Ethics in Education

In a post WorldCom, post Enron world, should collegeshave to do with ethics today? Will I make a better
be doing more to prepare graduates for what liesCEO because I understand Ayn Rand?
ahead in the ‘real world’? It is safe to say that            Time in the classrooms of our
somewhere along the line ethics education has failedUniversities would be better spent teaching
within this country. One need look no further than themathematics, writing, or even psychology. Perhaps if
front page of their morning paper, or the quarterlywe understood why people behaved unethically we
update of their portfolio, to realize how desperate thiscould do something to stop it. One thing is clear; the
situation has become.ethics we are being taught today are failing us. Failing
            Not so long ago businessmen, andus as students, and as citizens of the world. If we are
women, were looked up to; the title of CEO came withreally to believe that we do not learn ethics until college
an underlying respect from the employees of anthat what hope is there when nearly 25% of
organization, as well as outsiders. It really meantAmericans never make it that far (Henry). Are we a
something to hold the highest position within anation of heathens running around like a ticking time
company. Flash back to today and the title Chiefbomb? I propose that we begin learning ethics much
Executive Officer evokes quite a different picture.earlier than college, even earlier than grade school.
Type ‘CEO’ into any popular search engine andEthics begin in the home, the community, and the
within 5.8 seconds you will be bombarded with overindividual.
300,000 results. Many of which also contain phrases            People are beginning to recognize
like: crisis, bailout or lawsuit.the need for early ethics education in children, and
            In an effort to remedy thishave started to do something about it. Patti Martin, B.S.,
situation, Universities have begun to integrate ethicsM.A., Director of Ethical Education, has opened an
education into their business curriculums, as well as intoethics course for children ages 2-12. Her program is
the regular curriculum for all students. In a studycalled Sunday Ethical Education for Kids, or SEEKS.
conducted by Angela Hernquist, doctoral candidateSEEK aims to do what some parents apparently
from the University of Nevada Las Vegas, 90% ofcannot, to instill ethics into the children of the
responding institutions indicated that Ethics was part ofcommunity in one hour segments. SEEK meets once a
their curriculum. Over a decade earlier the Texasweek, on Sundays naturally, at the University of
State Board of Public Accountancy passed theMissouri Extension Center, in Mid Rivers Missouri. There
requirement that all licensed Certified Publicare no expectations, just the hope that parents will
Accountants complete a four hour, board approved,bring their children by to get some much needed
ethics course (VanZante). This requirement was laterguidance on becoming a better person.
supplemented by two hours or ethics courses every            Maybe more programs are
three years. Following the Enron, and subsequentneeded in colleges, or maybe the child ethics courses
Anderson LLP collapses, TSBPA required an additionaloffered at the University of Missouri are the answer.
four hours of ethics every two years beginningWhatever that answer may be, one thing is for sure,
January of 2005 (VanZante).we haven’t found it yet, and if we do not find it
            It is certainly nice to hear thatsoon we are setting ourselves up for more disaster. I
things are being done to ensure that graduates leavingdon’t know how the rest of the country feels, but I
their field of study will be better prepared for theam not looking forward to a lifetime of paying the high
workplace, but are we really meant to believe that asalaries of today’s CEOs in what feels like a never
five credit course, or a mere four hours can changeending stream of corporate bailouts.
who a person really is? From personal experience IHenry, Tamara. "Report: Greater Percent of
can confidently say no, the ethics education that I haveAmericans Educated". USA Today 6/05/2002
received in college has done nothing to influence what Hernquist, Angela. "A Survey of Ethics Courses in
kind of person I am. A brief rundown of the courseState College and University Curricula". University of
syllabus may hold the key as to why I do not feel that INevada Las Vegas. February 2005
got my money’s worth of ethics. While utilitarianism"Raising Ethical Children". Mid Rivers Ethical Society. 11
and other various philosophies may be at the28/2008 <
foundation of a great education, what do they reallyVanZante, Neal. "Improving Professional Ethics".