Student Life
Civic life begins with community. Civic life thrives with a community centered around virtue. At the School of Civic Leadership, our community of virtue extends beyond the classroom to encompass all SCL students, faculty, and staff. SCL is a small school at a large university, which enables our students to form close connections with their fellow students and with our faculty. SCL hosts events throughout the year to strengthen these friendships and to develop the virtues that define our community.
SCL Convocation
Universities have traditionally welcomed students into their intellectual community with a formal ceremony called a Convocation. At SCL Convocation, Dean Justin Dyer and faculty induct students into the School of Civic Leadership and commission them for study.
In a series of speeches to our Fall 2025 cohort, SCL faculty invited our incoming class to reflect upon the meaning of an education for freedom and the virtues necessary to sustain that freedom.
Welcome: Dr. Sarah Beth Kitch on SCL Convocation
Dean’s Address: Dean Justin Dyer on The Purpose of an SCL Education
Faculty Address: Dr. Alexander Duff on Civic Education, Liberal Education, and the Demand for Meaning
Conclusion: Dr. Dan Bonevac on The Importance of Showing Up
Gone to Civic Leadership
SCL Welcome Week kicks off with Gone to Civic Leadership. Hosted at the Littlefield Home, Gone to Civic Leadership gathers the incoming class for a night of food, fun, and friendship before the university’s Gone to Texas event.
