A sought-after speaker on topics of leadership, character, hope, and St. Augustine, Michael has delivered keynotes, lectures, speeches, and commencement addresses to the Classes of 2025 and 2026.
Recent Interviews and Podcasts
Commencement Addresses
- “To the Lighthouse,” Commencement Address, North Central College, 2026
- “Err on the Side of Gratitude,” Commencement Address, Maryville College, 2025
Selected Academic Lectures and Presentations
- “A Commonwealth of Hope: Augustine’s Political Thought,” Augustine Seminar with Mary Keys, University of Notre Dame, 2026
- “10 Reasons and 7 Strategies: Resources for Educating Character,” Boston College, 2026
- “Difficult Hope: Wendell Berry and Climate Change,” Course on The Sustainability Virtues: Cultivating Character for a Flourishing Future, Arizona State University, 2026
- “How to Educate Character: Seven Strategies,” Cultivating Character through Action, Arizona State University, 2026
- “Seven Strategies for Cultivating Virtue in the University,” Universidad Austral, 2026
- “President Lindsey Live” (with Michael D. Lindsay), Taylor University, 2026
- “Educating Hope Character: A Faculty Conversation,” Taylor University, 2026
- “Be What You Hope For,” Honors Guild, Taylor University, 2026
- “Cultivating Virtue: A Conversation,” Taylor University, 2026
- Guest Lectures in “Political Science, Philosophy, and Economics Senior Seminar” and “Contemporary Moral Issues,” Taylor University, 2026
- “How to Cultivate Character: Seven Strategies for Developing Virtue,” University of North Texas Thomistic Institute, 2026
- “How to Be Good: Virtue for Modern Life,” New York University Thomistic Institute, 2026
- “How to Become a Better Leader: 7 Strategies for Strengthening Character” (with Anjali Sarker), The Atlantic Institute, Oxford, UK, 2026
- “Institutional Exemplars as Communities of Character: A View from the Educating Character Initiative” (with Jennifer Rothschild), Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues 2026 Conference, University of Oxford, 2026
- “Cultivating Virtue in the University,” Faculty Reading Group. Highlander Center for Character and Public Impact, Radford University, 2025
- Keynote, National Convening of Honor Councils, Davidson College, 2025
- “A Commonwealth of Hope: Augustine’s Political Thought,” Graduate Seminar on Hope, Loyola Marymount University, 2025
- “How to Develop Intellectual Character,” Loyola Marymount University, 2025
- “Augustine on Hope and Politics,” Loyola Marymount University, 2025
- “Character and the Constitution: What the Founders Can Teach Us about How to Keep a Republic,” Wake Forest University Lifelong Learning Lecture, 2025
- “Living the Questions,” Soul Spark, Wake Forest School of Divinity, 2025
- “Character and the Constitution: What the Founders Can Teach Us about How to Keep Our Republic,” Rhodes College, 2025
- “The Arts of Leading” (with Edward Brooks), University of Chicago Graham School, 2025
- “Understanding the Foundations of Character Development,” Leadership and Character Certificate Program, Wake Forest University, 2025
- “Teaching Virtue Literacy in the University” (with Edward Brooks), Moral Formation in Higher Education, Boston College, 2025
- “A Commonwealth of Hope: Augustine’s Political Thought,” NYU-Florence, 2025
- “A Commonwealth of Hope: Augustine’s Political Thought,” Institute for Human Ecology, The Catholic University of America, 2025
- “Why Character Matters for Higher Education,” Opening Keynote, Coalition for Transformational Education Conference, University of Miami, 2025
- “Leading Yourself: Purposes, Pressures, Virtues, and Practices” (with Kenneth Townsend), ACC Academic Leadership Network Conference, Wake Forest University, 2025
- “Difficult Hope: Wendell Berry and Climate Change,” Course on The Sustainability Virtues: Cultivating Character for a Flourishing Future, Arizona State University, 2025
- “How to Become a Better Leader: Seven Strategies for Cultivating Character,” University of Memphis, 2025
- “How to Educate Character: Seven Strategies for Cultivating Virtue,” Rhodes College, 2025
- “Cultivating Character in the University,” Conference on Character and Global Challenges, University of Oxford, hosted by Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues at the University of Birmingham, 2025
- “Climate Change and the Virtue of Hope: Lessons from Wendell Berry,” Conference on Character and Global Challenges, University of Oxford, hosted by Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues at the University of Birmingham, 2025
- “Questions of Character,” Oxford Character Project and Hong Kong Jockey Club, University of Oxford, 2025
- “Character in the Curriculum,” Convening on the Moral and Civic Life of Colleges, Making Caring Common, Harvard Graduate School of Education, 2025
- “The Arts of Leading” (with Edward Brooks), Georgetown Humanities Initiative, Georgetown University, 2024
- “Beyond Pessimism: Exploring the Character of Hope,” Fireside Chat with Dusya Vera, Ian O. Ihnatowycz Institute for Leadership, Ivey School of Business, Western University, 2024
- “The Politics of Stewardship: Augustine on Using and Enjoying the Commonwealth and Creation,” Reconsiderations VI: Politics After Augustine: Prospects for Unitas in a Foundationless Age, Villanova University, 2024
- “How to Educate Character: Seven Strategies for Cultivating Civic Virtue,” Civil Rights and Civic Virtues Summer Seminar, Auburn University at Montgomery, 2024
- “Living the Questions,” Rhodes Trust, University of Oxford, 2024
- “A Commonwealth of Hope: Augustine’s Political Thought,” Augustine and Contemporary Political Thought Graduate Seminar, University of Notre Dame, 2024
- “The State of Higher Education: Challenges and Opportunities,” Moral Ecology Trust, Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, University of Virginia, 2024
- “Higher Purposes for Higher Education: Developing Character to Support Vocation,” NetVUE Conference, Atlanta, GA, 2024
- “Program for Leadership and Character and Educating Character Initiative,” Human Flourishing Program, Harvard University, 2024
- “Character Formation in the University,” George Fox University, 2024
- “What’s Hope Got to Do With It?: Politics in a Time of Presumption and Despair,” George Fox University, 2024
- “What Is Character, and Why Should We Educate It?” and “How to Cultivate Character in the University,” Senior Leadership Character Retreat, George Fox University, 2024
- “How to Build Institutional Capacity: Lessons from Wake Forest” (with Kenneth Townsend), Educating Character Initiative, Wake Forest University, 2024
- “How to Cultivate Character: Seven Strategies for Developing Virtue,” Thomistic Institute, University of South Carolina, 2024
- “Learning How to Be Better People,” Belmont University, 2024
- “Educating Character in the University,” Faculty Workshop at Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Madrid, 2024
- “The Courage to Teach Character,” Keynote Address, Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, University of Oxford, 2024
Selected Panel Participation
- Panelist, “Reflections at 250: Character & Virtue in America’s Founding,” F. M. Kirby Foundation, 2026
- Presenter, “Character and Leadership Education: Why Some Institutions Are Going All In,” Panel hosted by Inside Higher Ed, 2026
- Panelist, “Virtues, Justice, and National Identity,” Moral Responsibility and the Future of Democracy Conference, NYU-Florence, 2025
- Panelist, “Humanities and Leadership,” Civic Humanism Center for Character and Professional Ethics, University of Navarra, Spain, 2025
- Panelist, “Questions of Character: How to Build Institutional Capacity and Empower Faculty and Staff,” Educating Character Initiative Webinar, 2025
- Panelist, “The Arts of Leading,” Rhodes House, University of Oxford, 2025 Panelist,
- Panelist, “Creating Cultures of Character on Campus,” Higher Education and Human Flourishing Conference, Virtues & Vocation, University of Notre Dame, 2024
Colleges/Universities
Conferences
Organizations
