Director's Note

In the time since first taking the charge from Indiana's beloved former Governor Frank O'Bannon to bring Character to a Community agenda across this great State of Indiana, I've had the opportunity to visit many schools and communities engaged in character education and development.

It has truly been a rewarding experience to see classrooms where civility, respect, responsibility and citizenship are part of the daily routine for both students and teachers. Equally as rewarding to visit communities where Community business and school collaborative partnerships are being established in and around character education initiatives. Yet to begin the task of bringing character education statewide, systemic partnerships have been a priority of the Center for Character Development’s strategic plan, vision, and mission.

A conversation on and around character began little over a year ago with the help of our friends at the Indiana Department of Education. With the help of Dr Sue Ellen Reed and Dr. Evelyn Holt-Otten, we invited eight initial participants to this Conversation on Character: the Indiana Department of Education, The Center for Sport, Character, and Culture at the University of Notre Dame, the Indiana State PTA, the Purdue 4-H Cooperative Extension, the NCAA and the Citizenship Through Sport Alliance, the ERIC Clearing House at Indiana University, the Indiana Commission on Community Service and Volunteerism, and hosted by the Office of the Governor and the Center for Character Development.

Through a series of continuing conversations, this group has not only experienced a tremendous amount of working synergy, but has worked collaboratively to bring a statewide character education initiative into focus. The Indiana Partners for Character Education have identified four major working goals as central to the mission of the partnership:

1. Indentify and distribute CEd materials
2. CEd Research and Evaluation
3. Mobilization of Funds
4. Develop a Statewide CEd Coalition

I believe we've begun the work in Indiana of a character education model that could be an example throughout the nation. With much on the Horizon, it is clear to see that “Indiana Cares About Character."

Don Peslis
Director, Center for Character Development
dgpeslis@anderson.edu