Roanoke College has received a $300,000 Institutional Impact Grant to expand character education initiatives designed to prepare students to lead with compassion, integrity and resourcefulness in their careers and communities.
The three-year grant was awarded through the Educating Character Initiative, a project of the Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University. The funding will support new student programs, service-learning opportunities and mentoring resources for faculty, staff and alumni.
“This is work that goes to the very core of our mission,” Roanoke College President Frank Shushok Jr. said. “Education’s deepest purpose is to mentor and inspire future leaders who understand their unique contribution and genuinely desire to use it for the common good. It is work that we embrace wholeheartedly at Roanoke College.”
The grant follows an in-depth campus dialogue focused on leadership and character, which have long been central to the Roanoke College experience. More than 700 students, faculty and staff participated in discussions examining what those concepts mean to a new generation and how campus programs could evolve to better serve students.
The discussions resulted in a framework for character education tailored to the Roanoke community. Called “Maroons on a Mission,” the comprehensive plan will be implemented between now and the 2028-29 academic year and will reach across campus life.
Initiatives will include:
Launching a first-year student program that integrates service-learning, common readings and discussions, and mentorship from Student Success advisers trained in character education frameworks.
Organizing student leadership workshops focused on character and belonging.
Expanding professional development opportunities for faculty and staff, including establishing a character-focused leadership academy.
Introducing new workshops and team-based projects through Athletics and Campus Recreation.
Providing training for alumni mentors to help them engage students in discussions that extend beyond career advice to include ethical decision-making, character and the pursuit of purpose.
Together, the initiatives are intended to create a model for embedding character development throughout the student experience and campus community.
The effort aligns with Roanoke College’s strategic plan, connecting its goals related to student success, academic innovation and community collaboration. A central component of the plan is a commitment to ensuring that exploration of purpose and development of character remain defining elements of a Roanoke education.
“Our commitment is clear,” said Kathy Wolfe, dean of the college and senior vice president for academic life and learning. “We are designing thoughtful, cohesive programs to ensure that leadership and character development are woven into everything we do. It is an investment in our students and in the future they help create, giving them the essential skills to make conscientious decisions, build strong relationships and use their knowledge to make a positive difference.”
Roanoke College also will study the results of the initiatives and share its findings with other colleges as part of a national conversation about evidence-based approaches to character education.
A cross-institutional team led by Associate Professor Laura Hartman and Assistant Professor Karin Carneal will oversee the work. The team will monitor each program and assess its effectiveness in helping students, faculty and staff understand and apply the concepts being taught.
“Character is developed through practice, reflection, and meaningful engagement with others,” Hartman said. “This support allows us to create more opportunities for students to put these principles into action and to connect what they’re learning with how they want to lead, serve, and live.”
Carneal said the initiative will allow Roanoke to explore questions involving student belonging, well-being and perseverance while emphasizing skills that can serve graduates throughout their lives.
“Roanoke College will be on the cutting edge of character education, asking meaningful questions about student belonging, well-being and perseverance in a fast-changing world,” Carneal said. “Together as a community, we will help strengthen the vital, human-centered skills that serve our graduates well in life. We’re grateful to the Educating Character Initiative for supporting this work.”
The Educating Character Initiative supports colleges pursuing sustained efforts to create communities centered on character. The $300,000 Institutional Impact Grant is Roanoke College’s second grant from the program.
A Capacity-Building Grant awarded last year supported the campus dialogue that led to the framework now being implemented.
-The Salem Times-Register
