March Speakers to Address Ethics in Business Leadership, Understanding Disabilities

March 10 - Wes Cantrell will speak at Samford University at 1:00 p.m. in Brock Forum (Dwight Beeson Hall) on the topic, "Character or Currency? Measuring Success in Business Leadership." Mr. Cantrell retired as chairman and CEO of Lanier Worldwide after leading the company through a successful merger with copier manufacturer Ricoh. A board member at Ann Taylor Stores and Wells Real Estate Funds, he has written two books: High-Performance Ethics: 10 Timeless Principles for Next-Generation Leadership and, most recently, From The Shop Floor to The Top Floor: Releasing The CEO Within. "Greed offers one of the great - and often fatal - illusions of life," he writes. "It offers satisfaction if we'll only remain unsatisfied, a dull-witted bargain that [ethical] leaders vet and reject." A book signing will follow his presentation. Click here for an event flier in PDF format.

March 30 - "Focus on Ability" is the topic of a 10 a.m. presentation by Carolyn Cartwright, a corporate executive recognized as an innovator in developing career opportunities for people with disabilities at SunTrust Banks, an Atlanta-based company with $172 billion in assets and nearly 1,700 branches. Under her leadership, the firm has attracted new talent for all areas of its business. Her presentation in Reid Chapel will discuss what a university may learn from corporate efforts to ensure the full participation of people with disabilities. She will meet with student leaders in the afternoon to explore these issues in more depth. Her visit is cosponsored by Samford Counseling Services & Disability Support Services. Click here for an event flier in PDF format.

Both events are part of the Mann Center's continuing series, the A. Gerow Hodges Lectures in Ethics and Leadership. There is no charge and the public is welcome. Convo credit is available to students.

News and Views

The Millennial generation of 18- to 29-year-olds is more diverse, optimistic and socially liberal than older generations, according to Pew Research Center's new report, Millennials: A Portrait of Generation Next. Millennials are fast becoming the best-educated generation in American history. Meanwhile, one-fourth of them are unaffiliated with any religion, a far higher percentage than older adults when they were 18 to 29 -- yet they are no less likely to pray than were their predecessors at this stage of life. Regarding family life, just 21 percent of Millennials are married, half the share of their parents' generation at the same ages. Significantly, 34 percent are themsleves parents, and the study estimates that more than a third of Millennial women who gave birth in 2006 were unmarried. Perhaps more encouraging are indications of a high level of respect for their elders, including the finding that more than 60 percent say families "have a responsibility to have an elderly parent come live with them if that parent wants to." Fewer than 40 percent of adults ages 60 and older believe this.

Employer responses to the current economic downturn may lead to increased employee misconduct on the job, concludes a new report from Ethics Resource Center in Washington, D.C. Adjusted work schedules, furloughs, layoffs, reductions in compensation and/or benefits, and plant closures are among factors that may contribute to behavior damaging to organizations. "Thoughtful leaders carefully weigh how various options will affect workers," write the researchers. "It is inevitable that such actions will result in an erosion of positive employee perceptions, but careful planning and communication can help mitigate the damage," such as "acting out" against the employer. Perhaps more important, but not emphasized in this report, is the tendency for employees to make ethical compromises or cut corners when under pressure to meet unrealistic performance goals due to reductions in staff support and resources. Another result of recent belt-tightening is increased competition among job seekers, leading to increases in resume fraud.

Teaching and Research at Samford

April 9 - 2010 HEAL Conference: Are Codes of Ethics Enough? The annual conference of Samford's Health Ethics and Law (HEAL) Institute will be held Friday, April 9, with principal speakers including DeWitt C. Baldwin, Jr., M.D.; Joseph Fink III, B.S.Pharm., J.D.; and Joy Penticuff, RN, Ph.D. Dr. Baldwin is scholar-in-residence at the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education [ACGME] and professor emeritus of psychiatry and the behavioral sciences at University of Nevada School of Medicine. Dr. Fink holds professorships in pharmacy, public health, and clinical leadershp and management at University of Kentucky. Dr. Penticuff is professor and director of nursing program development at Concordia University and professor emerita at the University of Texas at Austin. Click here to download a brochure with details and registration information in PDF format.