Academics | Ethical Leadership

Ethical Leadership Program

The Ripon College Ethical Leadership Program is the only Ethical Leadership program in the country that combines academic leadership studies with experiences that help prepare participants to tackle challenging and important ethical decisions that benefit our campus, our community and our lives.

The Ethical Leadership Program at Ripon College asks the question “who do you want to be” and integrates these ideals into “what” a person wants to be by being the catalyst that empowers people to integrate ethical ideals into everything they do.

In other words we talk about having the courage to make decisions that reflect our values and benefit the common good.

We focus on empowering students, faculty, staff and the community to live with a purpose, trusting themselves and respecting others when faced with difficult decisions while being self aware, engaging in holistic academic learning and collaboration around ethical questions, demonstrating integrity at all times even during difficult situations, asking compelling questions with time for reflection and serving the community and the common good.

To read more about the Certification program please browse our Program Guide and additional documents below. If you would like to browse the Scholar forms that must be completed for certification please contact the ELP at blumerl@ripon.edu or (920) 748-8316.

Our Mission

To empower the Ethical Leadership scholars and the Ripon College community to lead with a sense of purpose. As students and community members we endeavor to apply ethical principles from intensive academic study in a collaborative way and demonstrate integrity in every belief and action to better serve the community in pursuit of contributing to the common good.

Our Vision

The Ethical Leadership Program is the premier leader in the study and application of ethical leadership. The program integrates ‘who’ scholars want to be with what they intend to do in the world through the guiding tenants of knowledge, courage, and conduct, all of which focus on improving the common good through ethical decision making.

Our Foundation

The Ripon College Ethical Leadership Program is based on the same philosophical point of view as Ripon College. That point of view is firmly grounded in the philosophical and educational stance of the Western tradition: believing in the inherent dignity and value of the individual, the rights and freedoms that follow from that value and the commitment to justice and integrity needed to realize that value in our lives. That tradition emphasizes firm principles, careful thought and broadly based understanding as essential to ethical integrity.

The Ethical Leadership Program, then, does not require a particular course or a particular thinker. Rather, we bring in business people, lawyers, educators, doctors, clergy, scientists and others and ask them to present a case study of an ethical situation they faced and to explore with us how they resolved it. Similarly, in courses and out-of-class activities, we engage the students in careful analysis and mentored discussions of ethical problems so that they learn to reason their way through the issues giving adequate attention to motive, process and outcome. We do not believe that ethical decisions are made simply on the basis of theory, but are hard decisions requiring expert knowledge as well as good intentions.

The advantages of being an Ethical Leadership Scholar

Program is flexible and compatible with all majors, minors and study-abroad opportunities.
You will be on the ground floor of a unique educational experience — the only one of its kind in the nation.
You will play an active role on campus with practical and purposeful leadership roles.
Ripon College offers certification in Ethical Leadership to reward your undergraduate efforts as well as to encourage your continued education to enrich future personal and professional opportunities.
Access to a network of professionals and alumni that are available for in-depth discussions, questions and conversations about ethics in everyday life.

What is it?

The Ethics Bowl is an annual competition pitting various teams of Ripon students against each other in a debate-style format. They are given various cases to study prior to the event, and on competition day, they must present arguments to a panel of judges and each other. The arguments are judged on the students’ use of ethical discovering and decision making, presentation and the ability to draw out nuances in the cases.

The Ripon College Ethics Bowl Team at the 2013 National Finals

The Ethics Bowl is the culmination of the Ethics Studies Project Team within the ELP where students debate and discuss topics such as medical outsourcing, biofuel, client confidentiality and many other ethical dilemmas. During the previous Ethics Bowl Regional Competition the case studies provided powerful examples of ethical dilemmas faced in our society. The team that wins the Ethics Bowl here in Ripon can move onto regional competition.