentic and meaningful community engagement empowers students to develop resilience through deeper relationships, broader perspectives on community health, and a greater capacity to integrate their personal experiences with sports into larger cultural narratives – a skill that will sustain them over the life course. Her scholarship contributes to a growing body of national scholarship on vocational exploration and further strengthens Grand View’s commitment to supporting students as they navigate questions of identity, direction, and meaning during their college experience.

These awards are made possible by a generous grant to the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) from Lilly Endowment Inc.

Heather has also been selected for the 2026 Seed Coalition Presidents’ Award as Grand View’s Civic Educator Award recipient. She will be honored on Thursday, April 9th, at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Congratulations!