So, you’re a new dean, charged with the care and feeding of many faculty and staff (think of all the directors who have become ubiquitous in higher education institutions in recent years!) as well as large numbers of students (and their helicopter parents) now under your “control.” The world you now occupy in the Groves of Academe may be a familiar one, whether you have occupied a similar position in another institution or have labored in the very same one you are expected to lead with joy and enthusiasm as you implement your new vision, new policies, and new expectations for those now in your care. Good luck with that, as Dr. Phil often says. You really can succeed, of course, but this might be a good time to review your dean’s toolbox to see what instruments are there already—or might be needed—for the tasks ahead.
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
