Samford Student Team Develops Strategies for Micro-Enterprise Program in South Africa

The Mann Center recently organized a six-week service practicum in South Africa, where students from Samford's Brock School of Business worked at a micro-enterprise center that creates economic opportunities in townships where much of the country's poverty is concentrated. The project was conducted in collaboration with Living Way, a non-profit organization that empowers the poor with "meaningful opportunities to earn a decent living" through job training and small business development. 

The student team conducted research and worked on site at the center near Cape Town to develop strategies and methods for better training outcomes.  Team leader Kley Sippel called the project "a capstone experience for my business education," explaining that it "expanded my network internationally, increased my cultural literacy, and provided an opportunity for undergraduate research – all fulfilling goals of mine since freshman year and better equipping me for graduation."

The Mann Center continues to partner with Stellenbosch University in South Africa in a new program to develop student leaders as agents of positive change.  Cadres of students at Samford and Stellenbosch are studying together via live videoconferences and networking on a Facebook group.  In January 2012 Dr. John Knapp will take a class of Samford students to Stellenbosh for three weeks of study about the social and economic challenges facing contemporary South Africa.

Mann Center Director Visits North Korean University, Gives Talk on Ethical Leadership

Mann Center Director John Knapp was with a small group of educators who visited North Korea's Pyongyang University of Science and Technology in July.  During a five-day itinerary, he spoke to the university's leaders and graduate students about the role of higher education in developing ethical leaders.  In a lecture entitled, The University as a Community of Moral Formation,  he focused on such leadership qualities as commitment to the common good of all citizens and openness to collaboration with others in global society.

The mission was organized by the Consortium for Global Education to explore opportunities for interaction with this new institution in North Korea, especially in support of humanitarian efforts.  While traveling in Asia, Dr. Knapp also visited Beijing, where he met with an official at the U.S. embassy to discuss opportunities for university partnerships in China.

Recent Projects and Programs of the Mann Center

Findings of the Samford Survey on Academic Integrity, conducted last spring, are now being used to evaluate the university's effectiveness in promoting ethical standards for academic work.  The university-wide survey of students and faculty examined practices, experiences and perceptions regarding multiple types of cheating.  Conducted in collaboration with the International Center for Academic Integrity, the survey has been used by nearly 200 colleges and universities in the United States, making it possible to analyze Samford's findings in comparison to others.  During the fall semester, the Mann Center will use the findings to assist other academic units in strengthening academic integrity.

In addition to its role on the Samford University campus, the Mann Center offers a range of year-round programs and services for external organizations and the general public.  Some examples from this summer include:

The Mann Medal in Ethics and Leadership - Awarded to Charles Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship, at a community luncheon in July.  Intended to recognize contributions to a better society, the medal recognized Colson's three decades of international work on behalf of prisoners and their families, including advocacy for penal reform.  Nominations are now being accepted for the 2012 medalist. 

Ethics Education for Financial Advisors - Dr. John Knapp is leading seven national seminars this year for professionals in the Investment Management Consultants Association, provider of the CIMA designation.

Alabama Association of Nonprofits - Dr. John Knapp led a seminar on ethics and public trust for non-profit executives.  It was simulcast to three meeting sites across the state.

Ethics Resources and Research

What do the world's religions teach about ethics?  Two online centers offer useful resources.  Globethics.Net online library on religious ethics includes collections from a wide range of traditions: Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Islamic, Buddhist, Confucian, Hindu and Jewish.  The Markkula Center for Ethics at Santa Clara University, a Jesuit institution in California's Silicon Valley, has resources on ethics in 10 regions, 35 countries, and all the world's major religions. The information is designed for use by diplomats, students, teachers, businesspeople and others seeking deeper cultural understanding.

With the approaching 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a new study finds that Muslim Americans identify as strongly with the United States as they do with their faith.  However, they are somewhat less likely than U.S. Protestants and Mormons to identify "extremely" or "very" strongly with the U.S.  Muslim Americans are also more likely than other religious groups to oppose military violence against civilians.  These are a few findings of Muslim Americans: Faith, Freedom, and the Future, research project of the Gallup Organization's Abu Dhabi Center.

Are recent political sex scandals an indication that public officials have lower moral standards than other Americans?  Not according to a majority of respondents in a recent study by Pew Center for People and The Press.   Nearly six in ten Americans said politicians just get caught more often because they are subjected to greater scrutiny than most people.  Only 19 percent attributed such scandals to lower standards, with many of these respondents believing that power tends to corrupt those who attain public office.

Ninety-five percent of Americans oppose the banking of human tissue samples without patients' informed consent.  Patient privacy ranks high among their concerns, says an article by University of Iowa researchers in the journal, Genetics of Medicine.  "Active Choice But Not Too Active: Public Perspectives on Biobank Consent Models," examines ethical questions about how samples are collected and used for research, including genetic research.

Americans see Wall Street as essential but think it is run by dishonest, greedy people, according to a poll by Harris Interactive.  More than eight in ten adults believe Wall Street firms should be subject to tougher regulation; 64 percent disagree with the claim that what is good for Wall Street is good for the country; and 70 percent believe people on Wall Street are less honest and moral than other Americans.