University Ethics

How Colleges Can Build and Benefit from a Culture of Ethics

By (author) F. J. F. Keenan

Not available to order

Publication date:

14 May 2015

Length of book:

296 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781442223738

Stories about ethical issues at universities make headlines every day. From sexual violence to racial conflict, from the treatment of adjuncts to cheating, students, professors, and administrators face countless ethical trials. And yet, very few resources exist to assist universities in developing an ethical culture. University Ethics addresses this challenge. Each chapter studies a facet of university life—including athletics, gender, faculty accountability, and more—highlights the ethical hotspots, explains why they occur, and proposes best practices.

Professional ethics are a key component of training for numerous other fields, such as business management, medicine, law, and journalism, but there is no prescribed course of study for the academy. Professors and administrators are not trained in standards for evaluating papers, colleagues, boundaries, or contracts.
University Ethics not only examines the ethical problems that colleges face one by one but proposes creating an integrated culture of ethics university-wide that fosters the institution’s mission and community. In an environment plagued by university scandals, University Ethics is essential reading for anyone connected to higher education today.
While many universities do an excellent job of teaching ethics to future lawyers, doctors, and business executives, professional ethics for higher education remains underdeveloped. University Ethics provides the resources for a comprehensive approach to this important topic. Keenan’s book addresses not only familiar problems of cheating, student behavior, and faculty culture but also the issues that arise where race, gender, and economic interests intersect with the purposes of higher education. This is a book that should be read and discussed by faculty and administrators who care about the integrity of their profession and their institutions.