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The research project titled “The Role of Meta-Identity in Developing Moral Communities Within Higher Education” was conducted by Baylor University and generously funded by the John Templeton Foundation (JTF). The project was more commonly referred to as DC3 or Developing Character in College Communities. The longitudinal research study on virtue development in college communities included surveys completed at 4 timepoints from 2022 to 2024 by roughly 2,791 students; of those, 998 completed all 4 timepoints^[1]. In our preliminary analysis of this large dataset, we find that, in general, college students do grow over the four timepoints in most of the virtues.

The purpose of this report is to summarize the collective results of virtue outcomes of study participants from the twelve centers for Christian thought (CCT) that participated in this longitudinal study. On average, across the four waves, the CCT sample (n = 638; 77% undergraduate, 10% graduate) can be best described as female (61%); Caucasian (67%); Protestant (60%) or Catholic (31%); and upper-middle class (44%); with a political affiliation ranging from conservative to moderate (65%) and average age of 22. These participants engaged in center programming during the time of the study. Throughout the report, the CCT results are compared to the general College sample for the purpose of gaining insight into how CCT organizations compare to the general sample of college students on these specific measures.

Overall, findings suggest that study participants engaged in programs and activities, on average, about once a month. These students found Fellows programs, internship/leadership positions, and courses as the most impactful activities and publications/media, orientation programs, and lectures as the least impactful.

Although the original intention of this report was to focus on virtue outcomes, we heard from our CCT Leaders that the religious and spiritual outcomes were very important to understanding their center participants. Therefore, in this report, we have also included a summary of study participants’ responses to religious and spiritual outcomes. These outcomes include: Christian Orthodoxy, Intrinsic Religiosity, Spirituality, Religious Practices, Religious Motivation, and Attachment to God. This report also summarizes the virtue outcomes. These outcomes included: Humility, Generosity, Gratitude, Patience, Self-Control, Courage, and Purpose.

Findings from this report suggest that, in general, the CCT sample scored on average with the College sample with regard to religious and virtue outcomes. Throughout this report, the CCT sample is compared to the College sample. It is important to remember that the College sample included college students at 12 centers for Christian thought (CCT), 3 elite Christian institutions of higher education, and also included non-Center participants from 2 secular universities associated with the study centers.

We highly recommend that centers and institutes continue to assess virtues at regular intervals with students and staff. The free toolkit, Cultivating Character: A Toolkit for Assessing Virtues in College Students, provides worksheets, surveys, scripts, and guides for continuing assessment on your own. The full virtue scales are the same measurements used to collect data for this report. You can use them all or choose only the virtues that matter most to your organization. Using these scales annually will allow you to monitor any changes in virtues over time. We recommend identifying strategies or programs to implement that may cultivate virtue formation and continuing to assess these virtues.

We are grateful to the leaders and students of the 12 centers and institutes who participated in this longitudinal research project! We hope this report helps you have meaningful conversations in your organization and supports your efforts in intentionally designing programs to cultivate virtues in the lives of the college students you serve.