Cultivating Civic Character for the Common Good (C4G)

C4G is a faculty-led initiative at Ball State University designed to strengthen ethical citizenship by embedding character formation into the curriculum, cocurriculum, and institutional culture of a public research university.

In one sentence: C4G cultivates civic character—virtues such as justice, courage, responsibility,

The 2024 Civic Learning Symposium

respect, gratitude, and hope—so that civic engagement becomes ethical leadership and constructive democratic participation.

Why C4G

Many civic education efforts focus on civic knowledge and skills, but neglect the deeper formation of moral virtues essential for ethical citizenship. C4G responds to this national challenge by making character education intentional, dialogical, and critically reflective—grounded in reflective practice, ethical action, and community engagement.

The C4G character framework

In C4G, virtues are understood as stable dispositions that integrate perception, cognition, emotion, motivation, and action—shaping how people respond in admirable ways across the spheres of life.

Core civic virtues

  • Justice — fairness, equity, and a commitment to the common good
  • Civic courage — the strength to do what is right, especially under pressure
  • Responsibility — accountability to others and follow-through on commitments

Relational virtues

  • Respect — honoring dignity across differences
  • Gratitude — recognizing interconnectedness and support from others
  • Hope — commitment to constructive engagement and belief in positive change

What C4G does

C4G builds a multi-tiered network of character-infused learning opportunities designed to scale across programs and departments.

Faculty development

  • Faculty-led learning communities and workshops
  • Course redesign support to integrate civic character outcomes
  • Shared tools for reflection, dialogue, and assessment

Civic Studies Minor

  • A formal academic pathway with approved courses
  • Interdisciplinary learning aligned to civic virtue education
  • Opportunities for community-engaged learning and synthesis

Experiential learning

  • Engagement with community exemplars and mentors
  • Structured reflection connecting experience to virtue growth
  • Projects that translate values into ethical civic action

A replicable model

  • A campus-wide framework other universities can adapt
  • Alignment with national networks advancing civic virtue
  • Shared resources that support adoption and scaling

Community and national partnerships

C4G is strengthened by collaboration with respected institutions and organizations. Letters of support reflect both regional and national collaboration and affirm the value of C4G as a model for civic-infused character in higher education.

Selected endorsing partners (public list)

  • Ackerman Center for Democratic Citizenship, Purdue University
  • James Madison University
  • Tufts University, Tisch College of Civic Life
  • Business for America
  • Indiana Bar Foundation
  • Center on Representative Government, Indiana University
  • Taylor University

Commitment to student opportunity

As a public research institution committed to inclusive excellence, Ball State serves a significant population of first-generation college students and Pell Grant recipients. C4G is designed so that these students benefit directly from civic and character education through high-impact practices such as immersive learning, community engagement, and interdisciplinary coursework.

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