Called to the common good?

March 19, 2023

Vocations without the virtues will lack substance. Virtues without vocations will seem arbitrary.—Stanley Hauerwas, 2023

The Institute for Social Concerns is launching a new 3-year initiative to study and pilot best practices for cultivating a lifelong commitment to the common good among college-aged students. The project begins with the assumption that “a good college education must consciously help students understand how intellectual virtues intersect with their moral and civic commitments” (Johan Neem, 2023). It then asks, how does leading an ethical life of meaning, purpose, and impact affect mental health, happiness, resilience, and success? Are purposeful students and graduates better able to navigate the challenges they encounter while in college and better able to address challenges facing the world when they graduate?

The centerpiece of this new initiative is the establishment and assessment of a 3-year interdisciplinary fellowship for Notre Dame undergraduates from across campus who will have the opportunity to explore, through a set of curricular and co-curricular opportunities, what it means to live an ethical life of meaning, purpose, and impact. 

The fellowship includes two dedicated classes, funded summer opportunities for community engagement and research, regular dinners and select immersions with the cohort, and a $2,000 fellowship per academic year. 15 rising sophomores will be selected. 

Interested students apply here. Applications are due April 13. 

LEARN MORE AND APPLY

We are grateful for the generous program support from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation.

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