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What’s New

⚖️ Thanks to everyone who attended our inaugural Leadership and Character in the Law Conference last week. Here’s a video and recap of the keynote address from North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson.

  • 📚 If you are still looking to fill out your schedule for next semester, here’s a few course offerings being led by instructors associated with the Program for Leadership and Character.
  • ✏️ The Program for Leadership and Character is pleased to announce the opening of four opportunities for financial support, available to WFU faculty and staff each spring. The deadline to apply (except for co-sponsorships) is April 2. Learn more and apply.
  • 📣 The Educating Character Initiative is excited to launch a renewed Invitation to Community and 2025 Request for Proposals inviting U.S. colleges & universities to apply for grants.
Program for Leadership and Character logo

Our Vision

To inspire, educate, and empower leaders of character at Wake Forest and at colleges and universities across the world.

Our Mission

To use innovative teaching, creative programming, and cutting-edge research to help transform the lives of students, foster an inclusive culture of leadership and character on college campuses, and catalyze a broader public conversation that places character at the center of leadership.

Get Involved

Here’s how you can become directly involved with our Program as a Wake Forest student, or as a faculty or staff member at Wake Forest and other institutions across the country:


Receive regular updates on events and happenings:

“An education that shapes the whole person is both necessary and desired in our world. The Program is vital to our ability to meet this moment and produce leaders for a better future.”

Wake Forest President Susan R. Wente
Michael Lamb giving a presentation.

Scholars Initiation Ceremony in 2023

discussion group meeting with students

Educating Character Initiative

Learn more about grants, resources, conferences, and learning opportunities provided and curated by our ECI Scholars and staff to educate character within higher education.

Educating Character Initiative

Professional Schools

See our approach and impact in law, medicine, and engineering at Wake Forest and beyond.

Professional Schools

Resources

The Program for Leadership and Character is built upon the research and scholarly work of faculty at Wake Forest and beyond. Here’s a short list of resources from faculty and staff in our Program that you may find useful as you seek to educate character in your own context.

Resources

Stories From Our Program

Some end of the week advice from @jeffjacksonnc to the @wfuniversity community.

More highlights from the N.C. Attorney General’s speech and our Leadership and Character in the Law Conference are coming next week.

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Join us for an inspiring Vocation Panel, organized by our Leadership and Character Scholars Class of 2026, featuring panelists who have found meaning in their work. This event will take place on Friday, March 28th from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in the Pugh Auditorium (Benson Room 215). We hope you will join us!

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North Carolina Attorney General @jeffjacksonnc will speak at @wfuniversity on Thursday at 6 p.m. as the keynote speaker for our inaugural "Leadership and Character in the Law" conference. We`re making a limited number of seats available for the Wake Forest and Winston-Salem community. Registration is required.

For more information, tap on the link in our bio.

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The Freedom Dreams Mass Meeting will be held on March 27, 2025, at 6 p.m. in @hanesgallery. This special gathering aims to unite the community around its aspirations for freedom and democracy.

The event will feature convener and moderator Dr. Claire Crawford, Assistant Professor of Political and International Affairs and the Program of African American Studies, the inspiring Albany Civil Rights Institute Freedom Singers, Rev. Andria Williamson, M.Div. `17, Associate Chaplain and Director of Chapel Programs, High Point University Chapel & Religious Life, and Rev. Joshuah Brian Campbell, Director of Worship, Music, and the Arts, Wake Forest University School of Divinity and Director of the University Gospel Choir.

Together, they will share powerful messages through music about the ongoing journey toward freedom, equality, and justice, urging the community to rally behind its collective dreams.

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Happening next week! In celebration of Women’s History Month, @wfu.class is leading their OWLS (Outreach Workshop Learning Series) event in the Women’s Center on Wednesday, March 26 from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. We look forward to seeing you there!

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Next week, join @wakecomm for a lecture by Associate Professor of Communication at University of Missouri, Dr. Rebecca Meisenbach (‘00). This event will take place on Tuesday, March 25 at 4 p.m. in Carswell Hall (Room 208). We hope to see you there!

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Speas Elementary School students spent time on campus last week with student-athletes from @wakewbb and @wakefootball. While they were here, they were given a presentation about trust and mentorship, they received a campus tour, and had lunch in The Pit with several student-athletes. Wendell Dunn, Assistant Director of Leadership and Character in Athletics, helped to organize the visit.

We asked two of the student-athletes, Malaya Cowles (‘25) and Rylie Theuerkauf (‘27) to share why this experience was meaningful to them.

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We’re excited to invite you to the inaugural Leadership and Character in the Law conference coming up on March 27th-28th. North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson will be our Keynote speaker, and the conference will kick off with a conversation between a current and a former NC Supreme Court Justice: Phil Berger Jr. and Michael Morgan. Visit our website for more details.

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Leadership and Character Scholar Lillie Sutton uses the poem “Shoulders,” by Naomi Shihab Nye, to reflect on her experience at Wake Forest. Lillie was one of 10 @wfuniversity seniors selected to speak at the Senior Colloquium last week, which was organized by the Office of the Dean of the College.

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