Delta Sig Students Help Coordinate High School Ethics Forum

“We were helping extremely intelligent students who were engaged in the topic being presented,” said Ryan Dale (Eller Business Economics ’16), who was in charge of coordinating Delta Sigma Pi chapter members with various responsibilities associated with the event.

Andrew Comrie, provost of the University of Arizona, and Don Budinger, founder of the Rodel Foundation, set the stage for the forum. Each spoke about their personal experiences and ethical dilemmas they’ve seen within their industries. Paul Melendez, founder of the Center for Leadership Ethics, described an ethical decision-making framework, including both the financial and legal implications associated with ethical dilemmas commonly found within the workplace.

The students gained hands-on experience in dealing with personal and professional ethical dilemmas. Delta Sigma Pi leaders took charge of small groups of high school students and helped them not only understand the case, but also guided the discussion as it unfolded.

At the conclusion of the event, Delta Sigma Pi members went around each group to help the high school students hear different solutions to the same problem with the same effectiveness. “This way, we were able to show the students that there isn’t a clear cut answer and there are many different ways to look at various ethical dilemmas,” said Dale. The students left inspired and eager to learn more.

“I was truly blown away at the high school students’ ability to come up with solutions for what is considered to be huge dilemmas for CEOs and other company leaders,” Dale said.

Delta Sigma Pi is excited to pair with the Center for Leadership Ethics for the next annual forum, as well as the event to present the Faculty Cramer Award and the Ethics Case Competition in the fall.

Top photo of high school students collaborating on project courtesy Shutterstock.