Cultivating a wicked problem-solving character

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the activities and impacts of a character approach to solving wicked problems. We detail the activities of the university's Center for Character and Public Impact in curricular, co-curricular and faculty development areas, especially around the focal virtues of hope, humility, care and practical wisdom. We present the impact of this work on students and faculty at the university. Design/methodology/approach This practitioner paper uses a case study from the university, detailing the wicked problems initiatives and the integration of character education in faculty development, the curriculum and the co-curriculum. Findings An external review suggested that our work on integrating character education with our existing wicked problems activities shows promising results, especially in our focal areas of hope, humility, care and practical wisdom. Originality/value While a growing number of institutions use community-engaged, project-based and even wicked problem-based pedagogies, we believe we are distinctive in aligning our robust wicked problems initiatives with an integrated approach to character education.