Ethics in Academic Environment
For the past several years, there has been a growing push for the implementation of ethics education in academic environments. With recent highly publicized scandals in the business world such as the Martha Stewart insider trading debacle, the WorldCom profit inflation situation and the Enron bankruptcy scandal, Institutions of Higher Education have increased their emphasis on ethics in their curricula in an effort to produce a qualified and ethical workforce. Students are now exposed to a curriculum that focuses intently on the study of ethical decision making models and case studies. Universities and Institutions of Higher Education are truly leading the way when it comes to the promotion of ethics. What happens though when the vehicles of ethics make the wrong turns? Recently, the University of New Mexico Foundation (UNMF) fell under scrutiny for what many consider to be the unethical funneling of large amounts of money into lobbyist spending. Although the intent was to generate additional funds and support for the school, poor decisions and lack of transparency led to a tangled web of what many consider deceit and the misuse of funds. A closer look at the situation shows that University stakeholders are uneasy about the manner in which funds were used and disclosed…or “not-disclosed”. Apparently, students are not the only ones receiving ethics lessons on campus, some administrators are being schooled as well.
The UNMF, a private non-profit appendage of the Institution, was created over twenty-nine years ago for the purpose of generating revenue and support for its programs and interests. All contributions made to the University are funneled through the Foundation where a board of forty-five members is then responsible for determining how funds will be used. The
