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.