Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Utah Newsletter_1024
University of Utah Daniels Fund Ethics Initiatives
Vol 2, Fall 2024
Dear colleagues,
On behalf of the University of Utah Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Team, I would like to thank you for taking the time to read our most recent newsletter. My deepest gratitude goes to our Faculty Fellows, Student Ambassadors, Ethics Club President and members, Utah Business and Community Leaders, and faculty members across the campus, who continue to assist us as we strive to make a collective impact for the last fourteen years. While you read through our newsletter, you will learn about the initiatives’ activities throughout the past year and future programs.
We are deeply grateful to the late and distinguished business leader Bill Daniels, who was truly ahead of his time, Daniels Fund leadership, Hannah Skandera, President, Bo Peretto, Senior Vice President, and Jody Newman. Bill Daniels was a visionary business leader whose compassion for people, unwavering ethics, and integrity earned him respect throughout his life. He grew up during the Great Depression, served his nation as a decorated fighter pilot, and became a driving force in establishing the cable television industry. The Ethics Initiative and each of its components extend beyond philosophy and theory to the real world, practical application of ethical principles, as a framework for personal and organizational decision-making. By applying theory into
practice, offering business ethics courses to our undergraduate and graduate students and Executive Education, presenting lectures to Utah High Schools, Ethics Club Lectures and Presentations, Ethics Initiative Student Ambassadors, faculty Fellows, Ethics in Education Award, Internships, Graduate Capstone Courses, and many other programs, we feel strongly that our initiatives deliver principle-based ethics education and reinforce the value of ethical business and personal conduct.
The University of Utah Daniels Fund Ethics Initiatives and other Collegiate Program partner schools established these straightforward and understandable principles that form the foundation of all activities of the Ethics Initiative — Integrity, Trust, Accountability, Transparency, Fairness, Respect, Rule of Law, and Viability. We would appreciate any feedback regarding this newsletter as we continue to share our future efforts with you.
Thank you,
Abe Bakhsheshy, Ph.D
Initiatives and Principles
The Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business is a resource for principle-based ethics education, serving students, educators, and the business community.
Integrity:
Act with honesty in all situations.
Trust:
Build trust in all stakeholder relationships
Accountability:
Accept responsibility for all decisions.
Transparency:
Maintain open and truthful communications.
Fairness:
Engage in fair competition and create equitable and just relationships.
Respect:
Honor the rights, freedoms, views, and property of others.
Rule of Law:
Comply with the spirit and intent of laws and regulations.
Viability:
Create long-term value for all relevant stakeholders.
Meet the Team
Kurt Dirks
Dean, David Eccles School of Business
Candace Horne
Administrative Manager, Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative, David Eccles School of Business
Daniels Fund Ethics Initiatives Fellows
Colee Pyne, Professor (Lecturer)
Aaron Phillips, Associate Professor (Lecturer)
Jeff Nielsen, Professor (Lecturer)
Alayna Williamson, Associate Professor (Lecturer)
Reyn Gallacher, Assistant Professor (Lecturer)
Kathy Hajeb, Professor (Lecturer)
Sue Sundar, Professor (Lecturer)
Abe Bakhsheshy
Director and Professor, Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative, David Eccles School of Business; Professor, Lecturer of Organizational Behavior
Jason Snyder Professor, Entrepreneurship and Strategy, David Eccles School of Business Daniels Fund Ethics Initiatives Fellows
Bill Hesterly
Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Professor, Dumke
Family Presidential Chair in Strategic Management, Professor and Chair, Entrepreneurship and Strategy
Daniels Fund Student Ambassadors
Diya Rao, Ethics Club President (Psychology)
Divya Sundar, (Biology)
Jack Halbersleben, (Engineering)
Daniel McNally, (Engineering)
Richard Ji, (Biology)
Tommy Hoggan, (Health and Kinesiology)
2024 Events
Dr. Abe Bakhsheshy Honored with Emeritus Status at the University of Utah
Dr. Abe Bakhsheshy, a distinguished professor at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business, has been granted emeritus status, a title recognizing his outstanding contributions to the institution. This honor, effective January 1, 2025, reflects his profound impact on the university’s mission and community.
Dr. Bakhsheshy’s journey began as a student from Iran, with a dream of returning home to improve his country’s conditions through education. However, political unrest claimed the lives of his family in Iran, leading him to stay in Utah and dedicate himself to a career in teaching.
In 2017, Dr. Bakhsheshy was honored as one of Utah’s New Pioneers, a testament to his resilience and dedication. Reflecting on his career, he described it as “an interesting, rewarding, and unique journey.”
The emeritus appointment ensures Bakhsheshy will remain connected to the university, offering him continued opportunities to engage with the academic community through various programs.
Dr. Bakhsheshy’s legacy of excellence and service will undoubtedly continue to inspire students and colleagues alike.
Ethics Week, Mar. 23-25
The Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative sponsored its annual Ethics Week on campus in partnership with the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute and Hinckley Institute of Politics. Students, staff, and faculty participated in several events throughout the week. Activities included an open opinion mic where students could share their feelings and opinions on NIL, a panel of specialists, and a special guest speaker.
Watch the highlight video here.
2024 Events
Ethical Decision Making Speaker Sept. 9
Josh Young, the President of Yesco Signs, gave an insightful talk on ethical decisionmaking in both personal and professional life. Drawing from his experience in real estate and signage, Young shared practical strategies for navigating tough decisions with integrity, accountability, and a commitment to doing what’s right.
He began with an analogy, asking the audience to consider an airplane pilot’s routine. Pilots rely on preflight checklists to ensure safety—a clear metaphor for the importance of having a personal and professional checklist to guide our decisions. Young referenced the Daniels Fund Checklist, a core guide to ethical living, and urged everyone to reflect: “How am I living these principles?” He emphasized the importance of periodically coursecorrecting and seeking improvement.
With his closing remarks, Young reinforced that ethical decisions are the foundation of long-term success, both personally and professionally. By committing to integrity, accountability, and service to others, individuals can create lasting impacts in their communities and businesses.
2024 Graduate Case Competition
Students from the Eccles School participated in the April 2024 Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Graduate Case Competition in Denver. The University of Utah team took first place out of 11 teams from universities all over the United States.
Graduate Team:
Yasmin Abuomar
Davis
2023 Events
2024 Ethics Award Recipients
Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Leadership in Ethics Education Awards for the academic year 2022-2023. These colleagues were chosen on behalf of our faculty and staff for their successful efforts to create new ethics-related courses, integrate new business ethics content into existing courses, mentor students on ethics initiatives, and help make ethics a permanent part of the fabric of the Eccles School and other University of Utah academic programs and curricula.
The following are our Eccles School colleagues who are receiving this year’s Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Leadership in Ethics Education Awards:
• Paul Hu (Operations and Information Systems)
• Harris Sondak (Management)
• Sankar Srinivasan (Operations and Information Systems)
• Sue Sundar (Operations and Information Systems)
• Syd Alavi (Operations and Information Systems)
• Atif Ellahie (Accounting)
• Katie Hoffman-Abby (Vice President, U Career Services)
• Deb Coffey (Entrepreneurship & Strategy)
• David Jeffress (Information Technology Group)
• Kirdy Van Boven (MBA)
• Bryan Brady (AV Specialist)
Each recipient received a monetary award, as well as a plaque and medallion, during the Eccles School Awards Ceremony on May 2. The monetary part of the award reflects the breadth and depth of the contribution to ethics education. I want to thank these individuals for providing wonderful opportunities for students and other educationseekers to learn, discuss, debate, compete, and grow personally and professionally. Congratulations
to these Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Leadership in Ethics Education Award recipients!
What’s Coming for Fall 2024?
Designing Social Media to Encourage Our Ethical Selves
Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024 | 2 p.m. | Robert H. and Katharine B. Garff Building Auditorium
The University of Utah Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative welcomes speaker Ravi Iyer, a former Data Science Manager, Research Manager, and Product Manager at Meta, to discuss improving the societal impact of social media through design. All are invited to attend.
Graduate Case Competition
Students will compete in teams to formulate and pitch ideas and solutions to the given ethical dilemma. The Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Case Competition exposes students to a business ethics dilemma that they might face in their professional careers, helping them to prepare to be ethical leaders in the future.
Students can win $5,000 and the opportunity to present their solutions at the University of Colorado Law School. Flight and accommodation are covered by the Daniels Fund.
The application due date is Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. The competition date is April 2025.
