Ball State has received a $387,000 Institutional Impact Grant through Wake Forest University’s Educating Character Initiative (ECI), with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc., to launch the “Cultivating Civic Character for the Common Good” (C4G) project.
Part of a national effort to reinvigorate character education in higher education, the three-year initiative will engage more than 9,000 students, 375 faculty, and 120 staff members, with additional outreach to members of the national ECI network.
“The C4G initiative represents Ball State’s deep and enduring commitment to civic responsibility, student agency, and character formation,” said Dr. Anand R. Marri, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Ball State. “This initiative will not only transform the undergraduate experience but also strengthen our community ties and reinforce the University’s strategic commitment to values-based education.”
C4G will be led by Dr. David J. Roof, associate professor in the Department of Educational Studies and director of the University’s Center for Economic and Civic Learning (CECL), and will build on Ball State’s success with national civic education programs. The project will be supported by Co-Principal Investigators Dr. Marri and Dr. Schaal associate professor and chair of the Department of Political Science.
“C4G builds upon years of partnership-driven civic engagement work,” Dr. Roof said. “This project will unify faculty development, student learning, and community partnerships through a shared emphasis on character, ethics, and democracy.”
A key component of C4G is the launch of Ball State’s new civic studies minor in Fall 2025. Open to students from all majors, the interdisciplinary program will prepare graduates for leadership in a diverse democracy through coursework that is academically rigorous, community-connected, and action-oriented.
As part of C4G, Ball State faculty will have unique opportunities to advance their teaching and scholarship through funded professional development and mentorship programs. The project will launch a Faculty Learning Community that provides stipends for participants to design and implement innovative, values-based pedagogy across disciplines. Ball State students will have oppertunities to participate, and access to the Democracy Fellows Program, where they can work on civic engagement projects, collaborative research, and community based problem-solving. In addition, participating faculty and students will be integral to high-impact campus events, such as public forums, panel discussions, and conferences that bring together our campus community to explore the connections between character, ethics, and democratic life.
The initiative will include collaborations with the Community-Engaged Alliance (CEA) and Third Way Civics to provide professional development, new pedagogical models, and immersive learning opportunities.
“C4G is an innovative model for how institutions can develop students’ civic character in a manner that is deeply rooted in community and democratic values,” said Dr. Trygve Throntveit, founder of Third Way Civics and newly appointed research professor and associate director of CECL at Ball State.
“The C4G project represents a significant step forward in strengthening Indiana’s civic landscape,” said Dr. Elijah Howe, executive director of CEA. “By building institutional capacity and fostering inter-institutional collaboration, Ball State continues to lead by example in advancing civic learning and public engagement.”
The ECI awarded $15.6 million in 2025 Institutional Impact Grants to 28 projects nationwide, with Ball State among a select group of public universities chosen.
“We’re grateful to Wake Forest University’s Educating Character Initiative for their leadership in elevating character education nationally,” Dr. Roof said. “We envision a university where civic learning and ethical inquiry are embedded across disciplines, co-curricular spaces, and community collaborations.”
In the months ahead, the C4G team will convene working groups of faculty, students, and community members to guide implementation, including faculty seminars, student fellowships, community forums, and a conference on civics, character, and higher education.
For more information, visit the Center for Economic and Civic Learning webpage, and for inquiries please reach out to Dr. Roof directly at djroof@bsu.edu.