Since its founding as a program funded by an Academic Challenge Grant from the Ohio Board of Regents in 1988, the Institute for Applied and Professional Ethics has sponsored dozens of activities. These have ranged from conferences ("Conference on Privacy and the Professions," held in 1991) to colloquium series ("When to Stop Covering the Chase: O.J., the Media Circus, and the Ethics of It All" by Ralph D. Barney, Brigham Young University, 1995); to lectures by visiting executives (Ann Whelehan, managing director of Marketing Strategy NYNEX, 1996) to cosponsored debates ("Ethics and Animal Agriculture Debate," with David White and Gene Bauston, 1997).
This past academic year, the institute sponsored directly or indirectly more than fourteen events, including a panel discussion on cloning, which was recently aired on Athens Media Access television (Channel 23). Kevin Sanders, assistant director of the institute, explained that the cloning panel
was a very successful outing for the institute, and it brought out a passionate crowd of people, including students, faculty, and community. They wanted to hear what the university's experts had to say about the ethics of this issue. But just as important, they were given an opportunity to express their thoughts about a sensitive subject. One of the most helpful things that we did was to clarify exactly what cloning is and isn't. We would like to do more forums on issues such as cloning, issues that people recognize as affecting their lives and the direction of society.
According to Arthur Zucker, the director of the institute, two primary
goals include providing the sort of atmosphere that gets people thinking
about ethics in a way that will have a lasting impact, and stimulating
teaching and research in the area of applied and professional ethics.
In keeping with this latter aim, the institute has sponsored workshops
for the creation of ethics modules within courses and just this past year
helped to sponsor six different research projects in the area of applied
ethics. There is a third goal of sorts, and that is not to be seen as a
watchdog, not to be construed as the conscience of the community.
The Institute for Applied and Professional Ethics is governed by a six-person executive board consisting of two members each from the E. W. Scripps School of Journalism, the Department of Management Systems in the College of Business, and the Department of Philosophy from the College of Arts and Sciences. Ralph Izard, director of the School of Journalism, and Michael Bugeja, professor of journalism and special advisor to President Glidden on standards, from the School of Journalism; Richard Milter, associate professor and John Stinson, former dean, from the College of Business; Donald Borchert, chair of the Department of Philosophy and Arthur Zucker, associate professor of philosophy, comprise the executive board. They have been on board since the founding of the institute and were part of the eight-person committee that submitted the original grant proposal that funds the institute. Nicholas Dinos, professor of chemical engineering, and William Duerfeldt, associate professor of family medicine from the College of Osteopathic Medicine, were also a part of the original committee.
The board meets several times yearly to review, set, and approve the institute's activities. But more than that, the members participate in its activities, whether as lecturers, workshop/seminar leaders, or moderators. Director Zucker led three presentations/discussions last year, two on "Fairness and the Student-Teacher Relationship" and one on "Preparing for the Workplace: What You Need to Know about Ethics before You Take Your First Job" (with Michael Bugeja); and he moderated several other lectures and panel discussions. In addition, John Stinson and Art Zucker cotaught an upper-level class in management in which students had to create a genetic technology business and deal with the ethical issues such a business would raise.
As director, Dr. Zucker is involved in the day-to-day business of the institute. "My major task," he explained,
is to see that the institute's programs are of the highest possible quality and that they give participants a setting to learn and critically reflect on the ethical decision-making process. Some ethical issues, maybe most, are tough to think about in an impartial way. We try to get people to see issues from many different perspectives. One way to do this is to offer speakers with well-developed views--but always, speakers who are willing to 'duke it out" with an audience.
Among speakers sponsored by the institute have been Bernard Gert (philosophy), K. Danner Clouser (medicine), Deni Elliott (journalism), and William Giffin (business).
Another clear example of a successful program was the visit of Helen
Longino from the University of Minnesota's Women's Studies Program.
A recognized expert in feminist philosophy of science, Dr. Longino
gave several extremely well-attended talks and lectures during her
week-long visit at the university, highlighted by the lecture, "Making
Gender Visible in the Construction of Scientific Knowledge." Said Dr.
Zucker: "She brings to philosophy of science a slant that is
untraditional--even unpopular--because it stresses the role of
values in science. Dr. Longino looks for values where others think
there are none. To bring to light unnoticed values is certainly one
of the goals of any program sponsored by the institute."
This coming fall, the institute will inaugurate a journalism ethics Ph.D. In the making for the past few years, the degree program is the result of a collaboration between the Department of Philosophy and the School of Journalism. Mr. Sanders said: "To the best of our knowledge, this is the first such program in the nation. Graduates of the program will also earn a master's in philosophy and certificate in applied and professional ethics from the institute." Dr. Borchert, who with Dr. Izard, put the program together, said that "this program was aimed at increasing the number of professional journalists who can contribute significantly to newsroom and classroom ethical debate."
Also new for the 1997-98 academic year will be a dramatic increase in the institute's worldwide web presence. Mr. Sanders, who is also the institute's webmaster, said:
We would like to see the site evolve into an encyclopedia-like reference for people looking for ethics content on the web. We can add some interesting content for students and faculty. There is a surprising amount of good content out there for students, if they can get to it. I hope we can provide that "direction." I think it's important for web pages to be interesting, as well, so that's a concern. I think more interaction would help this. Who says ethics has to be dull?
Planning ahead means just that. Kevin Sanders and Albert Mosley, professor of philosophy, are helping the institute plan a two-day conference (for October 1998) on the "Ethics of Affirmative Action." Although only in its initial planning stages, the conference is sure to make a sound contribution to the thinking about affirmative action. The institute will sponsor some of the foremost ethicists and public and private sector advocates from both sides of this debate.
"How can this go wrong?" asked Mr. Sanders. "I think the next two years are going to be a lot of fun. During this time the Institute for Applied and Professional Ethics will become an even more recognizable part of Ohio University, a part of which the entire community can be proud."
For further information about the Institute for Applied and Professional Ethics, contact Arthur Zucker, Department of Philosophy, 207 Research and Technology Center (RTEC).