Formation Research

Research on Virtue, Character Formation, and Flourishing

Grants to Belmont University from the Kern Family Foundation and the Wake Forest Educating Character Initiative challenge each of us to teach and lead character-strengthening courses and programs informed by research from many disciplines. These grants also invite Belmont faculty and staff leaders to contribute to this expanding field. Research on virtue and character formation can take place in every discipline represented at Belmont. Our work seeks to ensure that all students, faculty, and staff have access to thought-provoking, instructive examples and opportunities to participate in related research. 

This academic year, we are:

• Investing in improved ways of gathering and learning from institutional data related to whole-person formation, character, and flourishing.
• Partnering with the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) on national research and assessment projects on vocation.
• Highlighting digital and print resource collections at Lila Bunch Library focused on character formation and virtue, especially the SOUL framework.
• Mapping efforts across the university that contribute to virtue and character formation.
• Connecting Belmont Formation Collaborative conversations to research at other leading institutions.
• Strengthening interprofessional health science as a catalyst with the Kern National Network Flourishing in Health.
• Supporting research and connections to scholarly resources for faculty across all 12 colleges.
• Sharing Belmont’s commitment to character formation with audiences within and beyond higher education.
• Refining approaches for ecumenical and interfaith conversations on character formation that reflect Belmont’s Christ-centered identity.