Center for Character & Citizenship

We’re happy to share this opportunity from colleagues at the BRIGHTS Center at Baylor University.

The Center is currently inviting applications for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to collaborate on interdisciplinary research projects related to virtue development, moral character, and human flourishing in emerging adulthood. The fellow will work with scholars such as Sarah Schnitker, Karen Melton, and Brittany Tausen on research supported by major funders.

This is an excellent opportunity for early-career scholars interested in character development, spirituality research, intervention science, and higher education programming, while gaining mentorship, publishing experience, and leadership opportunities.

📌 Learn more and apply:
https://ejof.fa.us2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/BaylorCareers/job/19851/?utm_medium=jobshare&utm_source=External+Job+Share

Please feel free to share with colleagues or students who may be interested.

Postdoc Research Associate (BRIGHTS Center) The BRIGHTS Center at Baylor University invite applications for a full-time Postdoctoral Research Fellow to work with faculty running grants through the BRIGHTS Center (e.g., Dr. Sarah Schnitker, Dr. Karen Melton, Dr. Brittany Tausen) on projects related to virtue development, moral character, and h...

We’re excited to share an important update about the Journal of Character Education.

Now published by Emerald, the journal has been indexed for the first time in its history—a major milestone that increases its visibility and impact in the field. In addition, all content is currently free to access through December 2026, making it easier than ever to engage with research and share it with colleagues.

Have something to contribute to the field of character education? The Journal of Character Education is actively welcoming submissions that explore moral, civic, intellectual, and performance character in research and practice.

Learn more, read, and consider submitting your work to help advance character education worldwide:

Journal of Character Education The Journal of Character Education is a leading source of cutting-edge information about character education research, theory, practice, and opinion. We define character education broadly to encompass all educational approaches designed to nurture students’ knowledge, motivation, skills, and behav...

We’re excited to share that the Center for Character and Citizenship has joined the Global Character Alliance (GCA) as a Founding Member!

The GCA, launched at The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues Annual Conference this January, brings together organizations from around the world committed to advancing character and values education through collaboration, research, and policy work. We’re honored to be part of this growing global community working to support human flourishing in schools and society.

If you’d like to stay connected with updates and insights from character education initiatives worldwide, you can subscribe to the GCA’s bi-monthly newsletter here: https://globalcharacteralliance.org/subscription-newsletter/

We are proud to share that our Co-Director, Dr. Marvin W Berkowitz, was honored to be the third author featured in The Legacy Series—a collection highlighting influential voices in character education by Character.org.

For The Legacy Series, Dr. Berkowitz contributed a special reflection titled: “On Metaphors & Mantras, Minefields, and Morality.”

🗣️: “Having labored for nearly half a century in the fields of moral, character, values, virtue, and human flourishing development, I have learned that while the soil is fertile, it is also complex and challenging to cultivate well… I welcome this opportunity to offer some navigational guidance for educators who are interested in effectively ‘nurturing the flourishing of human goodness.’”

We are deeply grateful for Dr. Berkowitz’s leadership and lifelong commitment to character education, and we are honored to see his voice and wisdom represented in The Legacy Series.

Read the full reflection here: https://character.org/the-legacy-series-marvin-berkowitz/

The Legacy Series - Dr. Marvin Berkowitz - Character.org It’s easy to post a list of core values on the refrigerator. It’s much more difficult for parents to be consistent. Consistency lets children know what to expect and what is expected of them. Of course, children will push boundaries but inconsistency from parents confuses children.

Mindy Bier, Anastasia Hercules (doctoral student), and Colby Crowder (STL community partner) hosted the 3rd bi-monthly meeting of Senator Brian Williams’ Youth Advisory Board (YAB) on Friday, Nov. 6th. The meeting was led by Colby Crowder, Executive Director of Aspirations Network, along with his outstanding team.

The Center for Character and Citizenship is now in its third year of partnership with the YAB as part of our Des Lee Collaborative Vision mission. More than 25 students from 19 high schools across the St. Louis metropolitan area gathered in the Boeing Room to continue their year of civic engagement and service to the STL community.

This year, the students are deepening their support for local youth detention centers. Last year, the YAB collected books to help establish a library for detained youth. Building on that effort, they are now creating a current events newsletter to keep detained youth informed and connected to their communities.

The Center for Character and Citizenship is honored to continue supporting this meaningful work and these remarkable students.

Carmen Pellicer, President of Trilema, has published an interview with Marvin W Berkowitz in Cuadernos de Pedagogia. Here is the English translation:

Marvin Berkowitz: Titular de la Cátedra Sanford N. McDonnell de Educación del Carácter Codirector del Centro para el Carácter y la Ciudadanía (Universidad de Misuri) Revista mensual que ofrece toda la actualidad del sector de la enseñanza en forma de experiencias, artículos de opinión, entrevistas, reportajes, legislación educativa y novedades bibliográficas sobre este ámbito

The Center for Character and Citizenship is thrilled to announce the release of a new book applying the PRIMED model to youth sports coaching — PRIMED to Compete: Coaching for Character.

Sports can be a powerful arena for building character — but it doesn’t happen automatically. PRIMED to Compete is the definitive guide for coaches who want to help young athletes thrive by optimizing their experience of competition and promoting their character, performance, and overall well-being.

Bringing together cutting-edge science and practical sport experience in an accessible framework, this book shows how coaches can turn the challenges of competition into opportunities for positive character development.

📘 PRIMED to Compete: Coaching for Character is available now from Routledge:
👉 https://www.routledge.com/PRIMED-to-Compete-Coaching-for-Character/LightShields-Berkowitz-Paciorek/p/book/9781032779799

Bridget Johnson and The Table did a great job in organizing this conversation.

We’re thrilled to share that our Co-Director, Dr. Marvin Berkowitz, was recently a guest on The Table Podcast, hosted by veteran educator Bridget Johnson.

In the episode titled "Character Education That Works: Dr. Marvin Berkowitz's PRIMED Framework," Dr. Berkowitz shares powerful insights into what truly drives character development in schools — and how educators can create environments where students and adults thrive.

💡 Whether you're a K–12 educator, student life leader, or simply passionate about shaping ethical, empathetic young people, this conversation offers practical tools and deep wisdom from decades of research and experience.

🎧 Listen now and explore how the PRIMED framework can transform your approach to character education: https://deansroundtable.org/deans-roundtable-podcast-innovating-k-12-education-leadership/

We’re thrilled to share that our Co-Director, Dr. Marvin Berkowitz, was recently a guest on The Table Podcast, hosted by veteran educator Bridget Johnson.

In the episode titled "Character Education That Works: Dr. Marvin Berkowitz's PRIMED Framework," Dr. Berkowitz shares powerful insights into what truly drives character development in schools — and how educators can create environments where students and adults thrive.

💡 Whether you're a K–12 educator, student life leader, or simply passionate about shaping ethical, empathetic young people, this conversation offers practical tools and deep wisdom from decades of research and experience.

🎧 Listen now and explore how the PRIMED framework can transform your approach to character education: https://deansroundtable.org/deans-roundtable-podcast-innovating-k-12-education-leadership/

Save the Date! The Association for Moral Education (AME) is pleased to announce its 2026 Annual Conference:

📍 Madrid, Spain – Hotel RIU Plaza España
📅 June 12–14, 2026
🎓 Hosted by The Center for Character and Human Growth at Universidad Villanueva

Theme: Re-Creating the Social Fabric in a Fragmented World: Education for Shared Responsibility

In a time of polarization and fragile human bonds, the 2026 AME Conference will explore how education can nurture morally grounded individuals capable of sustaining meaningful relationships—personal, civic, and global. The program will invite dialogue around:

🔵 Flourishing and Human Development – integrating personal, interpersonal, and spiritual growth.
🔵 Relationality and Belonging – presence, trust, and community in times of fragmentation.
🔵 Intergenerational Dialogue – weaving understanding and collaboration across generations.
🔵 Responsibility for Our Common Home – ecological care as an educational and moral imperative.

The full call for papers and registration details will follow soon. For now: mark your calendars and plan to join us in Madrid!

The Journal of Moral Education
APNME

We are proud to share that Dr. Marvin W Berkowitz, Co-Director of the Center for Character and Citizenship, was honored to deliver the keynote address at the Girls Inc. Aspire Conference in Indianapolis on September 15.

His talk, “PRIMED for Character: What Really Works to Nurture Character in Youth,” highlighted research-driven strategies for cultivating character that are deeply aligned with the mission of Girls Inc.—to inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold.

Girls Inc. is expanding its organization-wide emphasis on character education thanks to a generous investment from the Lilly Endowment, which continues Eli Lilly’s legacy of supporting youth development through initiatives in children’s museums, summer camps, post-secondary education, and other youth-serving organizations.

📸 Pictured here (left to right):
Ted Maple — Vice President for Education at Lilly Endowment Inc.
Stephanie Hull — President & CEO, Girls Inc.
Marvin W Berkowitz — Co-Director, Center for Character and Citizenship
Eileen (Lee) Dieck, MD — Education Editor, Center for Self-Determination Theory (CSDT)

We are grateful to Girls Inc. and the Lilly Endowment for championing character development and ensuring that young people have the tools they need to flourish.