Belmont University receives $4 million gift from Kern Family Foundation

Belmont University has received $4 million from the Kern Family Foundation for the establishment of the Belmont Formation Collaborative. The initiative is meant to help members of the Belmont University community become more developed and actualized via whole-person formation programs and activities.

According to an article on Belmont University’s website, Dr. Greg Jones, the university’s president, was quoted as saying of the purpose of the Belmont Formation Collaborative, "This investment from the Kern Family Foundation is a tremendous milestone that will enable us to deepen our commitment to developing leaders who understand their purpose, exemplify strong character and approach challenges with wisdom and an entrepreneurial mindset. Character formation has been and will continue to be a hallmark of a Belmont education. This grant from the Kern Family Foundation represents a significant opportunity to build upon our strong foundation and further distinguish Belmont as a leader in forming students for a life of flourishing."

The funding from the Kern Family Foundation will go toward a number of specific projects and initiatives to create the Belmont Formation Collaborative. Leadership development of faculty and staff members will be enhanced to provide a better framework for these campus community leaders to model and embody the qualities the Formation Collaborative is seeking to foster within students. Additionally, programs will be developed to help foster entrepreneurial spirit and a sense of purpose, as well as storytelling initiatives to highlight various members of the campus community who have a story to tell about their own character formation.

Dr. Nathan Webb, who serves as the executive director of formation & leadership development, was quoted as saying, "The establishment of the Belmont Formation Collaborative represents our formalized commitment to broadening and deepening our approach to whole-person formation. By bringing together these various programs and initiatives under one collaborative, we're creating a more intentional and integrated approach to developing students who are both academically prepared and also grounded in character and purpose."

Additionally, the funding will also help integrate this vision with that of the school’s recently established SOUL Framework, which, according to its webpage, “is an expression of who we are, and who we want to be, as a Christ-centered community with each letter standing as an important reminder of how we want to live. The entire framework is both undergirded and surrounded by the pursuit of wisdom, a hallmark of who we are as an institution of higher learning and even more importantly, of a faithful and purposeful life.” The SOUL Framework was established in the Fall 2024 semester by Dr. Jones.

For more information about Belmont University, visit the school’s website.