Najim Center receives grant to promote character-building education at UTSA

SEPTEMBER 25, 2024 — The UTSA Najim Center for Innovation and Career Advancement has been named a recipient of a one-year Capacity-Building Grant from the Educating Character Initiative (ECI). The funding will enable UTSA to develop and integrate character education into its curricula and culture.

The $50,000 grant will support new and existing programs at the Najim Center, with the overarching goal of designing a campus-wide framework that will grow education around leadership, service, ethics and other character-building principles across UTSA. The funds will enable the Najim Center team to gather and create more comprehensive curriculum, provide stipends for students who participate in these programs and hire additional student support staff.

UTSA is one of 41 colleges and universities nationwide selected to participate in the initiative, which is part of the Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University.

“Preparing students to be engaged, global citizens is an important part of the college experience, and it often happens outside of the classroom.”

Rachael Miller, UTSA director of experiential learning, and Alvin Curette, assistant director for the UTSA McNair Scholars program, will lead the year-long project. Alongside staff from the Najim Center and UTSA Career-Engaged Learning, Miller and Curette will reframe and expand two existing programs: the Najim Advocacy program and the Innovate Yourself in 3D program. They will also form a monthly working and reading group to cultivate an action plan for implementing character education at UTSA.

“Preparing students to be engaged, global citizens is an important part of the college experience, and it often happens outside of the classroom. Building character is a critical part of that preparation,” said Miller. “This grant will help us further our mission of promoting the holistic development of our students and continue teaching them the importance of giving back to their community.”

The ECI Capacity-Building Grant will help the Najim Advocacy Program transform into a full-scale, paid internship program. Students will explore their individual values, self-expression and community building while working with local nonprofits, businesses and community organizations across San Antonio.

The grant will support the relaunch of the Innovate Yourself in 3D program, which was paused after its first cohort due to lack of funding. Developed in 2022 to address students’ desire for support beyond the classroom following the COVID-19 pandemic, the program promotes students’ personal and professional development. Through interactive sessions and activities, students focus on self-discovery, skill development and life design while exploring college, career and life navigation.

Lastly, the grant will support the formation of a working-reading group comprised of UTSA faculty and staff who will develop a framework for implementing character education at the university. Led by staff from the Career-Engaged Learning division, the group will meet monthly to discuss the latest literature and best practices surrounding character education in academia, beginning with the book “Cultivating Virtue in the University.”

The working-reading group will also invite a speaker to campus to increase awareness of and engagement with character education at UTSA.

At the end of the year-long grant period, the Najim Center plans to apply for the ECI Institutional Impact Grantto further support and sustain future character education at UTSA. The three-year grant awards between $100,000 and $1 million to integrate character education into curriculum and programming for undergraduate students.

The ECI Capacity-Building Grant will support UTSA’s wider mission of promoting free speech and respectful discourse across campus. Equipping students with the skills to navigate difficult conversations with empathy helps decrease polarization and creates a campus environment where students with differing beliefs can engage meaningfully with each other. These initiatives are supporting students’ growth both in and out the classroom and preparing them to be the civic leaders of tomorrow.

— Chloe Johnson