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April 2 continuing ed workshop to focus on ethics, Penn State scandal

As part of the School’s annual Career Day, a continuing education workshop will be offered for Career Day recruiters and School alumni, on Monday, April 2, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the auditorium. The workshop is free of charge, and the School will provide participants with a certificate documenting completion of two contact hours.

Dr. Kim Strom-Gottfried will present “Are We So Different?: Ethical Action and the Scandal at Penn State.”

In 2011, a grand jury indictment in Pennsylvania sparked outrage over 20 years of individual and institutional failure to detect and act on the systemic abuse of minors. Why didn’t people who heard about or observed heinous acts speak up? When they did speak up, why didn’t anyone take action? Why did investigations fail to lead to meaningful results? The public outcry about these questions is lined to another significant, more personal question, “What if I was one of the observers? Would I have behaved differently?”

This program uses the Penn State/Second Mile scandal to examine the concept of moral courage. What opportunities existed for ethical action? What led to failures to act? How can those lessons be applied to our own lives to strengthen our own families, institutions, and communities?

About the Presenter

Kim Strom-Gottfried, Ph.D., MSW, is the Smith P. Theimann, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Professional Practice at the UNC School of Social Work. She teaches in the areas of direct practice, higher education, and human resource management. Her scholarly interests involve ethics, moral courage, and leadership, and she is active in training, consultation and research on these topics. She has written over 60 articles, monographs and chapters on ethics and practice, and she is the author of Straight Talk about Professional Ethics and The Ethics of Practice with Minors. Strom-Gottfried is also the co-author of the texts The Best of Boards: Sound Governance and Leadership for Nonprofit Organizations and Direct Social Work Practice and Teaching Social Work Values and Ethics: A Curriculum Resource.

To register for this workshop, contact Beth Sauer at (919) 962-6443 or bhsauer@email.unc.edu.