Leadership & Character

Character at the Center of Leadership

The Program for Leadership and Character helps students think about how to live better. We teach students that leadership is the capacity to inspire, support, and influence others to work toward a shared purpose and that character is the set of virtues that enables us to lead authentic, integrated lives that promote the flourishing of individuals and communities.

Our program uses innovative teaching, creative programming, and cutting-edge research to transform the lives of students, foster an inclusive culture of leadership and character at Wake Forest, and catalyze a broader public conversation that places character at the center of leadership.

Wake Forest awards scholarships to Leadership and Character Scholars. These are students committed to developing their leadership and character at Wake Forest. The Leadership and Character Scholars Program is designed to strengthen students’ sense of community, inform their values and vocation, and prepare them to serve their communities well beyond our campus.

As part of our mission to effect a broader conversation around character-centered leadership, we host conferences in partnership with the Oxford Character Project that feature leaders and scholars in a variety of fields and disciplines. For instance, we recently hosted a conference on The Arts of Leading, in which Renée Elise Goldsberry, the Tony and Grammy Award-winning actress best known as Angelica Schuyler in the musical phenomenon, Hamilton, kicked off the conference. She spoke about her vision of leadership and the liberal arts and concluded with an electrifying special performance.

What’s next?