Historically, American higher education aimed to serve a public good, to include attending to students' character development and addressing the myriad needs of society (Yanikoski, 2004). This purpose was fundamental to the educational thought of ancient Greek philosophers, upon which much of higher education rests today. Two themes clearly emerged from their thought: moral and civic education, with the aim to prove invaluable to the individual and society (Knox, 1998; Newell, 2012; Rivera, 2005). These philosophers influenced European higher education, which in turn influenced American higher education (Cole, 2009; Kiss & Euben, 2010b; Himanka, 2014). Early American higher education institutions, too, offered a clear, deliberate approach to students' character development, recognizing that it was not only a responsibility to the students, but also to the nation as a public good (Yanikoski, 2004; Kiss & Euben, 2010b). Industrialization, narrow specialization within the professions, and an emphasis upon students' employability upon graduation contributed to the shift away from developing students' character as a primary purpose within higher education (Yanikoski, 2004; Reuben, 2010). However, educational leaders are voicing increasing support for such development of students and working to identify what can be done to embrace these efforts (Yanikoski, 2004; Kiss & Euben, 2010b; Kristjansson, 2015). Institutional mission and vision statements currently reflect this historical aim to serve a public good as a common theme, yet the critical need persists to articulate a sound approach to that end (Althof & Berkowitz, 2006; Kiss & Euben, 2010b; Kristjansson, 2015). Moreover, higher education institution presidents have increasingly become aware and accepting of their institutions' roles as anchor institutions (Cantor, 2014) and thereby aim to serve a public good through developing citizens of character and solving problems facing their communities (Harkavy & Hartley, 2012). Higher education institution presidents perhaps arguably have the greatest potential and responsibility to address students' character development. The data collected and analyzed for this research study through in-depth interviews of select presidents indicated emergent themes regarding institutional approach and leadership, the role of the faculty, the problematic use of the term "character," and the prioritization of the topic within the national higher education conversation and points of variance regarding identifying and implementing assessment tools, incorporating the student role and/or perspective, and integrating character development within the curriculum toward students' character development within higher education. Therefore, this research study, through examining the thought and action of public and private higher education institution presidents who embrace the anchor role at the forefront of this charge, helped to articulate a strategic, comprehensive approach toward the optimal development of students' character within American higher education. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]