Educators know the importance of creating a nurturing climate in their classrooms to promote learning and student success, but how can they achieve that? Alverno College is hosting a forum that will explore character education and the challenges and opportunities of implementing it in K-12 settings. Experts from various school systems including public, charter and higher education will discuss the impact character education has had on school climate and culture as well as in the broader community. Strategies and resources will be shared through an interactive dialogue among participants.

Presenters include:

• Nancy Athanasiou, Ed.D., professor of Education at Alverno College
• Bevin Christie, director of Career Readiness and Community Engagement, Carmen Schools of Science and Technology
• Kathleen Dimmer, band and music teacher, Brown Deer Middle/High School
• Mora Anderson, Ph.D., executive director, Capitol West Academy
• Patricia Luebke, Ph.D., dean of the School of Professional Studies at Alverno College will moderate

The Alverno Forum series seeks to join community leaders in discussing cutting-edge topics that have a daily impact on the lives of people in our community and beyond. The next discussion in this year’s series takes place on Tuesday, October 16 at 6:00 p.m. in the Bucyrus Conference Center inside the Sister Joel Read Center. The Alverno Forum series is free and open to the public. For more details, please visit our website at http://www.alverno.edu/forum/.

 About Alverno College

Alverno College promotes the academic, personal and professional development of its students in a collaborative and inclusive environment. Undergraduate programs for women are offered in more than 60 areas of study, and graduate programs in education, nursing, community psychology and business are open to women and men.

A leader in higher education innovation, Alverno has earned international accolades for its highly effective ability-based, assessment-as-learning approach to education, which emphasizes hands-on experience and develops in-demand skills. The college, Wisconsin’s first Hispanic-Serving Institution, ranks among the top schools in the Midwest for its commitment to undergraduate teaching and innovation by U.S. News & World Report. For the past two years, The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education named Alverno the country’s most inspiring college.

Based in Milwaukee, Wis., Alverno College is a four-year independent, Catholic, liberal arts college.