Center holds major conference October 13, 2004.
The Center hosted its first annual conference on October 13th: Achieving Responsible Leadership and Governance: Meeting the Challenge for Change. Keynote speakers included John J. Brennan, Chairman and CEO of the Vanguard Group Mutual Funds and General (Ret.) Anthony Zinni, former Chief of U.S. Central Command, Special Envoy for the Middle East Peace Negotiations, and co-author of the bestseller, Battle Ready. The conference also featured experts in leadership, corporate responsibility, and governance from Johnson & Johnson, the Aspen Institute, the NYC Leadership Academy, and Tyco. The Center also held its second Advisory Council meeting in conjunction with the conference. A summary of the conference and presentations at the Advisory Council meeting are available here.

Center supports service learning initiatives.
For the second year in a row, the Center is supporting the Sophomore Service Learning Community, which brings students together in a unique living and learning experience designed to expand their understanding of issues surrounding leadership and service. The Center also sponsored a service learning trip during fall break to Ayacucho, Peru through which business and non-business students engaged in community service and learned about and contributed to a micro-enterprise project which supports the development and marketing of weaving and other textiles. The students reported their experience at a presentation, November 5. For more information, contact Jackie Johns at jaclyn.johns@villanova.edu.

Center welcomes visiting fellow.
The Center is hosting H.P. (Howard) Viney, its first visiting fellow. Viney comes to the Center from Open University, U.K., where he teaches and does research on strategic management, with particular interest in organizations operating in recently privatized or newly competitive environments. Viney spent the fall semester, 2004 at Villanova under funding from the Leverhulme Trust. Howard will be conducting research on the strategic options of U.S. utility companies facing increasingly deregulated, competitive markets.

Center director speaks at AACSB-International Ethics conference.
Center Director Jonathan Doh spoke at the first Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB-International) conference on Teaching Business Ethics, held at the University of Colorado, Boulder, July 21-23, 2004. Doh presented on "Developing and Using Experiential Exercises to Reinforce Themes in Global Corporate Responsibility." The conference is an initiative of AACSB's Ethics Education Task Force and Ethics Resource Center. AACSB, which is the global accrediting body for business schools, recently revised its ethics requirements to include eligibility criteria, interaction among participants, and assurance of learning. This conference, co-sponsored by AACSB, UC-Boulder, and Colorado State University, drew more than 200 attendees. For more on AACCB's Ethics Task Froce and Resource Center, click here. To view Jonathan Doh's presentation, click here.

Center-supported students place 2nd in national business ethics competition.
A team of five Villanova students competed in the "Business Ethics Fortnight" case competition held at Loyola Marymount University on April 23 and 24, 2004. Of the 17 schools competing in the the event, four schools made it to the finals, including Villanova. The VU team tied with NYU and Loyola Marymount for second place overall. In addition, the Villanova team tied with LMU for first place in the "best business-like presentation" category. The team presented an integrated case analysis of the issue of pharmaceutical research and development in India. The team was comprised of Arts and Sciences students Kristen Carey, Meghan Snow, and Kathryn Rutigliano, and C&F students: Samir Chheda and Daniel Peterson. This was the first time a Villanova team participated in the competition and was made possible by a grant from the Center.

Center advisory council holds first meeting; charts strategy for future.
The Center Advisory Council met on April 21, 2004 to discuss the Center's overall strategy and specific projects. To download presentations made at the meeting, click here.

David Bornstein, author of "How to Change the World," presents March 24, 2004.
David Bornstein, author of "How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas," spoke to the Villanova community on March 24, 2004 at 12:30pm in Bartley 1011. David's new book tells the compelling stories of people around the globe who are solving many of the world's most intractable problems through social innovation and entrepreneurship. Nelson Mandela called the book "wonderfully hopeful and enlightening---The stories of these social entrepreneurs will inspire people to build a better world." The presentation wsa sponsored by the Center, the C&F Ethics and Social Responsibility Committee, Net Impact, the Entrepreneurial Society, and the Center for Peace and Justice Education. For more information, click on http://www.howtochangetheworld.org/.

Center announces Research Excellence Awards; March 19 Seminar.
Ten Villanova faculty who contributed to seven research papers have been honored for research excellence in the area of responsible leadership and governance after a review of papers submitted to the Center's first annual research excellence working paper series. Nine papers were submitted for review, five of which were chosen as outstanding examples of research in values-based leadership, ethical decision-making, and stakeholder relations. An additional two were acknowledged as "honorable mentions." Authors presented their findings at the Center's first annual research forum March 19, 2004. For additional information and to view summaries of the research papers, click here.

Villanova MBAs compete in Leeds/Net Impact Case Competition February 27/28.
A team of four Villanova MBA students were among 20 teams from across the country competing February 27 and 28 at the annual Leeds/Net Impact International Case Competition at the University of Colorado, Boulder. The competition focuses on the relationship between business decisions and societal impact. Participating teams, who come from top MBA programs such Harvard, Wharton, and Michigan, compete to advocate the best solution to the case in terms of both profitability and sustainability. The Villanova team, partially supported by the Center, was the first to represent the University at this competition. Originally founded as Students for Responsible Business in 1993, Net Impact is a network of emerging business leaders committed to using the power of business to create a better world. Through its central office and over 80 chapters worldwide, it offers programs to help members broaden business education, refine leadership skills, and pursue professional goals while building their network.

Center Director briefs Villanova Board of Trustees.
On Tuesday, December 9, 2003, Center Director Jonathan Doh briefed Villanova's Board of Trustees on the new Center, its early successes, and priorities for the future. To see a copy of the presentation slides, click here.

Tyco's Eric Pillmore presents on "Restoring Trust: the Ethics of Governance."
On Tuesday, December 9, 2003, Eric M. Pillmore, Senior Vice President of Corporate Governance at Tyco, spoke on "Restoring Trust: Ethical Issues in Corporate Governance." Mr. Pillmore joined Tyco in 2002 as part of a new management team to help restore confidence in the Company with employees, suppliers, customers and the financial community; enhance and strengthen the core businesses; ensure that the highest standards of ethics and corporate governance are in place; and create value for shareholders.

Center open house and reception held November 14, 2003.
On November 14, the one-year anniversary of the inauguration of the Fred J. Springer Chair in Business Leadership, the Center held an open house and reception for the Villanova Community. Villanova President Father Edmund Dobbin, C&F Dean Steve Stumpf, Center Advisory Council Chair Herb Aspbury, and Center Director Jonathan Doh all spoke on the importance of responsible leadership and governance in the current business climate, and provided a vision for the Center, the College of Commerce & Finance, and Villanova.