Many student-facing leaders on college campuses work diligently to cultivate environments where students can thrive and be their authentic selves. But often, many higher education professionals do not get an opportunity to explore their own personal approaches to leadership as part of their work with students. In this essay, I argue that successful leaders in higher education must be willing to adopt a continuously self-reflective posture. They should prioritize this approach in the early stages of their careers as they actively consider how their own personal curricular and cocurricular experiences define their leadership DNA. Student-facing leaders should also consider the following questions:
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
