Wake Forest University and the Lilly Endowment Inc. Educating Character Initiative Grant

The Character of Leaders Initiative: Integrating Moral, Civic, and Intellectual Virtues


Grant Amount: $1 million

Leaders of character are not born; they are shaped through education, mentorship, and community engagement. The Character of Leaders Initiative (CLI) addresses this need by integrating moral, civic, and intellectual virtues into the culture at the University of Mississippi. This initiative builds on the UM Creed and decades of character education to create a unified, interdisciplinary approach to developing ethical and effective leaders across all areas of the university.

This 3.5-year program is focused on:

  • Virtue Development: Promoting respect, civility, fairness, intellectual humility, and personal integrity as essential traits for leadership.

  • Integrated Education: Merging curricular and co-curricular programs to create a cohesive learning environment.

  • Leadership Preparation: Training students to serve as ethical leaders in their communities, careers, and personal lives.

  • Campus Culture Transformation: Promoting a shared commitment to ethical leadership.

By integrating moral, civic, and intellectual virtues, the Character of Leaders Initiative aims to cultivate a culture of ethical leadership capable of navigating complexity with integrity and empathy.

Wake Forest University and the Lilly Endowment Inc.
Educating Character Initiative Grant

GRANT OVERVIEW

The Educating Character Initiative provides resources, funding, and support to a diverse range of higher education institutions—including major research universities, liberal arts colleges, community colleges, military academies, minority-serving institutions, religiously affiliated colleges, and single-gender colleges—to integrate character education into their unique contexts, curricula, and cultures. Its broader goal is to build a strong network that champions the importance of character education in higher education.

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Expected Outcomes

Curriculum Development:

Faculty across disciplines collaborate to design and revise courses that emphasize virtue development and ethical leadership. These offerings integrate into general education requirements and specialized leadership tracks.

Co-Curricular Programs:

 Participants have access to workshops, speaker series, and mentorship opportunities to apply what they learn in to real-world scenarios.

Faculty & Staff Training:

Professional development sessions are equipping faculty and staff with the tools to model and teach character-driven leadership principles.

Assessment & Research

An evaluation framework to measure the effectiveness of CLI programs that inform ongoing improvements and contribute to scholarship on character education.