16 teams from seven different southern Colorado colleges and universities competed in the 11th annual Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative (DFEI) at UCCS Business Ethics Case Competition on Oct. 23.
Participating schools included Pikes Peak Community College, Western State University, Odyssey Early College, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Adams State University, Trinidad State College and the United States Air Force Academy.
Students participated on teams in three different categories: two-year program teams, undergraduate four-year teams and graduate teams. Alumni and judges from the community evaluated each team on an ethical analysis and application of the DFEI principles to present a recommendation that considers all stakeholders.
The undergraduate two-year, four-year and graduate teams were presented with the following challenge: to present as members of a management consulting firm on the issue of restoring the reputation of Healthy Kids Playground Equipment, Inc. while planning for long-term viability and growth, and provide recommendations from both a practical and ethical business context.
Presentations were to be no more than 10 minutes in length, and teams had to be prepared to answer questions during a five-minute Q&A session.
“One of our most exciting events of the year takes place every fall with the Ethics Case Competition,” said Tracy Gonzalez-Padron, Director of the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program at UCCS.
“It serves as a practical opportunity for students to apply critical DFEI ethics principles — integrity, trust, accountability, transparency, fairness, respect, rule of law and viability — in a real-world setting while simultaneously honing their teamwork and presentation skills. It is rewarding to see students implementing ethics principles in their work both in and out of the classroom, and we had some wonderful presentations.”
The winners of each category were:
- Undergraduate Two-Year Program Track
- 1st Place: Pikes Peak Community College: Jaycie Allen and Raiven Valdez
- Faculty Advisor: Carol Kurkowski
- 2nd Place: Trinidad State College: Megan Pierce, Rylee Baca and Faith Morefield
- Faculty Advisor: Paul Boone
- 1st Place: Pikes Peak Community College: Jaycie Allen and Raiven Valdez
- Undergraduate Four-Year Program Track
- 1st Place: University of Colorado Colorado Springs: Aidan Rooney and Alisha Silkey
- Faculty Advisor: Sloan Gonzales
- 2nd Place: Western State University: William Wood, Garrett Lane and Grant Lillard
- Faculty Advisor: Jennifer DeBoer,
- Paula Mann and Michael Vieregge
- 3rd Place: United States Air Force Academy: Abby Warner, Amy Kang and Jalon Love
- Faculty Advisor: Scott Heyler
- 1st Place: University of Colorado Colorado Springs: Aidan Rooney and Alisha Silkey
- Graduate Program Track
- 1st Place: Western State University: Leonard Mason and Peter Wardell
- Faculty Advisor: Jennifer DeBoer Paula Mann and Michael Vieregge
- 1st Place: Western State University: Leonard Mason and Peter Wardell
About the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program at UCCS College of Business
The Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program at UCCS College of Business is a resource for principle-based ethics education, serving students, educators and business community. The UCCS College of Business is one of eight original participating schools in the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program that now includes twelve participating schools. The DFEI supports the Southern Colorado Education Consortium (SCEC) for nine higher education institutions in the southern half of the state. In 2016, the DFEI Collegiate Program at UCCS launched an ethics champion pilot program to expand best practices in ethics education. Each participating school has educators serving as Ethics Champions on their campus to expand principle-based ethics education and resources throughout southern Colorado. The program has since expanded to include a large variety of events and programs for educators, students and business members throughout southern Colorado. Find more information online.