The Center
for Ethics in Free Enterprise, a non-profit division of the online university builders, Global Academy Online, Inc., has launched
its ‘Four-Point Community Character & Ethics' development program. Based on CEFE’s nine building blocks
of character, the program is offered nationwide and internationally by CEFE Fellows who are Certified Applied Ethicists. The
nine building blocks include truthfulness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, citizenship, courage, commitment and
faith.
The “Four Point” evolved, according to LaFonda Oliver, spokeswoman for CEFE, as a result of
grant support for Professor Fred DiUlus, the Executive Director of CEFE, and local educators in New Mexico from US Senator
Pete Domenici’s Office. Earmarked for the development of character and ethics training of professional educators to
pass down to their students and share with their community, it was the beneficiary of another program previously put in place
by DiUlus and his cohorts. The New Mexico model and the evolution of the “Four Point” program, states Oliver,
was greatly influenced by the dedication and commitment of several community leaders in Jacksonville, Florida.
The
Florida leaders, Oliver notes, eventually included over a hundred civic leaders from all walks of life led by a steering committee
that included DiUlus, who, at the time, taught ethics and entrepreneurship at the University of North Florida. Others on that
pioneering steering committee were the late community social activist Howard Sweet, the former president of the Jacksonville
City Council, Councilwoman Ginger Soud, Superior Court Judge Brad Stetson, and Chairman and catalyst of the Committee, Jacksonville
businessman, Bill Gay, Jr. “Our effort from the beginning” states DiUlus, “was to create and install effective
and meaningful character and integrity training, not only among educators, but among the community’s leadership, their
associates, co-workers and citizens at large.”
“The Four Point is described by our CEFE Fellows,”
states Oliver, “as one that is organic and evolved from these highly successful community undertakings over the past
decade.” DiUlus refers to it as “a continuous cycle of character and ethics improvement.” The CEFE Fellows
are themselves trained to provide the ethical blueprint for a community’s ethical activism, a point made on the CEFE
website when it describes the program as giving community leaders and educators the opportunity to “adopt and adapt
a community wide character and ethics program that has teeth, clout, and long term staying power.” Ms. Oliver points
out, “The Four-Point is easily adaptable to any organization, anywhere in the world.”
When asked why
such a program is necessary today, DiUlus points to CEFE’s own exhaustive research that supports the results originally
uncovered by the US Department of Labor. “There is and continues to be serious gaps in ethics and values training among
today’s global work force. CEFE’s Four-Point program” he goes on to say, “ignites personal and community
character and ethics education.”
The “Four Point” program is conducted for ten or more participants
over an extended weekend.
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