Letter to the Editor: business ethics at USM

What happens when students are accused of cheating? Does the same standard apply to faculty and administrators?

College of Business Dean Lance Nail has it right when, in a public relations statement, he said, “We hope that our students realize that we are committed to producing graduates who keep ethical behavior in the forefront of their thoughts and actions.” The occasion was the announcement that “The College of Business Devotes a Month to Ethics Awareness.” (http://www.usm.edu/pr/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3139&Itemid=2)

Heartened by the announcement, about a week ago, in an email to Dean Nail and School of Accountancy Director Skip Hughes, I offered to participate in seminars they will provide during the “Month of Ethics Awareness”. In addition to inviting speakers from other parts of the country to discuss ethics issues from their perspectives, I proposed we have a panel discussion in which we discuss ethics issues that arose, and still result, from behavior right here at USM.

Let us make ethics real for our students.

I offered several projects which are relevant to our month long devotion to ethics and that have already been peer reviewed and presented at national meetings. “Without Proper Citation” and “Daily Practice” are educational opportunities for students, faculty, administrators, and me that are drawn from our own experiences at USM. (If readers would like a copy of the papers, let me know and I will be glad to send copies.  Input is always welcome.) “Without Proper Citation” is a case study complete with documentation that explores plagiarism, what it means, and why it is considered unethical.

We all have a pretty good idea what happens to students when they are accused of plagiarism, but what happens to faculty and administrators when they copy and publish “without proper citation”? I am confident students would find the topic very interesting. It is a difficult and relevant issue for students, faculty, and administrators. I offered to take on the challenge of presenting my research for review, criticism, and further development. I am confident the discussion would be stimulating and engaging.

Also for Dean Nail’s and Director Hughes’ consideration, I offered “Daily Practice”, which explores the issue of conflicts of interest. Students will experience conflicts of interest in their careers and would benefit from seeing how easy it is to slip into unethical practices, even with the best of intentions at a university like ours. Dean Nail’s comment, “In so many instances otherwise good people engaged in unethical conduct that seemed so inconsequential at the time but resulted in terrible outcomes,” is precisely on the mark. “Daily Practice”, like “Without Proper Citation”, is a relevant case study of ethical lapses by faculty and administrators at USM.

I did not hear from Dean Nail and Director Hughes about my offer. However, I would like to remind them that common courtesy suggests a response. But more importantly, I wanted to remind them of the principles USM proclaims to its students, faculty and the public: “The University cherishes the free exchange of ideas, diversity of thought, joint decision making, and individuals’ assumption of responsibility.” (Faculty Handbook, § 2.12)  The fact that Drs. Nail and Hughes may be uncomfortable with the ideas contained in the research, or even outright disagree with them, emphasizes the importance of a public discussion. What do you say Dean Nail and Director Hughes, are you up to the challenge of “cherish[ing] the free exchange of ideas?”

Chauncey M. DePree, Jr., DBA
Professor
School of Accountancy
College of Business