Shaping Leaders of Character and Virtue: Four Faculty Pursue Master’s in Character Education

Belmont professors receive scholarship from the Kern Family Foundation to study character education at the Jubilee Center for Character & Virtues

This year, four Belmont professors – Drs. Heather Finch, Ryan Fox, Ted Peetz, and Emmanuel Saka – received scholarships from the Kern Family Foundation to pursue a three-year Master of Arts degree in Character Education  through the Jubilee Center for Character & Virtue at the University of Birmingham in England.  

Representing disciplines from Sport Administration, English, Graphic Design, and Math Education, the faculty are united by a shared question: how can character be formed intentionally in the classroom?  

Character-Focused Iinstruction as a Deliberate Choice 

For Dr. Ted Peetz, professor of Sport Administration, that question began with a common assumption. “We know that sports are a powerful tool for forming character,” he said. “But that doesn’t happen automatically or always in positive ways.”  

Throughout his tenure, Dr. Peetz has seen how competition and the broader sport industry can reward selfish play and shortcuts as easily as integrity. The MA program is helping him think deliberately about curriculum design: how can courses prepare future coaches and administrators to model and expect good character?  

In sport, as in life, character formation is not accidental, but the result of careful intent.  

Practical Wisdom in Math Education 

In the College of Education and Mathematics, Dr. Ryan Fox is pressing similar questions in a less obvious arena. His research introduced him to the concept of phronesis, or practical wisdom – the ability to discern right action in complex situations.  

For Dr. Fox, mathematics is not only about arriving at correct answers, but cultivating intellectual humility, creativity, and perseverance. And for future math educators, it means learning how to inspire those virtues in others.  

“As I work toward my dissertation, I see an opportunity to piece together a new conversation about character, math, and education,” he said.  

In doing so, Dr. Fox reframes mathematics as more than a technical discipline, but as an incubator for wise leadership.  

Writing as Virtue Exploration 

Dr. Heather Finch began a fuller embrace of character education in her English courses after teaching Belmont’s purpose-focused course, What’s Your Why?. 

“The course opened up a whole new way of approaching my pedagogy,” she said. “It reminded me that students aren’t just in my class, they’re whole people building full lives.” 

Now, in her writing courses, general reflection has evolved into virtue exploration. Students choose virtues that they want to grow in and track their progress through reflection. In one exercise, students even held a “virtue auction,” bidding fiercely on the qualities they valued most. 

For Finch, these exercises capture the deeper work of formation happening in her classes. “We aren’t just learning content,” she said. “We’re figuring out who we are.” 

Empathy by Design 

For Dr. Emmanuel Saka, professor of Experiential Graphic Design, character has always been foundational.  

“In Ghana, where I did my K-12 education, character is the basis of all education,” he explained. “Before you are taught to read and write, you are taught to be a good and helpful person. Your report card doesn’t just come with a grade; it evaluates unique character.”  

That early emphasis shapes his design studio, where empathy stands as the defining virtue of design.  

“Empathy is what we do,” he said. “Every project begins with a question: What can I learn from someone whose life experience differs from my own? What challenges are they facing? How can we design something that helps?” 

For Dr. Saka, a character-informed pedagogy goes deeper than aesthetics. It calls students into curiosity, multicultural awareness, and a commitment to serve others well. This approach makes Dr. Saka’s classroom one where students hone both creativity and compassion.  

A Campus-wide Commitment to Character 

Together, these individual efforts reflect a broader institutional vision to weave character into every part of the Belmont experience.  

The Belmont Formation Collaborative was founded to advance this vision, investing in an education that attends to the whole-person.  

“The Formation Collaborative is grounded in Belmont’s Christ-centered identity,” said Dr. Nathan Webb, vice president for formation and leadership. “We support staff, faculty, and students to lead with character, competence, and commitment to the common good. This work builds on a long legacy of character education at Belmont, and we look forward to furthering this work through innovation and collaboration.”