Funding will be used to develop a comprehensive program designed to embed character formation and leadership development across the University
Belmont University today announced the receipt of a three-year $800,000 Educating Character Initiative (ECI) Institutional Impact Grant from Wake Forest University that will support creating a clear structure for embedding character formation across the institution.
Belmont University, under the leadership of President Greg Jones, has made character formation, purpose and entrepreneurial mindset central to its mission. This grant will allow the University to accelerate and expand its efforts to ensure that character-forming leadership development is embedded throughout the Belmont ecosystem. The project, titled “Leading with Character and Purpose,” will include the creation and launch of a new character and leadership initiative.
“At Belmont, we are committed to nurturing not just academic excellence, but also the personal growth and moral fortitude of our future leaders,” said Nathan Webb, Belmont executive director of formation & leadership development. “This grant will allow us to expand and deepen our programs in character education, ensuring that our graduates are not only skilled professionals but also individuals of integrity who are prepared to make positive contributions to the world.”
This collaborative effort aims to cultivate personal character, virtuous living and operational competence and will focus on three key areas:
- Setting character formation benchmarks and communicating a unified vision
- Integrating character across the curriculum and expanding the knowledge base
- Engaging students in character formation and establishing character champion networks
“When I envision this initiative, I see faces – the eager freshman stepping onto campus for the first time, the dedicated professor mentoring a student through a tough decision, the staff member going above and beyond to support our community,” noted Lori Baker, Belmont's executive vice president for aspirational excellence. “This initiative is about all of them, and how we can help everyone in our campus community grow not just in skills, but in character and purpose. It underscores our commitment to holistic education that goes beyond academic knowledge to shape ethical, compassionate leaders.”
With the support of Lilly Endowment Inc., Wake Forest University’s ECI has awarded $15.6 million in Institutional Impact Grants ranging from $100,000 to $1 million to 24 projects among 29 colleges and universities seeking to undertake a substantial and sustained effort to educate character in undergraduate populations across their institutions.