LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - Two noted scholars will be in residence at Lock Haven University October 26 – 28 to present a series of discussions about current ethical issues. The LHU Ethics Center will host four talks by Dr. Rita Manning and Dr. Scott Stroud, authors of “A Practical Guide to Ethics, Living and Leading with Integrity.” All talks are free and open to the public.

According to Dr. Joan Whitman Hoff, professor of philosophy and director of the Ethics Center, “The speakers will focus on organizational integrity as much as they will focus on individual integrity. Organizations, including businesses, must provide clear guidelines for employees to follow and they must demonstrate ethical leadership if they expect their members and employees to have integrity in their responsibilities. In this age of globalization and high unemployment, it is essential that common problems such as corporate tax evasion, employee exploitation, institutional abuse and their relationship to personal integrity must be examined from a reflective and informed perspective.” Hoff notes that “Philosophical ethics provides a framework in which to do so. This will be the focus of the talks.”

The schedule of the talks is as follows:

On Monday, October 26 at 12:15 p.m. in the Parsons Union Building (PUB) #2, Dr. Rita Manning, professor of philosophy at San Jose State University, will discuss “Philosophical Ethics and Punishment.”

On Wednesday, October 28 at 12:15 p.m. in PUB #2, Dr. Scott Stroud, professor of Communication Studies at the University of Texas, will discuss “Ethics and Communication.”

On Wednesday, October 28 from 6:30- 9:00 p.m., Stroud and Manning will both make presentations in the Hall of Flags (Robinson 115). Stroud will speak on “Living and Leading with Integrity,” and Manning will discuss “Integrity in Punishment and Prison Reform.”

Hoff commented on the timeliness of these presentations. “Given the increased interest in criminal justice programs at major universities throughout the U.S., and given the particular problems confronting people in the 21st century, it is important to examine (and re-examine) the role that society at large can and should play in helping to foster a better and more just society.”

In their book, Manning and Stroud examine the importance of reviewing ethics from a cross cultural perspective as well as examining the ways in which organizations and societies can help to foster, or undermine, ethical integrity in the individuals in those organizations and societies.

These presentations are sponsored by the Ethics Center with the support of the Lock haven University Foundation.