Regis professor helps students find their calling

For Regis students and community members of all ages, professor Geoffrey Bateman, Ph.D. implores to ask themselves one question: “what do I want to be when I grow up?” 

As he sees it, self-improvement and growth are a never-ending process.  For many students, however, the opportunities to pursue vocational work can feel unattainable. Because of historical disadvantages that limit economic, social and academic achievement, students have been unable to pursue further callings. In the face of adversity, Regis faculty members have become dedicated to fostering an accessible and diverse space for vocation. 

Bateman, professor of peace and justice studies at Regis, has been a cultivator of the vocational calling at Regis. This fall will mark the start of his 13th academic year at Regis. Bateman has focused on social justice and service learning through his teaching, creating unique opportunities for students. 

“One of my favorite courses I’ve taught is on gender and homelessness,” Bateman said. “Usually, we do a community-based research project with local nonprofit, the Gathering Place. It is Denver's only daytime drop-in shelter for women and children, and especially transgender, non-binary and genderqueer people.”    

As a Jesuit Catholic institution, Regis University supports both students and faculty to pursue vocational work. “Vocation,” in this case, refers to extracurricular work, courses and philosophical exploration done to discern the many callings in a person’s life. In higher education, vocational work is often interdisciplinary, bringing together a variety of approaches and resources for students and staff.  

Bateman, in both his passions for social justice and vocation, wanted to serve his students on an institutional level. Seven years ago, he became involved with the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE), a program from the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC). CIC supports and networks more than 350 colleges internationally and oversees various leadership and vocational opportunities for those in higher education. In August, he was appointed the editor of Vocation Matters, NetVUE’s blog. 

NetVUE enables undergraduate students to pursue vocational work and studies through the program. In conjunction with other faculty, Bateman was able to secure a multi-year grant to promote undergraduate vocation at Regis. 

“Our grant is for building a network of faculty, students, staff and community partners to help our students integrate and connect their emerging philosophy of life with future careers,” Bateman said. “Another big part of it, though, is that student internships continue to be a high impact practice. Especially in the humanities and the social sciences, most of those internships are unpaid –– which isn’t fair. We plan to fund an increasing number of internships for students.” 

According to Bateman, students often feel like they have a very rigid path from college to the working world due to both due to economic and social setbacks. Students have felt dissuaded, and more importantly excluded, from vocational work. The grant from NetVUE will help redefine what vocation is.  

“Vocation, as a field, is paying more attention to questions of difference, like the traditions of vocation,” Bateman said. “Vocation has been received as a religious, privileged experience. Part of what I have been excited about is developing that conversation of ‘how can we better serve all of our students?’” 

Service to the community is at the pinnacle of the Regis’ Jesuit values and the values of social justice. In 2023, Regis University was designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). The commitment to serving Hispanic and Latine students, and other underserved populations at Regis, has been moved not just to the forefront of Bateman’s work, but to the work of the University. 

“This grant will show our talents as an institution,” Bateman said. “We're going to continue to grow in the ways that both students and our wider communities need. Helping young people continue to figure out what is meaningful and good in their lives, in conversation with our communities, proves our institutional commitment and longevity to students.” 

With the grant from NetVUE, Bateman hopes to centralize faculty and staff culture and foster communication and cooperation between departments at Regis. The grant amount needs to be matched each year with donations. Upkeeping the grant for multiple years –– and for as many students as possible –– inspires this work to continue to be possible.