Education & Formation
Cultivating lives of purpose, wisdom and wonder.
At our core, we believe that education is about more than earning a degree—it’s about developing a sense of purpose rooted in the common good. Grounded in the rich traditions of virtue ethics and Catholic Social Thought, we invite you to explore what it truly means for individuals and communities to flourish.
When you engage with our community, you won’t just leave with a sharper mind—you’ll leave with a moral vision grounded in commitments to human dignity, stubborn hopefulness, and a call to build a more just, connected, and flourishing world.
- Here, your academic pursuits, personal values, and future career align around a compelling purpose: that a meaningful life ultimately seeks the good of everyone.
- You’ll learn to develop wisdom to navigate today’s complex ethical challenges, not just finding answers for what to do, but developing a dynamic framework for how to become the kind of person who can live and lead with integrity, courage, and care for others.
- Your journey with us is designed to ignite a lifelong sense of wonder that shapes how you see the world.
Being part of our community will prepare you to step into the world with a strong sense of clarity and calling, and deep curiosity to learn from every person and experience you encounter. You’re also joining a creative community actively envisioning ways to help other students (at Notre Dame and beyond) connect with this vision.
Jenkins Center for Virtue Ethics
Our education and formation efforts are under the auspices of the Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., Center for Virtue Ethics, a signature element of
the Notre Dame Ethics Initiative emerging from the University of Notre Dame’s strategic framework.
The Jenkins Center for Virtue Ethics is a cornerstone element of the Institute for Ethics and the Common Good. It supports preeminent scholars whose research advances human flourishing in both moral and spiritual contexts, facilitates the development of undergraduate courses exploring topics such as justice and the common good, and deepens the ethical formation of Notre Dame students and faculty. The center also plays a transformative role in public discussion, drawing citizens into meaningful dialogue informed by virtue ethics—one of the most powerful and enduring contributions of the Catholic philosophical tradition.
The initial funding for this new center was made possible through the generosity of several members of the University’s Board of Trustees, along with other benefactors, and named in honor of University President Emeritus Father Jenkins.
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On Purpose
The On Purpose program at ECG creates fully funded, immersive experiences where small student cohorts engage with particular social issues on the ground, allowing significant space for learning and ethical reflection.
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Apprenticeship in Virtue-Rooted Leadership
The ECG Apprenticeship is a virtue-rooted leadership formation program for undergraduate students.
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Undergraduate Research Fellows
The undergraduate Ethics Research Fellowship (ERF) program is an immersive, interdisciplinary, three-year mentorship experience that equips students to harness contemporary moral theory and the analytical tools of their major to carry out ambitious research that pushes forward major ethical debates.
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Wilsey Distinguished Graduate Fellowships
The Wilsey Distinguished Graduate Fellowship at the Institute for Ethics and the Common Good (ECG) is a year-long, interdisciplinary cohort experience that equips dissertating graduate students to carry out boundary-pushing research that elevates our understanding of key ethical issues.
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Signature Course Fellowships
Signature Course Fellowship funds and supports faculty who have a vision for translating research on human flourishing into large-scale, public-facing, pedagogically innovative courses that have the potential to become a cornerstone in their university’s curriculum.