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Receipt of the Code of Ethics Survey sent to all Residential and randomly selected Adjunct Faculty initiated lively email conversation. Vice-Chancellor of Business Services, Dr. Rufus Glasper, C.P.A. Ph.D., who leads the project, responds to several questions raised in that dialogue.
Involvement of students, faculty and staff, as well as members of our community, governing board, and administration, is being summoned for active participation in the Ethics Initiative. Establishing a Code of Ethics for The Maricopa Community Colleges, however, is not our ultimate goal; even the steps toward developing such a code we believe will benefit Maricopa in a variety of ways.
Some identified desired outcomes, serving to measure the success of the current Ethics Initiative, include:
Leadership at all levels of the organization will set an ethical tone for their respective teams.
A perception of fair treatment of employees and students alike will exist.
Open discussions about ethics and values will be integrated into decision-making.
Leadership:
As the Vice Chancellor for Business Services, one of my key responsibilities is to ensure the financial stability of the district--to focus on taking care of the bottom line. Included in my role are leadership responsibilities that are defined by much more than financial acumen, however. I believe that both ethical behavior as well as professional skill must be exercised in any type of leadership capacity. It is the old adage: Practice what you preach. When leaders (be they faculty, administrators, department chairs, professional staff, or any other type of Maricopan) are perceived to be acting with integrity by employees and students--to care about ethics and values as much as the bottom line--then we will see this organization progressing toward establishing an ethical tone.
Fair Treatment of Employees and Students:
Maricopa will be identified as an ethical organization when we are perceived as an organization that treats everyone--students and employees alike--with fairness.
Ethics in Discussions and Decisions:
The perception that Maricopans at all organizational levels consistently integrate ethical considerations into decision-making; that Maricopans openly discuss ethics and values; and that ethics and values are essential elements of daily operations--that is, Maricopans understanding, identifying, and rewarding ethical behavior--are desired outcomes of this effort.
The recent MEMO discussions about the ethics survey are very encouraging and most appreciated. Additional contributions from faculty and other Maricopans will be actively recruited in the immediate future to assist this Ethics Initiative.
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