The University of California–Irvine (UCI) has received a $1 million grant from a Philadelphia-based charity to expand its Anteater Virtues project to help students develop into more “inquisitive, open-minded and authentic individuals,” officials announced July 19.
The grant comes from John Templeton Foundation, which supports scientific research and philosophical discussions on the “deepest and most perplexing” questions facing humankind—according to the foundation’s website—such as evolution, creativity, forgiveness, and free will.
Launched in 2019 by Duncan Pritchard, distinguished professor of philosophy at UCI, the project aimed at promoting “intellectual character growth” through a series of “interdisciplinary, faculty-led” coursework, focused on “curiosity, integrity, humility and tenacity,” the four virtues of Anteater—UCI’s mascot—according to a statement….