Managing selfishness
Written by Steven Schwartz on November 12th, 2008
The police inspector has a problem. Although he knows his two prisoners are guilty, he doesn’t have sufficient evidence to convict either one.
His only hope is to get them to confess, but they refuse to talk. So he separates the prisoners and makes each the following offer: If you and your partner both refuse […]
Higher education: less Gekko, more Gandhi
Written by Steven Schwartz on October 8th, 2008
In a speech to a group of business leaders recently, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd linked the turmoil in global financial markets with the 1987 film Wall Street. In the movie, fictional stockbroker Gordon Gekko makes the following speech:
Greed is right.
Greed works.
Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.
Greed, in all […]
Ethical research: time to take an oath?
Written by Steven Schwartz on July 23rd, 2008
Macquarie University is currently in the midst of a large project to develop an ethical framework for the university.
Thus, it is apposite to note that the University of Toronto is now asking medical researchers to take an oath that says: “I promise never to allow financial gain, competitiveness or ambition to cloud my judgment […]
Faith, hope and … higher education?
Written by Steven Schwartz on July 16th, 2008
World Youth Day is underway in Sydney with more than 100,000 young Catholic pilgrims from Australia and around the world in attendance. It’s a great occasion made even more significant by the visit of Pope Benedict XVI, who will receive a public welcome in Sydney later this week.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Tuesday welcomed the […]
University challenge
Written by Steven Schwartz on April 23rd, 2008
Griffith University in Queensland has been in the news this week.
The Australian newspaper reported that Griffith had asked the Saudi embassy in Australia for a $1.37 million grant for its Islamic Research Unit.
Professor Ian O’Connor, Griffith’s vice-chancellor, has responded to The Australian’s claims on the university’s website, and you can read that here.
I cannot comment […]
University adopts ethics statement
Written by Steven Schwartz on November 6th, 2007
As part of the development of a University-wide code of ethics the Macquarie University Council has approved the adoption of an Ethics Statement. This had previously been considered and amended by Academic Senate, the Staff Consultative Group and the Macquarie community during the past year.
Now the St. James Ethics Centre is to conduct an organisational […]
The idea of a university today
Written by Steven Schwartz on October 30th, 2007
In a recent post I noted that universities have dramatically altered their moral compass in my lifetime. I said universities need to articulate a vision of what they are trying to achieve for society - and to live up to it.
I’m grateful to George Parsons from Macquarie’s Department of Modern History for his reply suggesting […]
Should universities have moral goals?
Written by Steven Schwartz on October 22nd, 2007
As the Australian Federal election campaign hots up those of us with a passion for higher education will be paying close attention to what our politicians are promising for universities.
The major parties all stress the vital role universities play in the national economy.
Kevin Rudd believes education is the “engine room” of the economy, a pathway […]
Ethics: the missing link
Written by Steven Schwartz on October 15th, 2007
Recently I gave a talk to the University Governance and Regulations Forum in Sydney on the topic of Who Runs Universities.
I pointed out that Canberra higher education bureaucrats have produced a set of National Governance Protocols for universities.
The protocols deal with the size of councils, the length of members’ terms, and the number of committees. […]