Two Program Series Provide Opportunities for Students to Lead and Practice Moral Discourse

The Mann Center sponsors two innovative program series where Samford students and faculty model and practice civil, moral discourse about the big questions facing individuals and society.

The newest of these, the center's Better World Theater project, debuted Dec. 6 to an enthusiastic audience of students and faculty who filled the Bolding Studio theater.  Two short theatrical productions, produced and performed by nine students in the Brock School of Business, were designed to raise issues about ethics in the workplace.  The performers then led the audience in a lively, thought-provoking discussion.

Better World Theater is a collaborative venture of the Mann Center and the university's Department of Theater and Dance.  Future productions will involve students and audiences in other fields of study, such as nursing, education, law or journalism.  The project is intended to develop students' ethical awareness and competencies in leading peer-to-peer dialog.  Its name reflects the concluding words of Samford's vision statement: "The world will be better for it." 

Meanwhile, the Courageous Conversations series continued in November with a discussion of freedom of expression. Student and faculty panelists led a discussion with approximately 120 students on the theme, "Can we talk about it?" Participants considered how well the university community accommodates diverse viewpoints on often-difficult issues like race, homosexuality and religion. The program began with a presentation by the chaplain of Belmont University who shared lessons from his institution after a highly publicized conflict following the resignation of a lesbian coach.

The purpose of Courageous Conversations is to foster moral discourse on the issues "we know we need to discuss, but know we are not discussing." Past topics have included sexual health, pornography, academic cheating, and responsibilities in social networking.

New Initiatives Promote Academic Integrity

With academic cheating on the rise at colleges and universities worldwide, the Mann Center has initiated a series of projects to promote academic integrity at Samford.  A spring 2011 survey of the campus, conducted with assistance from the International Center for Academic Integrity, found significant gaps between student and faculty attitudes about cheating.  Among these were disparate views regarding the seriousness of various types of academic dishonesty.

In response, the Mann Center is meeting with faculty and student groups across the university to share the research findings and discuss strategies for reducing cheating.  Planned educational projects involve the University Library, Student Affairs, New Student Orientation, Faculty Senate, and others.  New sections of the center's website provide resources for students and for faculty, including research and best practices from other institutions.

These efforts will be assisted by a newly appointed Student Advisory Council on Academic Integrity comprising representatives with diverse majors and interests.  Members of the 2011-12 council are Lydia Nace (Sophomore/History), Jordan Valdez (Sophomore/Nursing), Paizley Coffey (Junior/Education), Sarah Waller (Junior/Journalism and Mass Communicaitons), Jennifer Nelson (1st Year/Pharmacy), Caroline Noland (Senior/Business), Tom Oliver (Senior/Political Science), Mandy Liu (Senior/Music).

Call for Nominations: 'Mann Medal in Ethics & Leadership' Honoring an Inspiring Agent of Change

Samford University awards the Mann Medal in Ethics & Leadership to nationally or internationally known leaders or organizations whose efforts have made significant contributions to a more just and ethical society.  The work recognized with the award must address a clear need or problem facing society, have significance on a large scale and be an inspiring example for others to follow.

Nominees for the Mann Medal may be from any field of endeavor.  Please fill out the nomination form or contact Ms. Azalea Hulbert, program manager, at 205.726.4634 or amwhitco@samford.edu.

Other Recent Projects and Programs

The Mann Center provides programs and presentations to a variety of public audiences worldwide.  Following are recent speeches by Dr. John Knapp, the center's director:

Lebanese Society for Education and Development - keynote speech at Lebanese American University (Beirut) for an annual conference of teachers, administrators and community leaders, and a conference session on the moral development of students at Middle East University.  During this visit, Dr. Knapp met with Lebanon’s Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr. Hassan Diab, and was interviewed by several Lebanese news organizations.

Investment Management Consultants Association - final session in a national series for professional wealth managers.  The seven programs addressed professional ethics and public trust in the context of the global financial crisis.

Consortium for Global Education - featured speaker for CGE's annual membership meeting of representatives of more than 40 participating colleges and universities.

Motion Industries - keynote speech for the corporate annual meeting of 1,000 managers and supplier representatives.  Motion Industries is a part of Genuine Parts corporation.

Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants - presentation to the annual conference of collegiate accounting instructors on effective methods for teaching ethics.

Dr. Knapp's newest book, How the Church Fails Businesspeople (and What Can Be Done about It), is previewed in a three-part blog by Wm. Eerdmans Publishing Co. - part 1: Introduction and overview; part 2: Devaluing everyday work; part 3: One pastor's story.