|
Eight universities across the Rocky Mountain region will collaborate on an initiative to further strengthen principle-based business ethics education for students in the partnering schools, it was announced Jan. 19 by Linda Childears, president and CEO of the Daniels Fund.
Business school deans from all eight universities took part in a Jan. 19 press conference in Denver to announce the program.
“Corporate scandals involving ethical misconduct have damaged stakeholder confidence and increased pressure for businesses and other organizations to establish clear standards for ethical conduct, explained Linda Childears, president and CEO of the Daniels Fund. “This crisis in business ethics is a serious concern for all of us and creates the opportunity to strengthen management education and to elevate the importance of business ethics curricula,” she added.
The initiative includes two universities with existing business ethics programs supported by the Daniels Fund: the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver, and the University of Wyoming College Of Business.
The other six universities will share equally in $7.5 million in grant funding for the initiative. The universities that will each receive $1.25 million grants, paid over five years, are Colorado State University, New Mexico State University, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, University of New Mexico, University of Northern Colorado and University of Utah.
The universities in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming will collaborate on developing programs designed to instill a high standard of ethics in business school students. The initial grant and ongoing support for the initiative is provided by the Daniels Fund, a private foundation established by cable television pioneer Bill Daniels, who was widely recognized for his ethics and integrity in business.
“Bill Daniels considered achieving a reputation for integrity and being ethical in business as the greatest accomplishments in his life,” added Childears. “He dedicated himself to sharing this message in a variety of ways, including collaborating with the University of Denver to establish the Daniels College of Business to incorporate ethics, values, and social responsibility in the business school curriculum.
“The school was named the Daniels College of Business in 1994, and provides an example of the dedicated approach that will be taken by the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative to advance principle-based ethics as the standard for doing business in our society,” she added.
Bill Daniels established the Daniels Fund to operate the Daniels Fund Scholarship Program and the Daniels Fund Grants Program in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. His estate transferred to the Daniels Fund when he died in March, 2000, making it one of the largest foundations in the Rocky Mountain region.
|
