Seton Hill University has received a grant of $50,000, from The Educating Character Initiative (ECI), a part of the Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University. SHU is one of 41 institutions nationwide that received the grant to educate and embed character development in their curriculum and student programming.  

The Capacity-Building Grant will be used to create a comprehensive definition of character education at Seton Hill and an institutional development plan that aligns various existing efforts in character education across campus. The title of the project is “Seeking Conviction and Understanding Vocation: Coordinating Character Education at Seton Hill University.”

“Seton Hill is grateful to receive a grant from Wake Forest University’s The Educating Character Initiative,” said Seton Hill President Mary C. Finger. “The dignity of the human person guides Seton Hill’s institutional work in a variety of initiatives that promote students’ character education and vocational development. The grant will further strengthen these initiatives and help align them across campus constituencies.”

The Capacity-Building Grant will assist Seton Hill in further developing seven initiatives, including Catholic Social Teaching curriculum integration; Setonian Mission Formation and Setonian Scholars programming; Narrative 4 (N4) story exchange programming; Reframing the Saga, which aims to bring contemporary context to the role of a Catholic, liberal arts, Setonian institution; the Eva Fleischner Program on Truth Finding, which educates students on information fluency, the ethical use of data, and critical thinking skills; Project H. O. M. E. (Honor, Openness, Magnification, Educate) student leaders cohort; and the Presidential Task Force on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

The Working Group on Character Education has begun efforts this summer with representation from both faculty and staff at Seton Hill. Sarah Marsh, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English and Director of Curriculum Development in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the liberal arts curriculum, will serve as project director. She will be joined on the Working Group by Casey Bowser, archivist for the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill and Seton Hill University; Christine Cusick, Ph.D., Professor of English and Director of the Honors Program; Mark Katarski, Associate Athletic Director for Internal Relations; and Fran Leap, Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies.

The Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University is funded through a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.