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Franciscan University Engineering Department receives institutional impact grant

August 19, 2024

STEUBENVILLE, OH—Franciscan University of Steubenville, along with Purdue University, Tuskegee University, and the University of New Hampshire at Manchester, has been awarded an Institutional Impact Grant to enhance character development for technical students.

The collaborative project titled “Integrating Character Development in Engineering and Computing Undergraduate Courses” aims to incorporate virtue and character growth into pedagogical and assessment strategies across the engineering and computing programs at Franciscan University, Tuskegee University, and the University of New Hampshire. Purdue University's Learning Design and Technology Program will support and facilitate the initiative.

As part of the grant, Franciscan University will receive more than $140,000 over three years. This financial award will enable faculty to research, develop, and collaborate on effective educational materials to teach students about character formation within required engineering and computing classes.

“I’m grateful for the Institutional Impact Grant and how it will help Franciscan University contribute to leading change in engineering and computing education so we can continue to send forth students who use their gifts and talents to build up God’s Kingdom,” said Dr. Stephen Frezza, director of the Software Engineering Program at Franciscan University. “We look forward to enhancing and innovating how we prepare future engineering professionals who not only excel technically but also ethically and morally in the workplace.”

The grant was awarded by the Educating Character Initiative, part of the Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University and supported by Lilly Endowment Inc. Institutional Impact Grants between $100,000 and $1 million are given to institutions that wish to undertake substantial efforts to educate character in undergraduate students.

This year, 24 Institutional Impact Grants were awarded to 29 colleges and universities including Franciscan University.

For more information about Franciscan University's Engineering and Computing Department, visit snas.franciscan.edu/department-of-engineering-and-computing.