Building Character, Civility, and Ethical Leadership in Higher Education with Scott Raecker

🎙 Hosts: Katy Abrams & Misty Evans

🎧 Producers: Dan Hecke, Katy Abrams, Misty Evans

📍 A Potomac Publishing Podcast

In this episode of Beyond the Quadcast, hosts Katy Abrams and Misty Evans sit down with Scott Raecker, Executive Director of the Robert D. and Billie Ray Center & Co-Executive Director of the Olson Institute for Public Democracy at Drake University, to discuss the transformative power of character development, ethical leadership, and civility in higher education. Scott shares insights on the Character Counts framework, the importance of modeling ethical behavior, and how institutions can foster a culture of responsible global citizenship.

From reducing disciplinary issues in K-12 education to promoting constructive dialogue and leadership skills in higher education, this conversation explores actionable strategies that can be implemented across campuses to shape engaged and ethical student leaders.

Key Takeaways:

The Character Counts Framework & the Six Pillars of CharacterCreating a culture of civility and ethical leadership in universities

The role of faculty and administration in modeling character and respect

The CHAMP Framework for effective communication and conflict resolution

How Praise and Polish can be used to provide constructive feedback

Real-world applications: character education in workplaces, government, and communities

Practical steps institutions can take to integrate character development into their mission

Resources:

🔗 Character Counts Framework & Resourcescharactercounts.org

🔗 Kindness 101 Initiative (CBS News & Steve Hartman)cbsnews.com/feature/kindness-101-steve-hartman/

🔗 Drake University’s Ray Center & Olson Institute for Public Democracyraycenter.drake.edu/

🔗 The Big Sort by Bill Bishop – A must-read on societal polarization

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