A Framework for Cultivating Virtue in College Communities

In this chapter, we present a practical framework for cultivating virtue in college communities. We begin with a working conception of virtue as deep-seated, action-guiding dispositions oriented to human flourishing and exercised for the right reasons. Integrating insights from virtue ethics, moral psychology, and higher-education scholarship, we propose the Processes of Self-Alignment for Virtue Model (PSAV): Know, Enact, and Realign. In Know, students appropriate tradition-shaped identity narratives and articulate a reflexive ideal. In Enact, they embody this ideal through repeated practice until patterns become second nature. In Realign, they reflect on mismatches between aspiration and performance and plan concrete adjustments to narratives, commitments, and behaviors to increase alignment. Under these conditions, we argue that virtue formation is possible rather than guaranteed and that small shifts in trajectory across the college years are educationally significant. We conclude with an implementation guide that translates the framework into actionable steps, enabling institutions to intentionally cultivate character through higher education courses, programs, and spaces.