The Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation and the Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University are forming a partnership to promote leadership and character development through youth golf programs around the world and to support student-athletes at Wake Forest.

The Arnold & Winnie Palmer Leadership and Character Development Program at Wake Forest University, made possible by the Palmer Foundation and the Godfrey family, is guided by the virtues that made Arnold Palmer a champion of character in golf and beyond.

“Golf is an ideal opportunity to teach life lessons to young people. It’s a game of integrity and honesty. Character is an essential element,” said Amy Palmer Saunders, Board Chair of the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation and daughter of Arnold and Winnie Palmer.

“Our goal with this new initiative is to prepare young people for success in life, whether they continue to play competitive golf or not.”

Amy Palmer Saunders, Board Chair of the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation

“We believe that character is the foundation not only of leadership but of life,” says Dr. Michael Lamb, senior executive director of the Program for Leadership and Character. “In his Wake Forest commencement address in 2005, Arnold Palmer encouraged us all to teach ‘the basic traits and habits that make good citizens and good human beings.’ Our aim is to do just that — to help as many young people as possible — at every stage of development — embrace character as their foundation for what Mr. Palmer called ‘a life well played.’”

Corey Crossan will lead the initiative. An NCAA golfer during her time at Eastern Michigan University, Crossan earned her PhD in Kinesiology at Western University, where she studied character development in sports. She also serves as a research and teaching fellow with the Oxford Character Project and is the co-founder of Virtuosity Character, a mobile app that supports the daily, deliberate practice of character-based leadership development. In her role with the Program and Wake Forest, Crossan will work closely with the Palmer Foundation and its many partners to create curriculum, programming and tools to help young golfers become better at the sport and to live life on the basis of character. 

“Sports impact character, for better or for worse,” says Crossan, who credits her experiences as an athlete with leading her toward the study of character. “I believe deeply in what we’re building.”

“When we embed character into golf, we’re not only refining swings, we’re shaping the person who holds the club.”

Assistant Director of Programming and Research Corey Crossan

In addition to her work with youth golfers, Crossan, who will serve as an assistant director of programming and research scholar, will work with the Program to support student-athletes at Wake Forest.

“We’re excited to work with Corey and lean on her skills, research, and practical knowledge to help Demon Deacons in golf and other sports excel both in competition and in life,” said Wendell Dunn, assistant director of leadership and character in athletics.

The partnership is inspired by the enduring virtues of resilience, kindness, humility, hope and service that Arnold Palmer carried throughout his life. A legendary golfer and four-time Masters champion, Palmer arrived at Wake Forest in 1947, won the NCAA’s individual championship in 1949, and became the Atlantic Coast Conference’s first individual champion in 1954. He was awarded the University’s distinguished alumni award in 1962, received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 1970, and served as a University trustee from 1983 until 1997. 

“I have had a love affair with Wake Forest since my undergraduate days,” Palmer said in 2005. “But I didn’t realize until many years later what I had truly learned at Wake Forest, both in and out of the classroom, about the meaning of a productive and meaningful life.”

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About Wake Forest

Wake Forest University’s motto, Pro Humanitate, reflects a commitment to academic excellence and to using ideas, knowledge and talents on behalf of humanity. The University’s Winston-Salem, N.C. campus is home to nearly 9,000 students with more studying at Wake Forest locations in Charlotte, N.C., Washington, D.C. and around the world. In addition to the undergraduate College, the University encompasses the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, as well as Schools of Business, Law, Medicine, Divinity and Professional Studies. Founded in 1834, Wake Forest embraces a University-wide approach to developing leaders of character and integrity. Learn more at www.wfu.edu. 

About the Program for Leadership and Character

The Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University inspires, educates, and empowers leaders of character to serve humanity. Through innovative teaching, creative programming, and cutting-edge research, the Program aims to transform the lives of students, foster a culture of leadership and character at Wake Forest, and catalyze a broader public conversation that places character at the center of leadership. The Program’s Educating Character Initiative is catalyzing a national movement focused on character in higher education and equipping U.S. institutions with the resources, funding, and support to integrate character education into their distinctive institutional contexts, curricula, and cultures.

About the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation

Through grantmaking and initiatives, the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation champions our Founders’ devotion to youth — encouraging strong character and supporting children facing health challenges — and honor their commitment to nature and its ability to enrich and heal us. The Palmer Foundation’s vision is to support a Life Well Played for future generations.