The second annual Ethics Week at MSU, held Feb. 16–20, allowed the campus and surrounding communities to engage in relevant and timely conversations about ethical considerations and decision-making.
Programming expanded this year, with more than 30 events exploring artificial intelligence, leadership, entrepreneurship, law, economics, inclusion, information systems and more. The sessions attracted nearly 1,200 participants in person and online.
Ray Gasser, assistant vice president of Residence Education and Housing Services, attended three sessions throughout the week to deepen his understanding of the ethical challenges shaping higher education and to reinforce his commitment to principled leadership.
“As an assistant vice president, I recognize that the decisions we make influence not only our teams and units, but also the student experience,” Gasser shared. “The workshops offered spaces to step back from the day-to-day and reflect on how ethical principles should guide my decision-making, communication and how I build a team. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to continue to learn and contemplate my own ethics and values.”
The week featured panel discussions, workshops and interactive sessions — all focused on stimulating dialogue, critical thinking and collaboration across disciplines. Events were coordinated by units campuswide, including the Broad College of Business, the Center for Ethical and Socially Responsible Leadership, the College of Arts and Letters, the College of Social Science, the College of Osteopathic Medicine, the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, the Office of the University Ombudsperson, University Health and Wellbeing, MSU Libraries and Army ROTC.
Ethics Week kicked off with a conversation on using AI responsibly in research and creative activities, featuring Wes Fondren, associate provost for AI, academic technology and professional development at Coastal Carolina University.
In the middle of the week, guest speaker Kay Firth-Butterfield addressed many aspects of the beneficial and challenging technical, economic and social changes arising from the use of AI. As the world’s first chief AI ethics officer and member of the Executive Committee at the World Economic Forum leading its AI and Machine Learning platform, Firth-Butterfield is one of the foremost experts in the world on the governance of AI.
To close out the week, students participated in a case competition in which they analyzed a current-day ethical dilemma, and MSU leaders spoke on the impacts and outcomes of ethics and leadership on a university campus. The leadership panel featured President Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Provost Laura Lee McIntyre, Executive Vice President for Administration Vennie Gore, Vice President and Chief Communications Officer Emily Guerrant and Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning Innovation Marcio Oliveira.
They not only touched on how leadership and ethics intersect, but also on how MSU’s mission, vision and values guide institutional decision-making.
“It’s important, particularly in higher education, to engage in critical thinking,” said Provost McIntyre. “And we are here as a community of learners, of curious and engaged scholars, students and community members. And it’s important to not just be in an echo chamber and really invite perspectives that are different from our own, and we can do that because we value academic freedom.”
Additionally, President Guskiewicz spoke on how the development of an Ethics Institute at MSU will weave ethics into our curriculum and research as well as into conversations across campus. Beyond this work, he emphasized how it must be part of everyday discussions and conveyed through the expectations we set.
To learn more about the Ethics Institute, visit ethics.msu.edu
