As I write this in early August, I am wrapping up planning for my faculty development office’s annual kickoff for the New Faculty Leaders Academy, a yearlong series of workshops and conversations on topics new chairs and assistant deans will find important to their jobs. Practical topics like budgeting, negotiating difficult conversations, and writing faculty assessments will be covered in a just-in-time fashion throughout the year. For the kickoff, the new leaders will meet with the leadership in the Office of the Vice Provost of Faculty for breakfast, introductions, and most importantly, time to define their leadership values and philosophy.
Character (Still) Counts: Moral Injury and the Case for Character Education
Many academic leaders remember the Character Counts! initiative from the 1990s and early 2000s. It was visible in schools and youth programs nationwide, emphasizing as core values the Six Pillars
Teresa Maggard Stephens
June 15, 2026
