Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.
Aspen-Kern Program for Leadership and Character in Higher Education
Fostering a humanities-informed culture of character, viewpoint diversity, democratic citizenship, and human flourishing
The Aspen-Kern Program for Leadership and Character in Higher Education aims to advance a humanities-informed culture of character, viewpoint diversity, democratic citizenship, and human flourishing in higher education and beyond. It does this by:
Supporting new college presidents personally and as stewards of institutional purpose;
Programming for institutions and the moral ecologies in which they are situated;
Cross-institutional and community-focused programming extending a humanistic understanding of character, viewpoint diversity, democratic citizenship, and human flourishing as a cultural imperative;
Publications, resources, and other thought leadership to extend and deepen our understanding of humanities-based character formation and the conditions which support it.
At a time when the purposes of higher education are unusually contentious, this program aims to emphasize the non-technical aspects of undergraduate education and the learning that fosters a deeper understanding of the virtues of character best suited to a free and democratic polity—the ability to think critically, to engage in civil, challenging, and creative dialogue, to participate responsibly in a pluralistic society, and to develop the habits of thought and action which are conducive to human flourishing.
Building on the Aspen Institute’s history of more than 75 years of humanities-based learning, as well as Kern Family Foundation-supported programs dedicated to advancing character education and a better society, the Aspen-Kern Program for Leadership and Character in Higher Education is a new resource in a time of great need and opportunity.
