About the Wendt Center

Our Vision

In alignment with the University of Dubuque's Mission, the Wendt Center for Character and Leadership's vision is to cultivate good character and lives of purpose for the common good in an ever-changing world.

Good character is thinking, feeling, and acting in alignment with moral values, and prepares us to learn, engage, and lead in our communities. At the heart of our work is servant leadership, firmly grounded in character development.

By fostering a community where individuals learn, grow, and serve, we seek to create a more just and flourishing world.

Our Approach

Good character is developed through the engagement and alignment of the head, heart, and hands to drive meaningful change and positive impact. It involves:

 

Our Pursuits

We cultivate character virtues and bring our vision to life through four core pursuits that reflect the integration of head, heart, and hands. These pursuits offer intentional pathways for students to grow as whole persons while preparing to lead lives of purpose for the common good.

Seeking Knowledge and Insight

• To guide our choices and develop a worldview grounded in good character.
  
  • Supported virtues include curiosity, perseverance, humility, truthfulness, integrity.

Supporting Wellbeing

• To cultivate growth and flourishing in ourselves and our communities.
  • Supported virtues include compassion, hope, patience, gratitude, resilience.

Strengthening Community

• To build connections that inspire collaboration and shared purpose.
  • Supported virtues include respect, honesty, inclusivity, empathy, accountability.

Serving Others

• To create meaningful change for the common good that ripples throughout generations.
  • Supported virtues include stewardship, courage, justice, practical wisdom, purpose.