Welcome to the website for the Center for Organizational Ethics at Marian University and the director’s blog. I have been at Marian University since October 2008 and I am privileged to oversee the development of the center. I look forward to many conversations through this blog.
During my first six months at Marian University, I spent most of my time learning about the university – mostly by talking to faculty and staff. I still have a lot to learn and a lot more people to talk to – on campus and off.
My first full semester (Spring 2009) on campus has been busy and fruitful. I was blessed to teach my first course (Human Nature and Person) and found Marian students to be delightful and engaged. This semester I am teaching Human Nature and Person again and also Business Ethics.
The center hosted two small events spring semester: a video-streamed conference on healthcare ethics in the Franciscan tradition from Saint Francis University in Loretto, PA; and a faculty panel discussion on the financial crisis. This panel discussion was co-hosted with the School of Business and the Department of Political Science. Jim Polito, PhD, presented the fundamentals of the crisis, I provided an ethical analysis, and Robert Geroux, PhD, offered a global perspective of events leading up to the crisis. In light of the success of this discussion, I hope to start a series of faculty discussions in the 2009-2010 academic year. If you have ideas for this series or want to present an ethics topic for the faculty to discuss, please let me know.
Other plans for the coming year and beyond include a kickoff event introducing a professional ethics lecture series and a workshop on development of moral character. The center will also host the Central States Regional Ethics Bowl on Saturday, November 14, 2009. If you would be interested in serving as a judge or a moderator for that event, please let me know. After informal talks with nursing faculty, I hope to offer a healthcare ethics conference in the not-too-distant future.
I am excited about the prospects for the center and for the opportunity to promote ethics on the Marian University campus and in the Indianapolis business community. I am always interested in hearing other people’s ideas about programming and interest in the center. If you have a particular topic you’d like to see addressed or a program you’d like to see put into place, please let me know. Your comments and perspectives are always welcome!
