$355K Grant will Supercharge Character Education in Dubuque

According to a recent press release, the University of Dubuque’s Wendt Center is set to expand its reach and impact thanks to a new $355,150 grant from the Educating Character Initiative (ECI). Awarded over three years, the funding will help the center embed character and leadership development more deeply into the student experience through academic integration, co-curricular programming, and a new campus-wide initiative.

The Wendt Center, founded in 2004 through an endowment from Richard and Nancy Wendt, has long supported students in exploring character, ethics, and leadership. Now, it aims to transition from a valued campus resource to a transformative force that touches every student, regardless of background or major.

The grant, part of a national initiative by Wake Forest University’s Program for Leadership and Character and supported by Lilly Endowment Inc., is one of 28 Institutional Impact Grants awarded across the country. The University of Dubuque’s proposal stood out for its ambitious project, Shaping Character Through the Head, Heart, and Hands: A Vision for Purposeful Living, which blends reflection, connection, and action into a cohesive approach to character education.

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Key components of the grant’s implementation include launching the new Pathways to Purpose program to broaden access to character development, expanding the existing Wendt Character Scholars program to include a fourth-year experience, and integrating character learning outcomes across all 19 academic departments. Additionally, new tools will be developed to evaluate and refine programming, with plans to share the Wendt Center’s evolving model with other institutions.

This latest grant builds on momentum from a $50,000 ECI Capacity Building Grant received in 2024, which allowed the center to create a refreshed vision rooted in the Golden Rule and designed to help students navigate life with integrity, compassion, and purpose.

Through these efforts, the Wendt Center is working to ensure that character development is not just an extracurricular opportunity but a defining part of the University of Dubuque experience.