The University of Delaware has been awarded a $699,258 Institutional Impact Grant from the Educating Character Initiative (ECI), part of the Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University to launch a three-year, university-wide initiative focused on character development. The project, University of Delaware Coalition on Character Development: Advancing Flagship State Institutional Leadership, will create a strategic plan to align and elevate character development efforts across academic and co-curricular settings.
Through this grant, UD will:
- Create a university-wide strategic plan for character development, identifying where and how character is already being taught and setting shared goals for future growth;
- Build upon an annual UD Convening on Character Development each February to showcase research, share best practices, and build campus-wide collaboration;
- Offer mini-grants up to $3000 to support new or expanded courses, co-curricular programs, or assessment projects focused on virtues like intellectual curiosity, integrity, leadership, and civility;
- Measure student impact through a partnership with UD’s Center for Research in Education & Social Policy (CRESP), tracking growth in virtues, engagement, and belonging.
“Undergraduates will encounter a consistent, research-backed approach to character and leadership development, both in class and across campus life, equipping them to flourish personally and professionally,” shared Johann Ducharme, Lead Principal Investigator, assistant professor of entrepreneurship, and faculty director of the Siegfried Fellows program.
The grant brings together partners from the Honors College, Student Life, Athletics and Horn Entrepreneurship to elevate UD’s leadership in character development. In addition to Ducharme, the project team includes Michael Chajes, interim vice provost for undergraduate education, dean of the Honors College, and professor of civil and environmental engineering; Nicole Long, assistant vice president for student experience and belonging; Jenn Judy, senior associate athletic director and HR director for athletics, community and campus recreation; and Dan Freeman, founding director of Horn Entrepreneurship and associate professor of marketing.
This grant positions UD to embed character development at the core of its academic mission, leadership programs, and student life, advancing a bold vision to prepare students not just for careers—but for lives of purpose, integrity, and impact.
About the Program for Leadership and Character and the ECI
The mission of the Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University is to inspire, educate, and empower leaders of character to serve humanity. Through innovative
teaching, creative programming, and cutting-edge research, we aim to transform the lives of students, foster an inclusive culture of leadership and character, and catalyze a broader public conversation that places character at the center of leadership.
The Educating Character Initiative aims to support a wider community of individuals and institutions to educate character within colleges and universities. Through the creation of a network of interested institutions and educators, the development and dissemination of research and resources, the organization of conferences and convenings, and the direct awarding of grants to individuals and institutions interested in advancing this work in their own contexts, we aspire to nurture a creative, compassionate, and collaborative community of educators who can learn from each other as partners in character education. The ECI is funded by a generous grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.
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.
