Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne has received nearly $600,000 to develop a character education initiative designed to help students build qualities such as curiosity, creativity, integrity, and teamwork alongside their technical skills.
The Institutional Impact Grant was awarded through Wake Forest University’s Educating Character Initiative, which is funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. Florida Tech was one of 49 institutions nationwide selected for a 2026 grant.
The project, titled Cultivating Core Character Through the General Education Core, aims to make character development a more intentional part of the university experience. While Florida Tech is known for its science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs, the initiative will explore how students can also develop the personal virtues that support them throughout their lives and careers.
Florida Tech Identifies Its Core Virtues
The initiative’s priorities emerged from research supported by an earlier capacity-building grant. Faculty members conducted focus groups, reviewed university documents, and gathered perspectives from students, faculty, staff, deans, and administrators to understand how character education fits into Florida Tech’s identity.
That research identified four defining virtues: curiosity, creativity, integrity and teamwork, supported by additional qualities such as wisdom, resilience, humility, courage and open-mindedness.
Andrew Aberdein, professor of philosophy and chair of humanities in the School of Arts and Communication, is leading the project alongside co-principal investigators Heidi Hatfield Edwards, professor and head of the School of Arts and Communication, and Lars Jones, an assistant professor in the school.
Aberdein said the goal is to help students develop qualities that remain valuable even as the technical skills required in their professions change.
The initiative is intended to give students a stronger foundation for adapting to new circumstances throughout their working lives, rather than focusing exclusively on the skills needed for their first jobs after graduation.
How Character Education Will Enter the Classroom
The project will initially focus on general education courses within the School of Arts and Communication, with plans to expand across Florida Tech through faculty collaborations and student engagement opportunities.
Rather than replacing existing courses or imposing a single curriculum, the team plans to help instructors incorporate character development into lessons they already teach.
For example, a communication course might use writing and expression assignments to encourage open-mindedness, humility, and self-control. Those experiences could help students strengthen curiosity and apply other virtues as they progress into more advanced courses in their majors.
Jones said the approach involves intentional decisions by instructors about how they teach and how students engage with course material.
The project also plans to hire a postdoctoral specialist in character education to support faculty. The position could help instructors develop curriculum materials, teach selected classes, and create reusable online learning modules that faculty can incorporate into different courses.
The team will also use faculty colloquia and other campus activities to encourage broader participation.
Helping Students Develop Beyond Their Degrees
The initiative aims to encourage students to value character virtues in their own right, rather than treating them solely as tools for earning better grades or advancing professionally.
Jones said the project will encourage students to consider what kind of people they want to become and how their choices reflect those aspirations.
Edwards said the goal is to help graduates succeed academically and professionally while also giving them opportunities to thrive as individuals.
Florida Tech Provost John Z. Kiss said the university’s graduates already bring technical expertise and a strong work ethic to their careers. He said the initiative could further strengthen qualities such as curiosity, resilience, and character, helping prepare students to contribute as professionals, leaders, and community members.
The grant will support a three-year effort, but the project team hopes the work will continue beyond that period and become a lasting part of Florida Tech’s educational mission.
By building character education into general education courses and encouraging participation across campus, Florida Tech aims to complement its STEM reputation with a stronger emphasis on the virtues that shape how students learn, make decisions, and engage with the world.
Read more: Florida Tech’s announcement about the character education grant
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