How can universities encourage students to move beyond cognitive engagement with ideas about flourishing into habits and ways of being? For students in Villanova University’s Honors Program, a Living Learning Community with a focus on “The Examined Life: the Good, the True, the Beautiful,” aims to do just that.

The Kern National Network for Caring & Character in Medicine (KNN) is a movement focused on integrating four foundational elements—caring, character, practical wisdom, and human flourishing—within the profession of medicine to ignite positive culture change. This past September, the KNN hosted its first annual conference in Milwaukee and launched an online community of practice to further connect people who are interested in advancing flourishing in medicine.

At Valparaiso University, the Institute for Leadership and Service is giving undergraduate students the opportunity to combine a summer internship with a communal, reflective experience as a way of developing deeper purpose and a sense of calling through the Calling and Purpose in Society (CAPS) Fellowship Program.

This year, more than 150 Boston College students who are enrolled in “The Educational Conversation” are exploring what it means to be educated and considering how that should impact their time in college.

What would it look like for professional education to not only provide the skills necessary for technical excellence, but also prepare students to pursue meaningful, well-integrated work lives where they have the wisdom to bring the appropriate values to bear when faced with ethical challenges and emerging disruptive technologies?