Wendt Character Initiative

Character in the Curriculum

Personal Empowerment

The Personal Empowerment program has undergone ongoing curriculum revisions over time, with the updated version piloted in courses this spring. Liza Johnson wrote a new curriculum workbook titled “Leading With Purpose: Developing Character and Emotional Intelligence,” which builds on the KCG framework of emotional intelligence with a more intentional connection to the concepts of character, purpose, and leadership. The final version of the curriculum is planned for completion by spring 2027, incorporating the learning and feedback gathered through this pilot phase.

Worldview Seminar

Our NetVUE Program Development Grant concludes on April 30 this spring semester after two years of focusing on providing more vocation exploration specifically in the Worldview Seminar 2 classroom. Highlights this year from this grant include:

• Every Worldview Seminar 2 class participating in the Apex Celebration of Scholarship and Service
• More robust resources focused on vocation exploration
• A new model of community-engaged learning

The community partners students worked with include:

• Multicultural Family Center
• Opening Doors
• Four Oaks Foster Care & Adoption
• Eagle Point Water Treatment Plant
• Boys and Girls Club of Dubuque
• Convivium Urban Farmstead
• Project Rooted
• Mississippi River Museum
• The Dream Center
• Dubuque Rescue Mission
• Trinkets and Togs
• Oak Park Place
• Dubuque Humane Society
• Mt. Pleasant Home
• Dubuque Food Pantry
• Resources Unite
• Dubuque Area Labor Harvest
• St. Mark Youth Enrichment

Scroll down for more photos from the Worldview poster session!

Applying Course Concepts to Real-World Projects

Computer Science students led by Steve Zanias and Lori Welsh assisted the Wendt Center in assessing the effectiveness of personal empowerment classes over the years. It was a great way for students to apply what they've learned in class to a project with consequential, practical data, and also helped out the Wendt Center in our quest to assess the work we do!

Through its Pathways to Purpose Program, the Wendt Center also sponsored activities planned by Molly Hein's Leadership & Motivation classes for Leadership Week. Students wrote up their event plan, connected their planned activities to character and leadership, and proposed budgets. The events planned included:

• Survey on campus navigation (with cookies!) to inform potential updates to signage or awareness efforts
• Lunch & Learn with Coach Scott Sorenson on leadership
• Survey on campus meal offerings (also with cookies!) to inform future catering decisions
• Day of Play and awareness campaign for mental health struggles and available resources
• Movie night to encourage mental health awareness
• Corn hole and bags tournament to raise money for the UD Food Share Co-Op
• "Kick for Kathryn" field goal competition to raise money for a UD student battling cancer
• Partnership with City Girl Farming to provide healthy food samples and raise awareness of food insecurity and healthy eating.

Leadership & Motivation students shared reflections on what they learned from Leadership Week:

"This project showed me how important it is to create a positive and inclusive environment, and how leadership can be used to bring people together in a meaningful way." "Being a leader means to thoroughly listen to different perspectives and create space for others, where everyone is comfortable contributing." "Purpose-driven leadership helps address meaningful issues."

Scroll down for images of the Leadership Week projects!

Lunch & Learns

Thanks to the generous gift from Stan and Patti Hasselbusch, the Wendt Center was able to continue to sponsor Lunch & Learn sessions this spring.

Katie Bailey led a Lunch & Learn on the Clifton Strengths for two Worldview Seminar 2 classes. Students engaged in reflections and activities to explore the ways they can use their strengths to improve their effectiveness and wellbeing.

Mike Durnin led a Lunch & Learn event on servant leadership with Molly Hein's Leadership & Motivation Class. He also spoke with all the graduate assistants while on campus.

Donovan Tann organized a visit to UD for Tricia Bertram Gallant, author of The Opposite of Cheating and Director of Academic Integrity and The Triton Testing Center at the University of California, San Diego. Gallant talked with faculty and staff about the rise of AI-use in higher education and later met with students in an open forum to discuss what AI means to them as college students and in their future careers.

Additionally, President Frampton led a Lunch & Learn after his Character Lecture, described in a later section, and Scott Sorenson led a leadership Lunch & Learn, organized by the Leadership & Motivation class, as described above.

Educating Character Initiative: Discipline-Specific Mini-Grants

This year, as a part of the Wendt Center’s ECI grant, funding was set aside for each academic department to utilize toward enhancing character development and/or character learning outcomes in their discipline. We’re grateful to the following departments who have utilized funding from Year 1 to creatively contribute to character: Psychology

• Funds use to extend current STEAM project where students are actively applying the virtues of curiosity, truthfulness, integrity, perseverance and more through the KARE Logic Model (Knowing, Acting, Realigning, and Encouraging)

Philosophy, Politics, and History

• Funds were used to host a community screening of the documentary “Eternal You” and panel discussion on campus, focusing on ethical issues with regards to AI.

Physician Associate Program

• Funds were used to send students to an AAPA Conference, with a focus on practicing and integrating the virtues of integrity, teamwork, and professional ethics into the care their provide.

Fine and Performing Arts

• Funds were used to support students enrolled in the Theatre and Culture course to participate in the Reminiscence Project. Students interviewed older members of the Dubuque community and told stories through a performance presentation that in turn fostered the virtues of empathy, compassion, perspective-taking, humility, and responsibility.

TRIO Student Support Services

• TRIO students on the leadership team participated in a retreat with staff to cultivate servant leadership. The retreat took place off campus and included team-building exercises and activities, journaling, book discussions, and more.

Theology

• UD hosted the monthly gather of the Children of Abraham; this funding was used to provide hospitality at this event and encouraged generous listening across religious differences, the cultivation of humility and curiosity toward other worldviews.

Criminal Justice

• This funding supported the representation of UD at the Iowa Human Rights Research Conference that took place in April. This conference provided an opportunity for college students from across Iowa to present papers, posters, and projects on human rights topics and to engage in meaningful dialogue.

Other departments with accepted funding proposals that will move forward in Fall 2026 are:

• Education
• Nursing
• Sociology
• Communication

How Stories Shape Character

President Travis Frampton

Spring 2026 Character Lecture

President Travis Frampton delivered the Spring 2026 Michael Lester Wendt Character Lecture, titled "Heroes, Villains, and Leading Roles: How Stories Shape Character." With stories from major league baseball, his own life, and the Bible, as well as wisdom from philosophers such as Michel de Montaigne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Viktor Frankl, President Frampton explored how the foundational narratives we tell ourselves (and the roles we play in them) impact the way we live our lives.

He asked:

• Does your story still serve truth, dignity, and responsibility?
• Does your story challenge you to be accountable to others and the roles you've assigned them?
• Does your story lead to becoming the person of character you want to be?

Drawing from John Steinbeck's novel, East of Eden, he invited us to reflect on how we might rewrite our stories and rethink the roles we have assigned ourselves.

One student commented, "President Frampton made it clear that it is your own responsibility to decide how to overcome and how to react with challenges in life. Everyone is their own person with their own different foundational narratives and upbringings."

The next morning, President Frampton held a Lunch & Learn with several Senior Seminar classes to delve further into how we can guide our own becoming and formation through intentional crafting of our foundational narratives.

Faculty and Staff Care about Character

Personal Empowerment

Another successful Faculty and Staff Personal Empowerment Workshop ran from January to March, where 14 colleagues met weekly to explore character development, emotional intelligence, well-being, and community. Anne Funke and Liza Johnson co-facilitated this workshop. One participant shared that identifying their top three core values and using them to develop a noble goal provided a clearer, more concrete understanding of their direction in life. This process not only deepened their self-awareness, but also offered new insight into how their relationships and actions are perceived by others. By grounding decisions in these values, they found a greater sense of clarity and confidence when navigating challenges that may have previously felt overwhelming or uncertain.

Book Discussion Groups

Becky Canovan led book discussions on The Seed Keeper, the Dubuque County Reads selection for 2026. Topics ranged from the environmental and social impact of corporate seed companies to the historical trauma experienced by indigenous people, to the legacies we leave. As we reflected together, we found ourselves laughing, mourning, and forming closer bonds during our time together. Come back to lead Wendt book discussions anytime, Becky!

Implicit Bias Training

We welcomed Lt. Rick Fullmer to lead implicit bias training for faculty and staff who are involved in selecting Character Scholars, in Admissions, or on the Title IX committee. Lt. Fullmer helped us recognize and understand how our brains tend to automatically associate stereotypes and attitudes toward categories of people. Lt. Fullmer gave us tools to challenge our biases and to counter stress-induced loss of imagination and critical thinking skills, which can contribute to acting on unchallenged biases.

Celebrating Character on Campus

In early April, we hosted our Character on Campus Celebration, recognizing faculty and staff who were nominated by students for exemplifying outstanding character. This meaningful recognition highlights the powerful impact these individuals have both inside and outside the classroom, shaping the student experience in lasting ways. The event brought together nominees for a time of appreciation and connection in the Multicultural Lounge, where attendees enjoyed light refreshments and had the opportunity to celebrate alongside their peers. Posters featured each nominee, showcasing the many individuals who contribute so positively to our campus community. We are grateful for the opportunity to recognize and uplift those who lead with integrity, compassion, and character every day.

Nominations for the Faculty and Staff Character Award:

Maggie Appel-Schumacher Charles Barland David Beach Carissa Berendes Jason Berna Dustin Bierman Katie Boyer Mary Bryant Dean Capesius Kevin Cattani Shea Chapin Randy Cullen Christine Darr Karrah Davis John Downing Stacey Duran Kristen Eby Jordan Edwards Nicky Eisbach Nick Elder Cole Fisher Anne Funke Michelle Grace Kelly Grussendorf Jim Gunn Brian Hallstoos Adam Hoffman Lalith Jayawickrama Andrew Jones Polly Kadolph Stowe Kintzinger Alina Klein Adam Kleinschmit Joe Klinebriel David Koch Lee Kolker Lisa Kragenbrink Brigette Kyei Nimakoh AJ Ligeralde Ryan Maiuri Krissy Mueller Cason Palm Lynn Pease Tammy Pierro Buzz Pounds Emma Powell Jorge Rangel Tyler Ratts Jose Reinoso Dennis Rima Emily Rollins Sheila Sabers Travis Scheel Nicole Schnese Robbie Sieverding Rafic Sinno Adam Smith Scott Sorenson Dan Spain Jenn Supple Donovan Tann Josh Thomas Lynn Triervieler Karla Weber Lori Welsh Carla Welter Dennis Yergler Teri Zuccaro

NetVUE National Conference

Three faculty attended the NetVUE National Conference in Kansas City in March (Mary Emily Duba, Stowe Kintzinger, and Anne Funke, ). Funke presented on a panel titled “Intersecting Spheres of Hope” about UD’s efforts to integrate vocation exploration and character development across campus.

SEL Conference at UNI

On Friday, April 17, Cassandra Berger, Kevin Cattani, and Nicky Eisbach represented UD at the University of Northern Iowa’s annual Social and Emotional Learning Conference. A highlight for Cassandra was hearing from various speakers, particularly their openness and vulnerability in sharing personal experiences with mental and emotional health.

Faculty Institute: Character in the Curriculum

In May, six academic departments will be participating in the first-ever Faculty Institute: Character in the Curriculum workshop facilitated by Anne Funke and the Wendt Center team. This workshop will focus on providing support and education around creating character learning outcomes, and more intentional experiences to engage with character development throughout academic disciplines.

Wendt Mini-Grants for Faculty and Staff

The Wendt Center continues to fund special character projects that faculty and staff pursue. Below we report on new grants submitted since our winter newsletter came out. For a reminder of other grants awarded this year, click the button below.

Christine Darr, Ashley Noonan, and Jessica Schreyer learned to facilitate nature journaling and embedded it in several courses to help students build their connection to Dubuque and develop their sense of purpose in relation to the natural world. Jaclyn Esqueda led DAYLC Character & Leadership Day, a mini-conference/workshop day for area high school juniors. Each of the sessions offered aimed to help students understand their values, learn more about their own leadership style, and see the connections between character and leadership. UD students assisted in a variety of ways, including leading breakout sessions, presenting their Apex posters, serving as role models and para-educators. Jon McGovern is providing character-focused journals designed by Emma Powell for Train to Win Summer Leadership Camps. These journals focus on cultivating virtues like resilience, faith, community, and more in a sports setting.

We have received exciting reports and photos from many of our grant recipients.

Students who participated in the "Understanding Museums" trip reported the following: "Everyone needs to be exposed to alternate perspectives to prevent being in an echo chamber." The permanent display on slavery “helps [viewers] understand what humans had to go through, understanding the hardships our ancestors had to endure, and it makes you feel this sadness.”

A student who attended A Midsummer Night's Dream had this to say: “They are pitted against each other as the play goes on, which damages their friendship. We can learn not to jump to conclusions based on our first instincts. Communicate and find out the truth.”

Students on the trip to the Galapagos Islands reported the following: “One moment of genuine connection was with the kids in Yunguilla. After dinner on the last night, they started playing tag and got Bella and I to join in with them. Even though they were using a different word for “tag” the commonality of having fun and playing games connected us to each other. That eventually evolved into hide and seek with lots of giggles.” “I appreciate UD’s dedication to providing students with character-building and life-changing experiences abroad. I think it gives opportunities to students like myself who would never have the chance or the motivation to travel to a different country to immerse themselves in new cultures and landscapes.”

On their return from the Galapagos Islands, students created two posters to share their experiences with others.

Pathways to Purpose Update

This year, we made a soft start to our Pathways to Purpose program, an effort to offer more opportunities for character growth to all students. This program sponsored Molly Hein's Leadership & Motivation class's activities and supported a variety of group service projects. Faculty and staff, if you're interested in learning more or getting involved, let us know!