NEWS
Orlean Beeson School of Education Leads Higher Education Institutions in Character Development by Leighton Doores
Samford University’s Orlean Beeson School of Education has emerged as a leader of character development in higher education. In May, the school hosted its second-annual Character Convening conference, where faculty members led discussions among 13 universities from across the nation and England about character and competence in higher education. Among those represented at this year’s event were fellow co-founding institutions: the University of Alabama, the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and Lipscomb University. Created in 2020 in partnership with the Hope Institute and with support from
the Kern Family Foundation, the Character Convening conference is the first event of its kind in higher education. The program provides participating higher education institutions with the opportunity to collaborate and learn from experts in the field of character
Kara Chism, assistant professor of instructional leadership in Orlean Beeson School of Education, was one of the lead organizers of the Character Convening conference.
development, as well as from each other. “Research shows that attention in higher education to modeling and embodying communities of character is relatively nonexistent,” said Kara Chism, assistant professor of instructional leadership. “That’s why creating opportunities such as the Character Convening is a high priority for us.” Orlean Beeson School of Education has long been engaged in the work of character education through its partnership with the Hope Institute, and it has most recently developed the C2 Task Force for Character and Competence, made up of faculty and staff members within the school. After years of not prioritizing character education in schools, administrators and teachers are once again finding value in promoting character, leadership, citizenship and social-emotional learning. “The current challenge is to explore the connection between values and programming that enable higher education institutions to become communities of character and the potential impact of doing so on K-12 teachers and leaders,” Chism said. “We believe values and their defining actions are caught, taught, sought and shared.” ◗
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