The Heart of a Mustang
A near half-million-dollar investment in character education at SMU
The Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics & Public Responsibility has received a near half-million-dollar Institutional Impact Grant from the Educating Character Initiative at Wake Forest University to launch The Heart of a Mustang, a three-year initiative to make character formation a more intentional part of the undergraduate experience at SMU.
From 2026 through 2029, the grant will support faculty and staff development, new and redesigned courses and student programs, and expanded opportunities for students to learn and grow across campus and throughout Dallas.
Rather than creating a single new program, The Heart of a Mustang will help faculty, staff, students, and campus partners make character development more intentional across academic and co-curricular life.
Align
Create a shared approach to character education that connects efforts across SMU and supports the University’s broader priorities.
Equip
Provide faculty, staff, and student leaders with training, resources, and funding to integrate intentional character formation into courses, programs, and student experiences.
Engage
Expand opportunities for students to encounter new perspectives, build meaningful relationships, reflect on their experiences, and connect more deeply with SMU and Dallas.
Institutional Impact Grants support colleges and universities undertaking substantial, sustained efforts to integrate character education throughout the undergraduate experience in ways that reflect each institution’s mission, culture, and context.
The award builds on the Maguire Ethics Center’s previous Nodes to Networks Capacity Building Grant, which laid the research foundation for The Heart of a Mustang.
The grant will help move The Heart of a Mustang from research into practice across SMU through:
- New and redesigned undergraduate courses
- Character-focused student programs and experiences
- Faculty, staff, and student leader training
- Funding for academic and co-curricular initiatives
- Community-engaged learning throughout Dallas
- Resources and assessment tools to support the work beyond the three-year grant period
These efforts will allow faculty, staff, and students across the University to adapt The Heart of a Mustang to the different places where undergraduate learning and development already occur.
The Heart of a Mustang has been shaped by an interdisciplinary Task Force representing faculty, staff, and students from across SMU.
Task Force members helped inform the research and development of the initiative and will continue serving as campus partners as the work moves into implementation. Their perspectives will help ensure The Heart of a Mustang reflects the different academic, professional, and student experiences that make up the University.
Dr. Jill DeTemple
Rev. Lisa Garvin
Dr. Ashlyn Hand
Dr. Allison Kanny
Dr. Maribeth Kuenzi
Max Keating
Emily Schandlbauer
Tanya Harathi
Dr. Carrie LaFerle
Dr. Steve Long
Dr. Dawn Norris
Dr. Janille Smith-Colin
Marissa Wallace
Maddie Wiltse