Research on Virtue, Character Formation, and Flourishing
Grants to Belmont University from the Kern Family Foundation and the Wake Forest Educating Character Initiative challenge each of us to teach and lead character-strengthening courses and programs informed by research from many disciplines. These grants also invite Belmont faculty and staff leaders to contribute to this expanding field. Research on virtue and character formation can take place in every discipline represented at Belmont. Our work seeks to ensure that all students, faculty, and staff have access to thought-provoking, instructive examples and opportunities to participate in related research.
During the 2025–2026 academic year, we are:
- Investing in improved ways of gathering and learning from institutional data related to character, virtue, whole-person formation, wellness, and flourishing.
- Partnering with NetVUE on national research projects on vocation.
- Creating new Lila Bunch Library resource collections on character formation and virtue, especially the SOUL framework.
- Mapping efforts across the university that contribute to virtue and character formation.
- Connecting Belmont Formation Collaborative conversations to research at other leading institutions.
- Convening an interprofessional health sciences team in partnership with the Kern National Network on Flourishing in Medicine
- Supporting research for faculty across all 12 colleges.
- Sharing Belmont’s commitment to character formation with audiences within and beyond higher education.
- Refining approaches for ecumenical and interfaith conversations on character formation that reflect Belmont’s Christ-centered identity.
Meet the Team
Belmont Formation Collaborative
Charlotte Witvliet
Senior Scholar for Character, Mental Health, & Flourishing
Phone: 615-460-5375
Email: charlotte.witvliet@belmont.edu
Office Location: Jack C. Massey Center 337
Read Bio
Email: charlotte.witvliet@belmont.edu
Office Location: Jack C. Massey Center 337
Stay Connected with Belmont Formation Collaborative
Sign up for updates or reach out to us at formation@belmont.edu.