MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University’s College of Liberal Arts has received a $47,399 capacity-building grant from the Educating Character Initiative, a project of The Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University. 

The grant will support “The True Blue Character Blueprint: Building Character Education at MTSU,” a university-wide effort that builds on the university’s longstanding True Blue values through a more intentional approach to character development. 

The one-year grant, running from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, brings together faculty, staff, and students to explore how character education can be more intentionally woven throughout the MTSU experience, from the classroom to co-curricular and community-based programs.

“The liberal arts have always embraced a holistic approach to education that focuses on who we are as human beings,” said Leah Tolbert Lyons, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and principal investigator for the project. 

She continued, “This grant builds on the values articulated in the True Blue Pledge, and we are excited to engage the campus in this important conversation about defining character and character education. It is a campuswide effort, and we look forward to working with colleagues across the university.”

The initiative also reflects MTSU’s broader educational mission.

“Universities have an important role in preparing students not only for careers, but also for lives of purpose, leadership and engaged citizenship,” said Provost Mark Byrnes. “This grant provides our campus an opportunity to explore how character development can be more intentionally integrated throughout the student experience.”

A central element of the project is an interdisciplinary faculty learning community, in which faculty members from across the university will examine how character education already exists within their disciplines and identify new ways to incorporate it into teaching. 

The grant also supports workshops, book discussions, guest speakers, student conversations and exploration of a character-focused living-learning community. 

Rehab Ghazal, College of Liberal Arts associate dean and project co-principal investigator, who also directs the newly established Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies and Initiatives, said the project reflects the institute’s mission of bringing faculty together across disciplines to address complex challenges.

“Faculty already help students develop the habits and values that shape their personal and professional lives,” Ghazal said. “This grant gives us the opportunity to build on that work, share ideas across disciplines, and create resources that faculty throughout the university can integrate into their own classrooms.” 

During the grant period, project leaders will create the True Blue Character Blueprint, an implementation guide for faculty, develop recommendations for integrating character education throughout the curriculum, and establish a digital badge recognizing students who complete character-focused learning experiences. 

In addition to Lyons and Ghazal, the project leadership team includes College of Liberal Arts associate deans Meredith Dye and Kate Goodwin, as well as MTSU Vice Provost for Planning and Effectiveness Jeff Gibson. The team will collaborate with faculty and campus partners throughout the coming year as the blueprint is developed and refined.

— Mike Davis ([email protected])