Outreach

We foster debate among members of the community.
Our programs are designed to encourage people from business, social service, government, clergy, law and medicine to engage in an open, thoughtful discussion of the practical application of values. We actively promote the ongoing examination of fundamental problems in ethics and values among practitioners, scholars, researchers and the general public. Nationally recognized experts engage the campus and the community on a wide range of topics. Our inaugural event in March 2004 featured writer and scholar Susan Sontag. A series of programs focused on her work in art appreciation and philosophy and how we view the sufferings of others.

The Center organizes programs designed to inform and advance our understanding of complex social, legal and ethical issues that affect our lives and the lives of others globally. Often, our community outreach programs take place in close collaboration with community and civic groups, such as the major program held at the Washington University School of Law on the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. The Center has brought to St. Louis a wide spectrum of speakers:

Robert Kerrey, former U.S. senator from Nebraska and current president of New School University
Mr. Kerrey gave the Elliot H. Stein Annual Lecture on Ethics, “Finding Truth in a Democratic Society,” a discussion of his work on the 9/11 commission.

Ronald M. Green, philosopher and noted medical ethicist, Professor for the Study of Ethics and Human Values and director of the Ethics Institute at Dartmouth University
Professor Green gave the Daniel Bisno lecture on “The Ethics of Genetic Enhancement,” conducted a program with religious leaders for the Interfaith Partnership of Metropolitan St. Louis and led a series of discussions with students.

Jay Grinney, graduate of the Washington UniversityHealth Administration Program and the John M. Olin School of Business, and president and chief executive officer of HealthSouth Corporation
Mr. Grinney conducted a series of programs on ethical issues in business and gave a major address titled “HealthSouth: Lessons Learned.”

Huston Smith, former Washington University faculty member, and internationally distinguished philosopher and scholar in the history of religion
Mr. Smith shared his insights on spirituality and comparative world religion.

The Center brought together business leaders, lawyers and scholars for a timely discussion of corporate ethics and the Enron scandal. The “John Dubinsky Symposiumon Corporate Governance and Ethics,” featured local and national experts including:

Benjamin F. Edwards III, former chairman and chief executive officer, A. G. Edwards

William Emmons, senior economist, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

John Emshwiller, reporter, Wall Street Journal

Joshua Hochberg, director, Fraud Section, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice

Faculty from the John M. Olin School of Business and the School of Law moderated the program.

John Dubinsky Symposium on Corporate Governance and Ethics

“I thought that this was an impressive group of panelists, with thoughtful, provocative things to say, and the whole issue of trying to deal with what is ethical behavior—not just in corporate life but in regular life as well—is something that we as a society don’t do enough. People in corporate America are always under pressure to put ethics aside in favor of profitability; in performance reviews, you never have a section that says: ‘How ethical were you?’ In the long run, you need to have an ongoing debate about what is ethical. What is the right thing to do? Hopefully, that will make people think: ‘Maybe we shouldn’t do this.’
John Emshwiller, author of 24 Days: How two Wall Street Journal Reporters Uncovered the Lies that Destroyed Faith in Corporate America, and Wall Street Journal reporter

Over the past year, the Center has conducted a number of programs focusing on one of the most difficult ethical issues facing society today: the United States’ participation in embryonic stem cell research. To understand the ways in which people of faith apply religious teaching to modern questions of science and technology, the Center organized a program on the “Religious Perspectives on Stem Cell Research,” in collaboration with the Interfaith Partnership of Metropolitan St. Louis and the University of Missouri–St. Louis. A Jewish rabbi, a Catholic priest, a Muslim scholar, a member of the Christian Science faith, and an evangelical leader in the Protestant faith served as panelists. The religion editor of the St. Louis Post–Dispatch moderated the program.

Religious Perspectives on Stem Cell Research

“This program was one of our region’s best received and most important forums because it demonstrated that we, as a community, can dialogue about issues that are emotionally charged without becoming intolerant or unappreciative of divergent views. Stem cell research is the one issue I have seen in my lifetime that has broad implications for business, the religious community and society as a whole. Everyone I know has an opinion about the topic; that is rare, special and should not be minimized.”
Orvin T. Kimbrough, executive director, Interfaith Partnership of Metropolitan St. Louis

One of the hottest political topics at the state and federal level has been the rising cost of medical malpractice insurance — a situation that has been characterized as a “runaway crisis.” The Center, working with a group of students, organized a comprehensive discussion on this topic. The “Medical Malpractice and Tort Reform: Finding Truth and Common Ground” program included panelists from all the key interest areas:

Joan Bray, Senator, Missouri Legislature, representing state government

Michael Delaney, president and chief executive officer of Healthcare Services Group, representing the insurance industry

Norman Druck, M.D., president, St. Louis Metropolitan Medical Society, representing physicians

Gregg Laiben, M.D., medical director, Primaris, and chair of the Missouri Patient Safety Commission, representing patient interests

Susan Ford Robertson of Ford, Parshall & Baker, LLC, representing defense lawyers

Ken Vuylsteke of Fox & Vuylsteke, LLP, representing plaintiffs’ lawyers

DavidWooster of Mellon Financial Corporation, representing business interests

Bill McClellan St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist moderated the program

Medical Malpractice and Tort Reform: Finding Truth and Common Ground

“This program was conceived of and organized by students from a variety of programs and disciplines at Washington University. Our goal was to bring all of the relevant parties together to discuss the medical malpractice crisis that was, and still is, occurring in our state and in our nation. We held this event shortly before the Missouri government voted on tort reform, so it was a very timely discussion. A large part of the audience was made up of physicians, lawyers and patients who had had experience with the tort system, so they had a personal interest in the problems and compromises being discussed.

I think the Center can achieve fantastic results by sponsoring programs like this one, which bring together the University and greater St. Louis community, promoting important collaborations and conversations and allowing frank discussions of problems, with a goal of finding solutions and compromises.”
Brian C. Miller, Medical Scientist Training Program, School of Medicine, student program organizer

One on the most controversial programs the Center has presented was organized by a group of medical students and undergraduates and involved an in-depth discussion on the teaching of “intelligent design” in public school science classrooms. The program, titled

“Intelligent Design or Evolution: How Did We Get Here?” was held at the St. Louis Science Center. Speaking in support of teaching intelligent design was attorney John Calvert, member of the Intelligent Design Network, and speaking against was scientist Lawrence Krauss from Case Western Reserve University. When the program was announced, numerous messages were received from high school science teachers, University faculty and the general public; some were critical of the Center for conducting such a program. At the event, the Science Center’s largest auditorium was filled with more than 350 people. Al Wiman, Vice President for Public Understanding of Science at the St. Louis Science Center, moderated the debate.

Intelligent Design or Evolution: How Did We Get Here?

“In our society, public presentations on controversial issues such as whether to teach intelligent design alongside evolution in public schools are often one–sided. However, such ‘preaching to the choir’ does not solve the problem, nor does it help to reduce political polarization in our country. We believe the public should be informed of the tenets of all sides of the debate in impartial forums. Our goal is to provide facts, not rhetoric, so that citizens can make informed decisions.”
Nicole Grieselhuber, Medical Scientist Training Program, School of Medicine, student program organizer

“In many areas of science, scientists have the opinion that they don’t need to explain themselves to the general public—that what they stand for is clearly true—and they have lost a lot of ground that way. This program was marvelous because you got to hear the point of view of one man who wanted to get evolution thrown out of education, but you also got to understand the real basic science behind the scientist’s viewpoint. It was an engaging afternoon, and we had a maximum capacity audience—in fact, we had to turn people away. I think people are thirsting for solid knowledge: Where can you go and how can you get it? This was an opportunity for people to interact and get real information.”
Al Wiman, Vice President for Public Understanding of Science, St. Louis Science Center

“What really stood out about this event is that we took two roups that were generally resistant to talking sensibly with each other, brought them to the table to lay out their cases and facilitated interaction between them and the public. To my knowledge, there was no other publicly attended event like this, whose bona fide mission was to provide a forum for both sides to fairly represent themselves, while facilitating reasonable public discussion. What perhaps stood out even more was the fact that the idea of putting on this event, which seems to embody the spirit of academic discourse, was met with vocal resistance.”
David Yuan–Sou Chen, Medical Scientist Training Program, School of Medicine, student program organizer

“The most remarkable quality of this event, in my view, was the strictly nonpartisan stance of the organizers. Too often, discussions of divisive social issues are organized as rallies for one viewpoint, and the information presented amounts to propaganda. It was the express purpose of our group to hold an open discussion for a general audience where both sides could argue their case publicly and be directly challenged by the opposing view. This is especially important when the conflict involves such emotion–provoking subjects as religion and human origins. It is vital to the function of our democracy that we find ways to reach consensus, even during bitter disagreements. The Center’s support for student initiatives of this kind enables innovative thinking to become reality.”
Terrence F. Holekamp, Medical Scientist Training Program, School of Medicine, student program organizer