Collaborating on Character…The SACCA Story

The essence of synergy is when the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Working together, all benefit more than their individual contributions. If there was ever an area that desperately needs synergistic effort, it would be character and leadership development and assessment at our Federal Service Academies. Service Academy Commandants approved a character assessment consortium in 2008, subsequently named Service Academy Consortium on Character Assessment or SACCA. There were two primary drivers behind the support for the character assessment consortium. First, there was a recognized need for an integrated character development and assessment approach across all the service academies. The second push was the fact that collaboration supports synergies and economies of effort. While there are some specific differences in values and service cultures, the SACCA group has elevated its focus to two broad areas: developmental initiatives and opportunities and assessment strategies. Despite the sharing of information and agreement on some core matters, there are some significant challenges that SACCA has encountered. The capability to “stay ahead of the future” requires significant research, development, and institutional support. SACCA intends to press the boundaries in terms of initiatives to develop and assess leadership and character and to think creatively in a resource strapped environment