Our mission
It is the Center's responsibility to provide services and resources to schools, families, communities, K-12 educators, students, teacher educators, community agency leaders and others interested in educating the hearts and minds of children and youth.
Our vision
We believe that education for human service must be grounded in the public's desire for ethical, civic-minded, character-based leaders and citizens.
Our motto
If we don’t have it, we can get it, or create it.
Our history
In the late eighties and early nineties, there were several national education initiatives to teach the young, values, virtues and character. For example, in 1996, Phi Delta Kappa International established the League of Value-Driven Schools." In 1999, a White House Conference focused on "Character-Building for a Civil and Democratic Society" after which thirty states were awarded character education planning grants.
Between the years 2000-04, Professor Mary Williams and Dean Ed DeRoche wrote two books, and several articles and participated in many conferences and workshops on character education. They also submitted a proposal to the School of Education faculty and USD administration to create the International Center for Character Education.
The Center's purposes were to offer teacher training, consulting services and academic courses in character education. A Master's Degree in Character Education was approved.
In the latter part of 2000, the master's degree was replaced by a "Specialist Certificate in Character Education" offered jointly by ICCE and the Division of Professional and Continuing Education.
Because educators and others saw the Center as a major educational resource for the character education of children and youth, the name was changed to the Character Education Resource Center (2016).