Center Staff
Thomas Lickona, Ph.D.
Dr. Thomas Lickona is a developmental psychologist and Professor of Education at the State University of New York at Cortland, where he has done award-winning work in teacher education and currently directs the Center for the Fourth and Fifth Rs (Respect and Responsibility). He has also been a visiting professor at Boston and Harvard Universities.
A past president of the Association for Moral Education, Dr. Lickona serves on the Board of Directors of the Character Education Partnership and the advisory councils of Character Counts Coalition and Medical Institute for Sexual Health.
Dr. Lickona is a frequent consultant to schools on character education and a frequent speaker at conferences for teachers, parents, religious educators, and other groups concerned about the moral development of young people. He has lectured across the United States and around the world on the subject of fostering character development in the school and home.
Dr. Lickona holds a Ph.D. in psychology from the State University of New York at Albany and has done research on the growth of children’s moral reasoning. He has been named a State University of New York Faculty Exchange Scholar and the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from the State University of New York at Albany.
His publications include a graduate text, Moral Development and Behavior (1976); a popular book for parents, Raising Good Children (1983); a book describing his 12-point character education program, Educating for Character: How Our Schools Can Teach Respect and Responsibility (1991); and a collection of essays by various authors, Character Development in Schools and Beyond (1992). Educating for Character has been praised as “the definitive work in the field” and was named winner of a 1992 Christopher Award for “affirming the highest values of the human spirit.” Another work, co-authored with his wife, Judith, and William Boudreau, M.D., is a book for young people, Sex, Love and You, on the benefits of saving sex for marriage (Ave Maria Press, 1994). His most recent books are Character Matters—How to Help Our Children Develop Good Judgment, Integrity, and Other Essential Virtues (2004) and Character Quotations (2004), co-authored with Dr. Matthew Davidson. Dr. Lickona’s recent work includes directing a two year study of high school character education, and co-authoring with Dr. Matthew Davidson, Smart and Good High Schools: Developing Excellence and Ethics for Success in School, Work, and Beyond (2005).
Dr. Lickona’s work has been featured in the New York Times Magazine article cover story, “Teaching Johnny to be Good” (April 30, 1995); in two videos, “Character Education: Restoring Respect and Responsibility in our Schools” and “Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education” (National Professional Resources); and in a four-part video training series on character education (Quality Educational Media, Inc.) In 2001, the Character Education Partnership presented Dr. Lickona with the Sanford N. McDonnell Lifetime Achievement Award in Character Education.
Dr. Lickona has also been a guest on numerous radio and TV talk shows, including The Larry King Live Radio Show, Good Morning America, and Focus on the Family.
Dr. Lickona and his wife have two sons and twelve grandchildren and live in Cortland, New York.
Tom Lickona, Ph.D.
Center for the 4th and 5th Rs
SUNY Cortland
P.O. Box 2000
Cortland, NY 13045
607-753-2456 phone
607-753-5980
fax
e-mail
Matthew L. Davidson, Ph.D.
Matthew L. Davidson is President and Director of the Institute for Excellence & Ethics, a non-profit organization working in partnership with the Center for the 4th and 5th Rs. Previously he was the Research Director at the Center for the 4th & 5th Rs. He was also Research Associate with the Mendelson Center for Sport, Character, and Culture at the University of Notre Dame, where he was also an Adjunct Professor of Education. He has been on staff at the Family Life Development Center at Cornell University and the Values Program at LeMoyne College. A frequent national presenter, Dr. Davidson is a member of the Blue Ribbon Panel for the National Schools of Character Awards Program and co-authored, with Dr. Thomas Lickona, the recently released Smart & Good High Schools: Integrating Excellence and Ethics for Success in School, Work, and Beyond. He is co-author of the Evaluation Toolkit, published by the Character Education Partnership and Character Quotations, co-authored with Dr. Tom Lickona.
Matthew L. Davidson, Ph.D.
Institute for Excellence & Ethics
P.O. Box 189
Fayetteville, NY 13066
315-559-4853 phone
315-637-2361 fax
e-mail
Marthe Seales
Marthe Seales is the administrative assistant for Dr. Lickona and for the Center for the 4th and 5th Rs. She is also the associate editor of the Fourth and Fifth Rs newsletter, the conference coordinator for the annual Summer Institute in Character Education, and maintains the web sites for the Center and the Smart & Good High Schools project. She has a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and has completed a year of graduate work in the same field.
Marthe Seales
Center for the 4th and 5th Rs
SUNY Cortland
P.O. Box 2000
Cortland, NY 13045
607-753-2455 phone
607-753-5780 fax
e-mail
Debra Finn
Debra Finn is the administrative assistant for Dr. Davidson at the Institute for Excellence and Ethics, and for the Center's Smart & Good High Schools project. She works with schools to schedule Smart & Good Schools trainings, arranges travel itineraries for Center staff, and assists with financial planning and budgeting. She has a degree in secretarial science and a background in business administration and budgeting.
Debra Finn
Center for the 4th and 5th Rs
SUNY Cortland
P.O. Box 2000
Cortland, NY 13045
607-753-4921 phone
607-753-5780 fax
e-mail