UD 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:

• Build upon an annual UD Convening on Character Development
• Offer mini-grants up to $3,000 to support projects focused on virtues like intellectual curiosity, leadership and civility
• Measure student impact through a partnership with UD’s Center for Research in Education & Social Policy (CRESP)

“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. 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. Read the full announcement.