National Grant Aims to Deepen Student Character Development

Westmont College has received a $457,745 grant to expand its efforts to integrate intellectual, moral and spiritual formation directly into classroom instruction and campus culture. Administered through the Educating Character Initiative, a project of the Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University, which aims to catalyze a national movement placing virtue and character at the center of higher education. The 2026 Educating Character Initiative Institutional Impact Grants support 44 projects directly impacting 49 institutions nationwide. 

“While holistic flourishing and character formation has been an implicit part of Westmont’s culture, it has often been seen as occurring primarily outside the classroom and curricular requirements,” says Eileen McQuade, Westmont vice provost. “With the emergence of a more robust model of approaching education with a focus on intellectual virtues, we believe it’s time for Westmont to explicitly name and integrate the value of intellectual, moral and spiritual character education both inside and outside the classroom.”

Steve L. Porter, senior research fellow and executive director of Westmont’s Martin Institute, emphasizes the project's broad vision for campus life.

"Our goal is to intentionally weave intellectual, moral and spiritual formation into every facet of campus life," Porter says. "We want to equip students not just with academic knowledge but with the Christian virtues needed to live lives of faithful service and leadership in the world."

Co-directed by Westmont’s Martin Institute and the Provost’s Office, the three-year Enculturing Character Project will design and launch a required first-year seminar, Primatum, that explores what constitutes a good life. The curriculum frames a student’s four-year college journey as the start of lifelong character development, integrating academic study with personal growth. To support the core curriculum, the college will map out a visual Roadmap for Formation to guide students through opportunities for formation ranging from residence life and chapel programs to career services and mentoring.

Recognizing the vital role professors play in shaping student lives, Westmont launches the Character Formation Fellows Program. Each year, the college will select six faculty members from across the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences, who will attend dedicated retreats, participate in monthly roundtables, receive mentorship from spiritual directors and integrate character-focused pedagogy into their courses. Visiting scholars of character education will also lead campus workshops and Thursday Faculty Forums to broaden campuswide participation.

In addition, Westmont will convene leading thinkers from 10 Western Christian colleges and universities, including Pepperdine University, Whitworth University and Seattle Pacific University, for annual two-day symposia. These gatherings will evaluate current theories, practices and assessments in the formation of Christian virtue. Following each symposium, Westmont researchers will publish digests to serve as practical guidebooks for educators nationwide.

“It’s exciting to see so many institutions developing projects focused on character rooted in their own identities and missions,” says Jennifer Rothschild, director of the Educating Character Initiative. “We have so much to learn from these projects.”

Through these combined efforts, Westmont aims to equip thoughtful scholars and faithful leaders who serve the common good long after graduation.