The Western Michigan University Center for the Study of Ethics in Society creates interdisciplinary opportunities for the University and Community to engage in public reflection about ethical issues.
Fall 2024 events
The Ethics Center is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2024-25! We are happy to announce a special series of events on the theme of A Life Well Lived. Join us and our partners, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI at WMU) and the Kalamazoo Lyceum. RSVP and check out the entire list of events on our linktree. See Second Wave's news article about the series. We will be collecting toiletries and menstrual hygiene products for Essential Needs at all events. You can also make a cash donation.
Check out our regular lecture series. If you missed an event, visit our You Tube channel to catch up, or listen to our podcast, Life Is Better With Ethics.
Registration is open for our book clubs in Fall 2024.
News
The Association for Practical and Professional Ethics, of which the Ethics Center is an institutional member, is partnering with Felician University to hold a series of free online roundtables open to the public starting Oct. 16 with "The Politics of Difference."
The Ethics Center co-sponsored a workshop on journalism ethics with the Public Communication Department of the Universidad de Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, in June. Participants focused on how journalism can orient itself to the common good to promote flourishing in political communities. Listen to a podcast with the keynote speaker.
Paul Pancella, professor of physics at WMU, and Victoria Vuletich, founder of Ethics Squared in Grand Rapids, are stepping down from the Center's Advisory Board and stepping into their new roles as Center Affiliates. Center Affiliates, who are elected by the Center's Advisory Board, participate in the Center’s activities or demonstrate external commitments to promoting ethics in society.
The Ethics Center held a National Science Foundation-funded conference on Feb. 25 in Cincinnati exploring privilege in STEM research and research ethics training in cooperation with the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics. An outcome of the conference is to generate a toolkit of best practices for participants and others to begin to use in training on research ethics that would improve the scientific environment. Participants contributed ideas regarding: strategies for dismantling privilege associated with widely used metrics for success in research; leveraging learning communities for developing allyships and advocating for institutional change; and designing research ethics training modules that center privilege.
Ethics Center Affiliates Dini Metro-Roland (with Dale Brown and Ann Miles) and Ashley Atkins have been awarded National Endowment for the Humanities grants.
Ethics Center advisory board member Kathy Purnell has been appointed to the Kalamazoo Valley Community College Board of Trustees.
A memorial fund has been set up for the Ethics Center's former associate director and co-founder, Dr. Shirley Bach.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT STATEMENT
We would like to recognize that Western Michigan University is located on lands historically occupied by Ojibwe, Odawa, and Bodewadmi nations. Please take a moment to acknowledge and honor this ancestral land of the Three Fires Confederacy, the sacred lands of all indigenous peoples, and their continued presence.