Our Mission Statement
The Institute for Catholic Educational Leadership (ICEL) is a program designed to make a unique and significant contribution to the leaders, educators, students and parents who value Catholic and private education.
ICEL's mission is threefold: to offer a scholarly educational program relevant for Catholic and private school personnel, to build a sense of community among the students and faculty who pray together and serve others, and to prepare highly competent, effective, and dedicated educators for Catholic and private schools.
This preparation of educators has two thrusts: academic programs and school community services. The academic thrust of the Institute is found in the degree and credential programs of the Catholic Educational Leadership Program (CEL) in the School of Education. These include the Doctorate in Catholic Educational Leadership, the Master's in Catholic Educational Leadership, the Administrative Services Credential, and the Master's in Catholic School Teaching. ICEL also co-sponsors, with the Teacher Education Department, the St. Ignatius Credential Project, a California credential program for Catholic school teachers and a special certification program with the Archdiocese of San Francisco for teachers of religion.
The school community services sponsored by ICEL include: in-service development for faculties, symposia, conferences, workshops on current topics in private education, presentations in schools and parishes, workshops for dioceses, and presentations at national meetings. The ICEL community publishes frequently, participates as members of task forces, regional and national boards and editorial boards, and through its Website, serves as an ongoing network for the private school community.
ICEL has become a leading advocate of Catholic school research through its publications of doctoral studies, its journal articles on the use of this research in decision-making, particularly for Catholic schools, and its annual direction of a national forum in which new doctoral research is presented. The role of doctoral research on Catholic schools has become a part of ICEL's mission because of its gradual assumption of leadership in this area. ICEL collaborated with three other Catholic universities to found Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry and Practice, covering both K-12 and higher education. Most recently it has given leadership to studying the most effective ways of preparing future personnel for the Catholic schools with its "think tank" experience for forty national school scholars at USF (2001) and University of Dayton (2002). It is in the process of planning a future conference for 2006.
Catholic schools offer an alternative in a pluralistic society; they must be as strong as public schools if true democracy, which is dependent on an educated citizenry, is to survive. Because Catholic schools do not have the finances, the resources, nor the numbers of their public school counterparts, their strength must come from excellent preparation and dedicated personnel. It is the University of San Francisco's goal to ensure both through its Institute for Catholic Educational Leadership.
A Brief History
The ICEL was founded in 1976 at the University of San Francisco through the collaborative efforts of the Dean of the School of Education, the Superintendent of Catholic Schools, Archdiocese of San Francisco, Dr. Michael O'Neill, Catholic school scholar and author, and former superintendent.
O'Neill was appointed the first director, and he introduced ICEL to the Catholic school community by hosting a national symposium on the newly published book, Catholic Schools in a Declining Church, by Greeley, McCreedy and McCourt. An off-campus program in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles was part of the original design.
In 1978, Edwin J. McDermott, S.J., was appointed Director. The doctoral program became a major part of ICEL's research thrust. Mary Peter Traviss, O.P., was named the third director in 1989 and in 1991 WASC approved an off-campus program in Hawaii. The California State Credential program was added in Los Angeles. It was followed by an M.A. in Catholic School Teaching. In 2004, the fourth director, Br. Ray Vercruysse, C.F.C, took the reins of the Institute.
ICEL celebrated its 20th anniversary in July 1996, with a symposium on Catholic School Research: From the Ivory Tower to the Catholic School Classroom. ICEL celebrated its 25th Anniversary with a gala year of events and activities. ICEL hosted a Research Summit, a "think tank" of 12 prominent researchers to determine what has been useful in Catholic school research and what remains to be done. The following scholars accepted ICEL's invitation to attend: John Convey, Vin Duminuco, S.J., Mike Guerra, Peter Holland, Tom Hunt, Remegia Kushner, CSJ. Joe O'Keeffe, S.J., Bruno Manno, Lourdes Sheehan, RSM, and Jerry Starratt. Ed McDermott, S.J., Gini Shimabukuro, and Mary Peter Traviss, O.P., joined the group. Sister Jeanne Hagelskamp, S.P. acted as director of communications for the Summit.
The anniversary year "kicked off" with a liturgy and social on June 21, 2000 and every event scheduled for the summer, including the Phi Delta Kappa initiation, saluted ICEL on its 25th anniversary. The six part Speakers series got off to a heady start with a lecture on John Henry Newman by Mary Peter Traviss, O.P. (July 6) and by Msgr. Milton Walsh on Roland Knox (July 18).
During the fall semester Robert Bimonte spoke in Salt Lake City, Utah; Dr. GIni Shimabukro was the featured speaker in Honolulu, Hawaii, and Dr. Elinoe Ford spoke to the Catholic school teachers in Los Angeles. During the spring semester, Father Andrew Greeley brought the series to a close in Presentation Theatre, University of San Francisco.
In February 2001, Father Ted Ross, S.J., was the guest lecturer at a special Symposium and Tea to honor John Henry Newman. Open to the public, the afternoon was a gracious affair and an opportunity for non-university personnel to help celebrate ICEL's anniversary.
In 2003 ICEL presented Margaret Wheatly as the keynote speaker for a conference entitled Relationships: A Focus of Catholic Education for the New Century, the purpose of the conference was to bring together Catholic schools to contribute to the change in the way the people of the world relate to one another.
During this same summer ICEL introduced a new format with a five-day conference, largely for non-matriculating students on Growing and Developing: The Catholic Secondary School Presiding.
In 2004, the format for the five-day conference was repeated in another conference on staff development, Leading Schools that Learn: Tools and Templates for Elementary School Leaders. The President's conference was repeated at Saint Louis University and co-sponsored by ICEL.
