Our Centers
One Mission. Four Centers. Shared Impact.
Better Together
Some of today’s greatest challenges cannot be addressed through a single discipline or perspective.
Cultivating character.
Developing leaders.
Strengthening mental wellbeing.
Advancing empathy.
Building flourishing organizations.
These challenges intersect in meaningful ways.
For that reason, the Institute for Character and Leadership brings together four complementary centers whose collective work is greater than the sum of its parts.
Each center contributes unique expertise.
Together, they pursue one shared mission:
To cultivate character, inspire leadership, and advance human flourishing.
The Center for Character Development
Cultivating Character for Life, Leadership, and Flourishing
The Center for Character Development serves as the institute’s hub for research, education, assessment, and practical application related to character development and the virtues.
Working across education, healthcare, business, nonprofit organizations, government, and communities, the center equips individuals and organizations to intentionally cultivate character and practical wisdom throughout life.
Areas of emphasis include character education, virtue ethics, practical wisdom, strengths development, executive education, and the Golden Mean Inventory.
The Empathy Center for Research and Training
Advancing Empathy Through Research, Education, and Practice
The Empathy Center explores empathy as an essential human capacity that strengthens relationships, improves communication, enhances healthcare, and contributes to flourishing organizations and communities.
Through interdisciplinary research, professional education, and community engagement, the center seeks to deepen understanding of empathy while equipping individuals and organizations to put empathy into practice.
The Stigma Free Center
Promoting Mental Wellbeing, Belonging, and Human Dignity
The Stigma Free Center works to reduce stigma surrounding mental health while fostering cultures of compassion, belonging, dignity, and wellbeing.
Through education, advocacy, research, and community partnerships, the center helps create environments where every individual feels valued, supported, and empowered to flourish.
The Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Leadership
Advancing Leadership Across Disciplines
The Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Leadership (CISL) examines leadership through multiple disciplinary perspectives, preparing leaders to address complex organizational and societal challenges with wisdom, integrity, and practical judgment.
Through research, executive education, student engagement, and interdisciplinary collaboration, CISL contributes to the institute’s commitment to developing leaders who positively influence people, organizations, and communities.
One Institute
Although each center possesses its own expertise, their greatest strength lies in their collaboration.
Together they create opportunities for shared research, interdisciplinary education, executive leadership development, community engagement, and strategic partnerships that would not be possible independently.
By working together, the centers reflect the institute’s conviction that flourishing is best advanced when diverse perspectives unite around a common purpose.