This academic year, the University of Delaware (UD) has taken bold steps toward coordinating character development across its undergraduate experience. With generous support from the Educating Character Initiative at Wake Forest University, UD was awarded a 12-month Capacity-Building Grant to conduct an institutional consensus of its leadership and character education efforts. The initiative is being led by Johann Ducharme, Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship and Faculty Director of the Siegfried Fellows, in collaboration with cross-campus leaders in Athletics, Student Life, and the Honors College.
The following events, funded by the ECI grant, stood out as milestones for this work—both capturing the energy, curiosity, and commitment of UD's faculty, staff, and students.
October 2024 | Strategic Consensus Meeting with Dr. Tenelle Porter
Our first Strategic Consensus Meeting was, in part, led by Dr. Tenelle Porter, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Rowan University. The meeting brought together 30 faculty and staff leaders from across Student Life, Athletics, and Faculty across UD’s colleges. Dr. Porter guided participants through a series of consensus-building exercises around five core questions on the state and future of character development at UD. The dialogue revealed shared aspirations and challenges, leading to the emergence of five themes:
(1) A desire to learn more about ethically implementing real-world character-building experiences;
(2) Significant interest in how character can and should be assessed;
(3) Concern over fragmented efforts and the need for university-wide coordination;
(4) Broad acknowledgment of where character is already being developed—through academics, mistakes, and reflection; and
(5) Excitement about the potential benefits of character education for student flourishing and community cohesion.
February 2025 | The UD Convening on Character Development
Hosted at the Audion at STAR on February 7, the inaugural UD Convening on Character Development welcomed over 100 attendees from across the university. The day was anchored by three guiding questions: What is character? How do we assess it? And how do we coordinate it as a university?
Highlights included:
- A fireside chat between Dave Raymond, creator of the Phillie Phanatic, and Kristin Duncan of The Siegfried Group, exploring joy, resilience, and ethical leadership.
- A cross-disciplinary panel featuring UD leaders from Athletics, Student Life, and the Lerner College, who discussed both opportunities and challenges in making character development a defining feature of the UD student experience.
- Breakout sessions and roundtable discussions engaged participants in defining, assessing, and coordinating character education in diverse settings—from classrooms to residence halls to athletic teams.
- The final student-led synthesis session, moderated by Dean Michael Chajes, underscored the value of elevating undergraduate voices in institutional planning.
April 2025 | Strategic Consensus Meeting with Dr. Jason Baehr
Building on the momentum of the Convening, UD welcomed renowned philosopher and author Dr. Jason Baehr for a Strategic Consensus Meeting in April. Dr. Baehr, whose scholarship on intellectual virtues—including intellectual humility—has shaped pedagogical practices across the country, met with a select group of faculty, administrators, and Siegfried Fellows.
The session focused on:
- Advancing definitional clarity around character in higher education
- Discussing strategies for modeling and teaching virtues such as curiosity, empathy, and courage
- Exploring how UD might become a national model for character-informed undergraduate education
Looking Ahead
These grant-sponsored events not only advanced the goals of the Capacity-Building, they also laid a strong foundation for the next phase of UD’s work: submitting a full Institutional Impact Grant proposal to further integrate character development into the University's academic mission, leadership programs, and student life experiences.
As UD continues this journey, the hope is to foster a campus culture where character is not simply discussed—but cultivated, measured, and celebrated.
For more updates or to get involved, contact Dr. Johann Ducharme at ducharme@udel.edu.
About Horn Entrepreneurship
Horn Entrepreneurship serves as the creative engine for entrepreneurship education and advancement at the University of Delaware. Currently ranked among the best entrepreneurship programs in the US, Horn Entrepreneurship was built and is actively supported by successful entrepreneurs, empowering aspiring innovators as they pursue new ideas for a better world.
