Character Collaborative Annual Meeting, September 21-22, 2022
Hilton-Americas Hotel-Houston, 1600 Lamar Street Ballroom D, Level 4
“Character and Admission: Shaping the Future”
Wednesday, September 21
12:00 – 12:15 Lunch — Welcome and Introductions — David Holmes, Executive Director
12:15 – 1:00 Character Assessment Tools in Action (informal discussion over lunch)
“Character Strengths Assessment” and “Character Skills Snapshot”
(Instruments (sent before meeting)
Goal: Learn about our own character strengths and about how character strengths assessment can help in the school search process (finding fit)
Ray Diffley, RD3Education
Keith Wright, Enrollment Management Association
1 – 1:30 Ethical College Admission: Our Character Mission/Our Reciprocal Obligation
Tom Bear, Board Chair, Character Collaborative
David Holmes, Executive Director
1:30 – 4:30 Bringing Our Mission to Reality: Case Studies
University of Notre Dame — Paul Mueller
New York University — Jonathan Williams
University of Pennsylvania — John McLaughlin
(Break)
Enrollment Management Association — Keith Wright
Character in College Advising — Brennan Barnard
Common Ap and Character — Trisha Anderson
4:30 – 5:30 NACAC and Character Collaborative: Working Together to Expand Impact
David Hawkins, NACAC Chief Education and Policy Officer
Bob Massa and Tom Bear, Character Collaborative Executive Board
5:45 Reception
6:15 Dinner w/Keynote Speaker-Facilitator)
“Questions and Conclusions From Day One” (remarks; group discussion)
Erby Mitchell , Dean of Admission, Hotchkiss School
Thursday, September 22
7:30-8:00 Continental Breakfast
8:00-8:10 Overview of Day #2
Tom Bear, Board Chair
David Holmes, Executive Director
8:10 – 9:55 Critical Issues and Challenges (Commentary and /Group Discussion)
Establishing Validity and Impact w/Research — Nathan Kuncel, University of Minnesota
How Institutions Build Internal Consensus and Communicate the Character Priority Andrew Moe, Swarthmore College
How character in a holistic admission process can advance diversity goals in a post-affirmative action world, Debra Wilson, Southern Association of Independent Schools
Character and Admission Practice — Whitney Soule, U of Pennsylvania
Major Challenges Ahead — Rick Weissbourd, Making Caring Common (via Zoom)
9:55 – 10:00 Summary, Next Steps and Close of Meeting
Tom Bear, Board Chair, and David Holmes, Executive Director