The Character Forward Initiative

Great Engineers, Good People

Every university shapes the character of its students. Often, this happens implicitly and unintentionally. At Duke, we want to make this explicit. We want to bring Character Forward.

We aim to intentionally cultivate positive character traits through our curricular and co-curricular activities. The goal is that our graduates receive a rigorous engineering education while also becoming better people.​

Sunset over the Chapel arcade, West Campus Scenics, evening

What We Do

Character Forward Workshops

We convene high-impact sessions that feature expert speakers sharing the latest in pedagogy around character and ethical development.

Read a recap of our kick-off workshop

Consultation

Want to better address ethics or character in your classroom? Wondering where to start?

Request a consultation with Rich Eva

Reading Groups

We’re reading Technology and the Virtues: A Philosophical Guide to a Future Worth Wanting, by Shannon Vallor, and meet monthly for discussion over lunch.

Contact Patrick Morrison to join

Building Ethics into Engineering

Martin Luther King Jr.

We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.

Martin Luther King, Jr. from The Purpose of Education

News

Recap: Character Forward Kick-Off Workshop

Genevieve Lipp discussed the First-Year Computing Experience, in which she’s created structures that teach resilience. Feedback loops, for example, help students to “engage in the learning cycle even when there are setbacks.”

Two people talk at an academic conference

Leadership Team

Rich Eva

Rich Eva, Director

richard.eva@duke.edu

Rich earned a doctorate in philosophy from Baylor University and a BA from Princeton. He specializes in ethics, pedagogy and political philosophy. His experience as a D1 athlete at Princeton sparked his interest in leadership and character development. After Princeton, he worked in New York as an assistant vice president at Barclays Bank helping organize pro bono service initiatives. Rich returned to academia to investigate questions in applied ethics.

Christian Ferney Profile Photo
Christian Ferney Profile Photo

Christian Ferney

Associate Director for Education, Kenan Institute for Ethics

Lisa Gresham Huettel Profile Photo
Lisa Gresham Huettel Profile Photo

Lisa Gresham Huettel

Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education, Edmund T. Pratt, Jr. School Professor of the Practice of ECE

Cameron M Kim Profile Photo
Cameron M Kim Profile Photo

Cameron M Kim

Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies, Assistant Professor of the Practice in the Department of BME

Ann  Saterbak Profile Photo
Ann Saterbak Profile Photo

Ann Saterbak

Director, First-Year Design Program, Professor of the Practice in the Department of BME

Stacy L. Tantum Profile Photo
Stacy L. Tantum Profile Photo

Stacy L. Tantum

Bell-Rhodes Associate Professor of the Practice of Electrical and Computer Engineering

George A. Truskey Profile Photo
George A. Truskey Profile Photo

George A. Truskey

R. Eugene and Susie E. Goodson Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Our Partners

The Character Forward Initiative is a partnership of the Pratt School of Engineering and The Purpose Project at Duke.

The Purpose Project, generously funded by the Duke Endowment, is a collaboration of the Kenan Institute for Ethics, Duke Divinity School and the Office of the Provost.