The Center for Ethics and Leadership is the result of an ongoing reexamination of the university's educational mission and objectives. The university has sought to build on its historical mission as a liberal arts institution founded by the order of Holy Cross in identifying future directions and objectives.

In its 1995 report, Strategic Self-Study: Redesigning the University, Saint Edward's began this examination process. A subsequent Arts and Science Study in 1997 propelled the creation of an internal University committee. After the committee met with a representative selection of students, faculty, staff, administrators, trustees, alumni and community leaders, it decided upon two "signature initiatives" (Ethics/Leadership and Experiential Learning) that were approved by the university. The signature initiatives represent an institutional commitment to reinforcing and extending certain critical elements of an education at Saint Edward's University. An Ethics/Leadership task force was formed and first convened in the summer of 1998. The mission statement, objectives and many of the initiatives of the Center stem from their hard work and dedication. A hiring committee in the Spring of 1999 interviewed and then hired Phillip M. Thompson as Director. In the fall of 2006, Dr. Thompson was succeeded by Dr. Jack Green Musselman.