“All organizational values that pertain to questions of right and wrong contribute to the company’s ethical climate: the shared perceptions of what is correct behavior (i.e. content), and how ethical issues will be dealt with (i.e. process)” ( Cullen, Victor, Stephens, 2001 , p. 58). The feel of an organizations environment related to ethics.
Published in Chapter:
Creating a Sustainable Program for Ethics in Student Affairs: A Look at Climate, Assessment, and Curriculum
Christina Van Wingerden (Western Washington University, USA), Maureen Ellis (East Carolina University, USA), and Theodore W. Pratt Jr. (Western Washington University, USA)
Copyright: © 2014
|Pages: 25
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-6046-5.ch077
Abstract
Ethics is an important thread within higher education student affairs. Creating avenues for intentional, sustainable dialogues and consistent education for employees, one Ethics Officer at a four-year public university in the Northwest embarked on understanding the ethical climate to improve how student affairs professionals interact with students. The goal of this mixed-method design study examined the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of its division administrators about ethics, the ethical climate of a university student affairs division, and the design of an ethical training curriculum for division employees. This chapter reviews the current literature about ethics in higher education, organizational ethical climates, industry standards, and gaps in performance, while providing insights and ideas about best practices.