The University of New Mexico, supported by the National State of Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), is forming a student business ethics chapter to focus on ethical leadership and organizational ethics. The first meeting of the UNM Student Center for the Public Trust (SCPT) is Thursday, March 8 at 4 p.m. in the Jackson Student Center, located just west of the Anderson School of Management.
Alfonzo Alexander, president, NASBA Center for the Public Trust (CPT), will be the guest speaker. Alexander will discuss the need for a greater emphasis on ethical leadership on college campuses, as well as share his insights, experiences, and answer questions from the audience. Refreshments, including pizza, will be served after the meeting.
Membership in UNM SCPT is open to any UNM student enrolled in six credit hours. Members are required to attend two meetings annually and participate in the chapter community service project. Annual dues are $10, however, for the inaugural year of the UNM SCPT Chapter, the Daniels Fund Business Ethics Grant will cover the first year dues for each member. Benefits to students include: being a part of an organization that demonstrates its commitment to ethical behavior, learning how ethical thinking and behavior can shape their careers, networking with business leaders and scholarship opportunities.
The Daniels Fund supports student leadership and principal-based ethical conduct in business. Linda Ferrell, Bill Daniels Professor of Business Ethics at UNM Anderson, says the partnership between the Daniels Fund and the UNM SCPT is a winning collaboration.
"We have never had a ‘mechanism' to bring together students from marketing, accounting, management, finance, MIS and other disciplines to talk about business ethics issues, concerns, business challenges and successes," said Ferrell. "We are even reaching across campus to find students in engineering, communication & journalism, and all colleges who have an interest in organizational ethics and believe it is important to career success. UNM is taking a leadership role in advancing our students exposure to business ethics education."
Anderson School of Management Dean Doug Brown says this leadership role will go a long way in preparing students for success in the workplace.
"Awareness of ethical issues and finding the right pathways is a lifelong learning process," said Brown. "Affiliating with the Center for the Public Trust brings us an important new resource in our quest for continuous improvement and in our commitment to spread training in business ethics throughout our region."
For more information contact SCPT Advisors: Linda Ferrell, Bill Daniels Professor of Business Ethics, lferrell@mgt.unm.edu or Craig White, Grant Thornton Professor of Accounting, white@mgt.unm.edu.
Media Contact: Leslie Venzuela (505) 277-7117; e-mail: venzuela@mgt.unm.edu