A selection of articles, op-eds, TV segments, and other media featuring Ethics Center staff and programs.
The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics does not advocate for any product, company, or organization. Our engagements are intended to provide training, customized materials, and other resources. The Markkula Center does not offer certifications or seals of approval.
PayPal has agreed to a $30 million settlement with the federal government to resolve claims that the $500 million Economic Opportunity Fund was discriminatory.
The Justice Department’s statement that the PayPal settlement delivered on “President Trump’s vow to root out illegal DEI” highlights the department’s role under Trump as an arm of the White House rather than as an independent agency, as it has traditionally been seen, Skeet said.
However, race- and gender-based inequalities remain in many areas of society and the economy, Skeet said. While some companies are actually stopping diversity work, many are continuing to pursue it but are changing the way they talk about it, Skeet said. Under a Democratic administration, DEI will likely be back on the table openly, she said.
“This really does feel like political theater to some degree,” Skeet said.
Ann Skeet, senior director of leadership ethics, quoted by The Mercury News.
"It is time for the consciences of Catholics and all citizens to examine policies of detention and deportation in light of the demands of love, truth, dignity and justice — and to act."
In their essay for National Catholic Reporter's feature series on Immigration and the Church, Cantú, DeCosse, and O'Neill, remind us that, "Catholic teaching holds that the law of love is foundational for social ethics because it underwrites three universal values — truth, dignity and justice — by which the civil law should be judged."
"We also recognize that the Catholic Church urges obedience to civil law and recognizes the right of the state lawfully to manage its borders. ... But no president or preacher can finally command our conscience — each person is accountable. And when civil law and government practice depart from the law of love, the law or practice must be revised or opposed.
Bishop of San Jose Oscar Cantú, Director of Religious and Catholic Ethics David E. DeCosse, and Director of Immigration Ethics William "Bill" O'Neill, S.J., published by National Catholic Reporter.
The goal is to ensure that as AI accelerates the machine of drug development, we have deliberate mechanisms for human accountability.
AI is now embedded in the critical path of drug discovery, and it is making consequential decisions, and governance structures are not in place to keep up with the speed and scale at which these discoveries are occurring.
Boards may be the last line of defense and should be asking themselves many questions, including, "Has our AI governance framework been reviewed by our scientific advisory board, our ethics committee and our audit committee—or only by the team that built the systems?"
Guadalupe Hayes-Mota, director, bioethics at the Ethics Center and Forbes councils member, published by Forbes.
Dauphin Country receives millions in casino revenue, which funds public gaming grants. These grants are supposed to support programs that benefit the public, yet millions of dollars have still been awarded to private businesses with connections to public officials. Davina Hurt, director of government ethics, speaks to Penn Live about the importance of stricter funding guidelines for this program.
“We want to ensure the system earns and maintains public trust. And currently there are many red flags,” said Davina Hurt
Davina Hurt, director, government ethics, quoted by Penn Live.
Dauphin County receives gaming grants, which are intended to fund projects such as infrastructure upgrades and other initiatives in the public interest. However, recently these funds have been primarily used to support private businesses owned by those connected to those in charge of distributing the funds.
Davina Hurt, director of government ethics, spoke to Penn Live about how mismanagement of these funds can affect the public's perception of these grants. “And once that trust is questioned, even legitimate grants can be viewed with skepticism,” Hurt said.
Davina Hurt, director, government ethics, quoted by Penn Live.
Donald Trump’s weekend on the golf course has sparked another round of questions about how the Trump family is profiting from the presidency.
Trump has largely shrugged off the Saudi government’s alleged human rights abuses in his two terms.
Don Heider, executive director of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics called on Congress to check the president on these potential conflicts.
“Where are the ethics of all the members of the Senate and the House? … Why are they so afraid of political pressure they won’t speak up and tell the truth consistently and hold this president accountable?” Heider said.
Don Heider, executive director, quoted by The Daily Beast, NewsChannel 5 Nashville, and other outlets.
President Trump’s planned 90,000-square-foot, highly secure White House ballroom is an animating focus of his second term and deemed by ethics experts a key example of the administration's pay-to-play behavior.
“President Trump’s approach to ethics seems to be to ask for forgiveness rather than permission,” says Ann Skeet, Ethic Center senior director of leadership ethics.
Ann Skeet, senior director, leadership ethics, quoted by The Christian Science Monitor.
We must immediately and unequivocally renounce any genocidal aims, recognize international humanitarian law and the legitimacy of selective conscientious objection for military personnel, pursue negotiations in good faith, and do all possible to secure a lasting cease-fire.
William "Bill" O'Neill S.J., director, immigration ethics, quoted by America Magazine.
