Call for Submissions
For the Building Communities of Character Conference, we invite you to share work that explores the role of communities in shaping character, with an emphasis on how higher education institutions can influence this formation. We’re particularly interested in practical examples of courses, programs, interventions, or initiatives designed to cultivate character development in individuals and communities, as well as research, tools, frameworks, and strategies that directly address how community environments support or form character in distinct contexts.
The conference will feature multiple opportunities for participation, presentations, and community-building. We welcome submissions from faculty, staff, or leaders in any academic discipline or administrative unit from any institution of higher education or from organizations working with undergraduate or graduate student populations. We encourage submissions from a wide range of public and private institutions of higher education. All those submitting abstracts or proposals for review must be registered members of the Educating Character Initiative community. Registration is free and open to all, including those from outside the U.S.
Download the Call for Submissions
Conference Tracks and ECI Grantee Poster Session
We invite submissions along several conference tracks. Across the tracks, we ask that individuals observe a limit of one (1) submission total (inclusive of proposals to co-present). Representatives from ECI grantee institutions (2024-present) may submit a poster proposal about their character-building efforts in addition to one (1) conference track proposal.
- Workshops: Please submit a proposal of up to 500 words to lead a workshop for educators at institutions of higher education focused on character formation. Abstracts should include key learning outcomes and describe workshop activities aimed at meeting those outcomes. We welcome submissions for an individual stand-alone 20-minute workshop or a multi-part team workshop designed to span the entire 75-minute concurrent session.
- Integration Presentations: Please submit a proposal of up to 500 words outlining a course, program, intervention, or initiative designed to educate character, with a focus on how this work is being implemented or applied within your settings. Abstracts should describe the work, the key dimensions of its integration within your settings, and what other individuals or institutions might learn that could be adapted to their contexts. We welcome submissions for an individual stand-alone 20-minute presentation or a series of team presentations designed to span the entire 75-minute concurrent session.
- Ideas Presentation: Please submit a proposal of up to 500 words that invites conversation about or advances understanding of character or character education in higher education. We will consider a range of proposals, including: individual 20-minute presentations; a series of thematically-connected team presentations on a particular topic designed to span the 75-minute concurrent session; 75-minute panel discussions; 10-minute flash book talks on newly published works in character; or roundtable conversations.
We invite ECI grantee institutions (2024-present) to present a poster about their character-building efforts. Please submit a proposal of up to 500 words for your poster session. The abstract should include the title of the poster and the name of the presenter from your team. Limit one (1) poster per ECI grantee institution. Due to space constraints, the conference program will allow for only one (1) representative from the institution to serve as a poster presenter. Individual representatives from ECI grantee institutions may submit a poster proposal and one (1) proposal in a conference track.
Deadline
All submissions should be 500 words or fewer and submitted below by June 22, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET. We anticipate communicating decisions by early August, with registration opening in early September. Any questions should be directed to .