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The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Intelligence plus character -- that is the goal of a true education." Keeping the spirit of Dr. King's wisdom alive, Colleges That Encourage Character Development recognizes and profiles exemplary programs, presidents, and higher-education institutions that inspire students to lead ethical and civic-minded lives. Recent national studies suggest that the vast majority of Americans share a common set of core values: honesty, self-control, perseverance, respect, compassion, and service to those less fortunate. Americans also agree that the college years are an ideal time to engage the minds, hearts, and hands of our young people to learn about and practice these virtues. But which college programs encourage character development? We believe that in this guidebook you will find clear and persuasive answers to this important question. Defining Character Rooted in the Greek word charakter, the term "character" has come to mean the constellation of strengths and weaknesses that form and reveal who we are. Our character does not consist of a single statement or a random act but of those qualities and dispositions that we practice consistently -- both good and bad. Assessing our character means taking an inventory of our dominant thoughts and actions. As Aristotle once said, "We are what we repeatedly do." Character is not engraved by age six -- or even sixteen. We can change and improve our character. However, like a comfortable pair of shoes, selfishness, laziness, dishonesty, and irresponsibility are easy to slip into. But the uplifting message of character development is that we can acquire a good and sound character -- one that is durable yet evolving. All it takes is hard work and commitment. Just as a mountain is constantly being reshaped by weather patterns, our character is reshaped by the different choices we make and the virtues we choose to practice. In much the same way, our choices develop our character -- and our character determines our choices. A popular definition of character is "what we do when no one is looking." We often think that a person's character is "tested" in response to various temptations and challenges ("No! I won't cheat, even if nobody is looking.") Other definitions emphasize character as the capacity to draw a line where none exists. Indeed, people of good character are usually described as having strong principles such as truthfulness and fairness. As Mark Twain once wrote, "In matters of opinion, swim with the fish; but in matters of principles, stand firm like a rock." Developing Character in the College Years Parents are a young person's first and most significant character educators. Whether modeling the Golden Rule, emphasizing how important it is to be honest, or showing concern for those less fortunate, most parents try their best to teach their sons and daughters the essential lessons of character. Although developing good values is certainly a lifelong process, the college years are critical to forming a strong and steady character. Students are now cognitively and emotionally ready to develop or refine an internalized set of ideals and standards that they cannot betray or violate ("I can't lie. "I must do whatever I can to help others."). These standards and beliefs serve as powerful guides to their conduct. During the college years, students begin to rely on their own moral compass -- a set of virtues and principles that enable them to do the right thing despite pressures to do the contrary ("I am not a binge drinker. It's just not the kind of person I want to be or the way I want to live."). A great many college students strive to live lives of good character. They are honest and hard working, and they care deeply about those less fortunate. Other students do not yet show consistent patterns of good character, but nonetheless they are searching for the kind of person they want to become. Recognizing this, college educators play an important role in reinforcing and strengthening the ideals and moral values that students already hold. They provide and encourage meaningful opportunities for college students to learn about, reflect on, and practice the virtues of personal and civic responsibility. In his landmark study, College: The Undergraduate Experience in America, Ernest Boyer eloquently captured the belief that at the very heart of a higher education is not the cultivation of skills or the learning of certain branches of knowledge but the formation of good character: Education for what purpose? Competence to what end? At a time in life when values should be shaped and personal priorities sharply probed, what a tragedy it would be if the most deeply felt issues, the most haunting questions, the most creative moments were pushed to the fringes of institutional life. What a monumental mistake it would be if students, during the undergraduate years, remained trapped within the organizational grooves and narrow routines to which the academic world sometimes seems excessively devoted. Boyer reminds us that we must never forget that education in its fullest sense is inescapably a moral enterprise -- a continuous and conscious effort to guide students to know and pursue what is good and worthwhile. JOHN M. TEMPLETON JR., M.D. ARTHUR J. SCHWARTZ, ED.D. |
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