TERRE HAUTE - Junior President’s, Networks and Gongaware Scholars at Indiana State University will host the third annual Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility Conference from 9:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. April 1 in Hulman Memorial Student Union.
Student organizers say the conference is scheduled to cover important and current topics in today’s business world. Topics were chosen from contemporary business magazine articles and from ISU business professors’ input on present ethical issues in today’s workforce. This year’s event will cover topics from workplace discrimination and outsourcing to corporate wellness and consumer privacy, as well as the business world’s recent topic of product recalls.
Co-directors and Networks Scholars Robin Smith, an accounting and financial services major from Petersburg, and Racheal Titus, an accounting major from Toledo, Ill. are organizing this year’s conference with their team of other junior scholars. Team members’ responsibilities include marketing, finance, sponsorship, logistics and programming. The conference is a capstone project for the Networks Professional Development program and is focused on the development of students from Indiana State University as well as other universities and business professionals.
“We hope participants will feel they have learned something throughout the day, and that they have a chance to work one-on-one with the facilitators and speakers. Participants will have networking opportunities with other college business students, professionals and professors that are available to them at the conference,†Titus said.
“The junior scholars have worked hard to make this networking opportunity available through new facilitated sessions that allow more group discussion and role playing. With the combined effort of the entire junior class and our coaches, the conference is sure to be a success,†Smith said.
Keynote speaker for this year’s event is Odell Guyton, director of compliance at Microsoft Corp. Guyton is a compliance and ethics professional who possesses many years of varied experience in corporate matters. His legal experience involves complex litigation matters and investigation in the areas of white collar criminal prosecution and defense, financial fraud and abuse, tax fraud, anti-corruption, anti-bribery and money laundering.
He is a graduate of Moravian College in Bethlehem, Penn. and holds a law degree from American University in Washington, D.C. Guyton participates in numerous professional conferences around the world and speaks on important issues impacting compliance and ethics professionals.
The length of each session has been expanded from 50 minutes to 75 minutes, providing business students and other participants more time for role playing, case studies, small group discussions and ultimately more real-life information.
Sycamore Sponsors for the conference include Anthem Blue Cross, Patriot Investments and Baker & Daniels. Supporting sponsors are D. K. Andersen, Certified Public Accountant, Markel Corporation, Indiana State University Federal Credit Union and the ISU Foundation. Additional support has been provided by Sackrider & Co.; Flemming, Bates, and Barber Insurance, Inc.; and Svihla & Associates CPAs. Sponsorships for the conference are still being accepted. To inquire about sponsorships, contact Erik Andersen at eandersen@mymail.indstate.edu.
"We appreciate all of the sponsors who have contributed thus far,†Titus said.
Thanks to the support of the sponsors, the conference is free and open to the public with breakfast and lunch included. Participants can find complete details and register online at www.indstate.edu/ethics.
“The conference has proven to be quite popular in the past. We encourage anyone interested in the opportunity to learn more about the important topic of ethics and corporate social responsibility to register early,†Smith said.
2008 ETHICS CONFERENCE COMMITTEE:
Executive Directors:
Racheal Titus, junior accounting major and Networks Scholar, Toledo, Ill.
Robin Smith, junior accounting, financial services major and Networks Scholar, Petersburg.
Directors:
Erik Andersen (finance director), junior insurance and risk management major and Gongaware Scholar, Crown Point
Todd Byram (marketing director), junior insurance and risk management major and Gongaware Scholar, Clinton
Casey Lock (logistics director), junior insurance and risk management major and Networks Scholar, Chrisman, Ill.
Scott Koressel, (programming director), junior insurance and risk management major and Networks Scholar, Evansville
Team Members:
Karrie Pratt, junior marketing and business management major and Networks Scholar, Lawrenceburg
Betsy Bender, junior business management and Spanish major and Networks Scholar, Marshall, Ill.
Bartholomew Robertson, junior business management and Networks Scholar, Depauw
LaShelle Stewart, junior finance and economics major and Networks Scholar, Indianapolis
Kelly Fortner, junior insurance and risk management major and Networks Scholar, Fillmore
Zachary Goodman, junior insurance and risk management major and Networks Scholar, Linton
Kelsey Wilson, junior accounting and financial services major and Networks Scholar, Marshall, Ill.
Jonathan Lough, junior insurance and risk management major and Gongaware Scholar, Fort Wayne
Katie Ladson, junior marketing major and Networks Scholar, Linton
Andrew Pyle, junior accounting and marketing major and Networks Scholar, Vallonia
Coaches:
Livia Scott, director of Networks Professional Development Program, Networks Financial Institute at ISU
Arthur Sherwood, assistant professor of management, ISU College of Business
Priscilla Wolfe, director, Leadership Development Institute, ISU College of Business
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Contacts: Robin Smith, co-executive director, 2008 Ethics Conference Committee, rbishop6@mymail.indstate.edu
Racheal Titus, co-executive director, 2008 Ethics Conference Committee, rtitus1@mymail.indstate.edu
Arthur L. Sherwood, assistant professor of management, ISU College of Business, and senior fellow for leadership development, Networks Financial Institute at Indiana State University, (812) 237-2094 or asherwood@isugw.indstate.edu
Writer: Amanda Bedwell, media relations intern, ISU Communications & Marketing, (812) 237-3773 and abedwell@mymail.indstate.edu