Three UCCS students join 2022-2023 Ethics Ambassador Cohort, partner with campus ethics advisors
Three students from across UCCS have been selected to pursue principle-based ethics projects with a paired UCCS ethics fellow for the fall 2022 semester. These students will engage in ethics opportunities, gain program-based work experience and develop valuable leadership skills.
The student ethics ambassador program is offered through the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program (DFEI) in the College of Business and allows students to earn up to $1,500 per semester working on principle-based ethics projects at UCCS.
Students selected for the ethics ambassador program are paired with an ethics fellow in their field of interest to create ethics programs, conferences and curriculum to be delivered to UCCS and the greater southern Colorado community. Ethics ambassadors are given unique opportunities to network with industry professionals and compete in state- and nation-wide ethics events to demonstrate critical thinking skills in business ethics. Each student works collaboratively with their ethics expert to share resources and initiatives with students, educators and the business community.
“We are pleased to have six students serve as ethics ambassadors for the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program this fall,” said Tracy Gonzalez-Padron, Director of the DFEI at UCCS. “Their commitment to championing ethics on our campus and beyond will further our understanding of ethical decision-making and leadership.”
Each student ethics ambassador receives a nomination from UCCS faculty and staff and submits a statement detailing how they intend to utilize ethics to support their academic and career goals.
The new fall 2022 student ambassadors include:
- Chase Culver, Bachelor of Innovation in Business Administration, College of Business
- Ethics Fellow: Jennifer Kling, Assistant Professor and Director of the Center for Legal Studies, Department of Philosophy, College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
- Averi Eisaman, Nursing, Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences
- Ethics Fellow: Helen Graham, Associate Professor, Nursing, Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences
- Grace Martinez, Master of Business Administration, College of Business
- Ethics Fellow: Carol Finnegan, Associate Professor of Marketing, Strategy and International Business, College of Business
The students above will be joined by these returning student ethics ambassadors in fall 2022:
- Steve Jacobs, Master of Business Administration, College of Business
- Ethics Fellow: Tracy Gonzalez-Padron, Director of Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative and Professor, College of Business
- Jack Brock, Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering
- Ethics Fellow: Gretchen Bliss, Director of Cybersecurity Programs
- Michaela Herring, Master of Business Administration, Service Management Emphasis, College of Business
- Ethics Fellow: Lauren Hallaron DeSutter, Professor, College of Business
This year’s student ethics ambassadors bring perspectives from a variety of majors and industries, and each have put ethics at the forefront of their educational goals.
“Being part of the Daniels Fund Ethic Initiative Student Ambassador Program is an opportunity to learn and share ethical opportunities in the workplace and through personal participation within my UCCS community and other work opportunities,” said Grace Martinez. “I hope to gain from this experience the knowledge on how to implement ethical leadership programs and opportunities for people in the workplace.”
“I am interested in the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate program so I can utilize my past experiences with a more refined understanding for how I can be an ethical leader moving forward,” Chase Culver said. “By way of events and educational activities, I am eager to expand the access individuals have to the vital resources within the DFEI program, in turn, enhancing the UCCS community as a whole.”
“I believe it will be valuable to the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative to have a Student Ethics Ambassador from the Beth-El School of Nursing,” said Averi Eisaman. “This would bring new ideas and value to the program. Healthcare workers work with a team composed of many other areas, including finance, social work, and business. If all these professions can work well with one another in regard to ethics and understand ethics for one another, the team will be much more cohesive.”
Learn more about the 2022-23 student ethics ambassadors here.
11 UCCS faculty and staff selected as ethics fellows
Eleven faculty and staff members will serve as DFEI Ethics Fellows during the 2022-23 academic year. The prestigious Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative faculty fellowships are awarded to UCCS faculty who demonstrate excellence in pedagogical activities related to applied business, professional and organizational ethics.
The new fellows are:
- Michelle Brown, Senior Instructor of English, College of Letters, Arts, and Science
- Angela Dodson, Faculty Development Coordinator
- Carol Finnegan, Associate Professor, College of Business and Administration
- Crystal Baye Herald, Senior Instructor of Technical Communication and Information Design, College of Letters, Arts, and Science
- Christina Jimenez, Professor of History, College of Letters, Arts, and Science
- Jess Kirby, Assistant Professor, Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences
- Nicholas Lockwood, Director or Orientation & New Student Outreach
- Malikah Marrus, Assistant Clinical Professor and MSW Field Education Director, School of Public Affairs
- Kathy Prue-Owens, Assistant Professor, Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences
- Kylie Rogalla, Assistant Professor, College of Education
- Nick Tapia-Fuselier, Assistant Professor, College of Education
The ethics fellow program started in 2011 in the College of Business and quickly expanded to other colleges across campus. This year, 99 educators on UCCS campus will serve as ethics fellows.
Each fellow is selected based upon their proposal to encourage learning opportunities in ethical thought and decision making to their respective college and area of focus. This extension of principle-based ethics can take the form of classroom materials, workshops and other various platforms, according to Gonzalez-Padron.
“We are pleased to have 11 new ethics fellows from across the campus,” she said. “The ethics projects have a long-lasting impact on UCCS students to realize that learning ethical decision-making and practicing ethical leadership will make them a better person and a better employee when they are out in the workforce.”
UCCS fellows work with ethics champions from nine colleges and universities in southern Colorado through the UCCS Southern Colorado Ethics Consortium (SCEC) Ethics Champions Program. The SCEC Ethics Champion program is designed to create a collaborative community to expand principle-based ethics in southern Colorado.
“In conjunction with the 2022-23 Ethics Fellows, we are proud to have nearly 100 educators on UCCS campus this year to serve as ethics experts for our community,” said Karen Markel, Dean of the College of Business. “Our fellows have made a commitment to principle-based ethics education, and we look forward to learning more about their individual ethics projects, initiatives and efforts throughout the academic year.”
Learn more about becoming an ethics fellow here.
11 ethics champions selected in southern Colorado
DFEI also recently welcomed 11 faculty and staff members from regional colleges to serve as 2022-23 Ethics Champions. They join the eight returning ethics champions.
The ethic champions represent two- and four-year colleges from the Southern Colorado Ethics Consortium (SCEC) and work to expand principled-based ethics education throughout their campus and regional community. Each ethics champion works collaboratively with the DFEI at UCCS to share resources and initiatives with educators throughout southern Colorado.
“We are pleased to welcome the 2022-23 ethics champions from 11 southern Colorado higher education institutions to instill principle-based ethics on their campus,” said Gonzalez-Padron. “The goal of the Southern Colorado Ethics Consortium is to create a collaborative community to champion principle-based ethics in southern Colorado. We look forward to sharing best practices and learn from our new and returning ethics champions.”
The selected champions are:
- Ishani Banerji, Business Administration, Fort Lewis College
- Angela Brubaker, Career Technical Education, Pueblo Community College
- Matthew Caywood, Social Work, CSU-Pueblo
- Kassie James, Head Softball Coach, Otero College
- Skye Koehl, Assistant Softball Coach, Otero College
- Yolanda Herrara, Residence Life/Student Life Coordinator, Lamar Community College
- Karen Marley, Senior Lecturer, CSU-Pueblo
- Monica Novak, Computer Information Systems, Pikes Peak State College
- Melissa Romero, Academic Advising, Adams State University
- Zach Sands, English/Humanities, Lamar Community College
- Anthony “A.J.” Webb, Business, Adams State University
Returning champions include:
- Beth Almanza, Medical Imaging, Pueblo Community College
- Paul Boone, History, Trinidad State College
- Keith E. Clayton, Business, Odyssey Early College and Career Options
- Jennifer DeBoer, Business Administration, Western Colorado University
- Scott Heyler, Management, United States Air Force Academy
- Carol Kurkowski, Business, Pikes Peak State College
- Paula Mann, Accountancy, Western Colorado University
- Michael Vieregge, Business Administration, Western Colorado University
“I appreciate that this [program] empowers to create strong ethical workplace cultures and extends beyond philosophy and theory but applies to real-world application,” said Angela Brubaker. “Furthermore, the framework provides personal and organizational decision-making for leadership roles. By learning and practicing this ethical behavior, the students will build a solid foundation in ethics and transform it into principled decisions.”
“Having worked in industry before becoming a college instructor, I understand the need for ethics in life, the workplace and school,” said Monica Novack. “Listening to one of our professors that has been doing this made me want to be part of this endeavor!”
Learn more about the 2022-23 ethics champions here.
About the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program
The Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program at the 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. For more information, visit www.uccs.edu/businessethics.