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Recognizing Exemplary Character Development Programs in Higher Education
Nothing is more important for the public wealth than to form and train youth in wisdom and virtue. Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. -Benjamin Franklin
The development of virtue and moral character-those habits of mind, heart, and spirit that help young people to know, desire, and do what is goodhas been considered a primary goal of educators for much of Western history. In recent times, however, the emphasis on developing the moral character of students has declined steadily in our colleges and universities. Students increasingly are viewed as consumers in the marketplace rather than as citizens in a democracy. In this context, the clearly defined and pragmatic task of preparing students vocationally for a profession has pushed aside the more controversial and difficult task of inspiring students to lead an ethical and civic-minded life.
The John Templeton Foundation aims to redress this imbalance by encouraging colleges and universities to reclaim their historical mission to "form and train youth in wisdom and virtue." Since the foundation's inception in 1987, our character development programs have focused on high school and college initiatives that affirm the ideals of freedom and the development of virtue and moral character that undergird an open, democratic society. Although we acknowledge that the United States has a wide diversity of colleges and universities-public and private, large and small, secular and faith-inspired, comprehensive and single purpose-we believe the development of moral character can and does occur within all these educational settings. Therefore, in 1989, the foundation established the biennial "Honor Roll for CharacterBuilding Colleges" to recognize institutions that emphasize character building as an integral part of the undergraduate experience. To date, more than 350 colleges and universities have been named to one or more of our five Honor Rolls.
The cornerstone of the project is the publication of an attractive college guidebook that profiles each Honor Roll school. The foundation plans to distribute 100,000 copies of the 1997-98 Honor Roll for Character-Building Colleges guidebook, which features programs of this year's 135 Honor Roll schools.
Exemplary programs
A new feature of this year's guidebook is the inclusion of specific information on 35 exemplary character-building programs and activities that were singled out as...