Pitting its ethical leadership skills against those of students from more than 200 universities, Wright State University’s six-member team placed second at the finals of the 2008 National Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl.
Wright State’s undergraduates, from diverse academic areas including finance, anthropology, materials engineering and exercise biology, were evaluated on their answers to complex ethical topics that were as wide-ranging in background as the team itself. Areas the team explored included: political, business and social ethics relating to immigration policy, pharmaceutical advertising, and cross-cultural adoption issues, professional ethics impacting areas such as law, medicine and engineering, and more personal ethical areas on topics such as relational loyalty, moderate ambition and computer privacy.
The competitors were judged on how well they stated and defended their position, whether they addressed the most relevant ethical factors of the case presented, and how well they justified their case resolutions on ethics theories and sound moral arguments.
“The competitive elements of this national event develop student leadership ethics skills in the analysis and resolution of complex moral cases and hone oral argumentation skills required of responsible, professional leaders in a democratic society,” said Joseph A. Petrick, professor of management and executive director of the Institute for Business Integrity at Wright State University’s Raj Soin College of Business. Petrick, along with Andrea D. Harris, a WSU instructor in English and Women’s Studies, coached the team.
The Wright State University Ethics Bowl Team consisted of Daniel Furman, (team captain) a senior financial services/accountancy dual major from Bethesda, Maryland; Riku Laitasalo, a junior financial services and pre-law major from Viiala, Finland; Dana Fleetham, a senior anthropology major from Dayton; Christopher Young, a senior exercise biology major from Springfield; Josh Shearer, a senior materials science engineering major from Miamisburg, and Tara Thurman, a junior organizational leadership major from Clayton.
Other participating university finalists included: Dartmouth University, Indiana University, University of Florida, University of Kentucky, California State University, Texas A&M University, University of British Columbia, University of Colorado, University of North Carolina, San Jose State University, University of South Florida, University of Washington, and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, among others. Clemson University was the winner of the national competition.
“The hard work and cooperative support that lead to Wright State University’s outstanding performances in the National Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl year after year are a source of shared pride and an institutional tradition both on campus and in the Dayton region,” said Petrick. “The Ethics Bowl participation brings out the best in people in our academic community and serves as another source of local Dayton community pride.”
