The goal of the Canyon Center for Character Education is to build a national movement around character education using GCU College of Education’s vast network of students, faculty, alumni and partners to promote school cultures that encourage human and societal flourishing through virtue formation.
Why is character important in our society?
The best way to make a more just and caring world is to make more just and caring people (Berkowitz, 2011). Character education includes the acquisition and strengthening of virtues to live a flourishing life and contribute to the betterment of society. Character education is modeling and teaching virtue knowledge, understanding, literacy, reasoning and formation to cultivate a thriving society through the development of confident and compassionate humans who are effective contributors to society, successful learners, moral decision makers and responsible citizens. A focus on character education has life-long impact in the lives of all!
Meet the Team
Emily Farkas, Director of the Center, is intrigued by the enormous potential impact character education can make. She is passionate about making positive impacts in the lives of many and mentoring individuals to seek both academic and personal gains.
Dr. Ashley Betkowski, Assistant Director of the Center, has a passion for education and making a difference in the lives of students. She is dedicated to changing the world through character education.
Osafanmwen Obaseki, Executive Assistant of the Center, believes in spreading human goodness and the power of kindness. She is passionate about making the world a better place.