St. Joseph’s University’s Haub School of Business recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Pedro Arrupe Center for Business Ethics (Arrupe Center).
The Arrupe Center is widely recognized for its leadership in the development of theory and guidelines for ethical business practices.
The center awards fellowships to business faculty based upon research, writing, and professional development that affects change in the world of professional ethics. These awards enable professors to carry their knowledge to students during the formative phases of their careers.
It is quite telling that only 17% of respondents to a 2015 Gallup survey, when asked to rate the honesty of business executives, chose the rating of “high” or “very high”. Of these results, Bruce Weinstein PhD, Fortune magazine’s ‘Ethics Guy’, remarked, “You understandably [hire] people who are knowledgeable and skilled… Isn’t it at least as important to hire people who are … honest, accountable, loyal and fair?”
The Haub School was ranked 12th in the country by the Aspen Institute’s 2010 survey of business ethics programs. Associate dean and professor of management Stephen Porth said of the business school’s mission, “We must prepare our students to think differently about the nature and purpose of business and to face the ethical and moral challenges of today’s business environment.”
Named after Pedro Arrupe, a Jesuit priest and doctor of medical ethics, the center’s founding was inspired by the vision of Frank Trainer, a 1968 Haub School graduate, along with Dean Joseph DiAngelo, Jr.
The Pedro Arrupe Center has been described as a “crown jewel” of the Haub School in two separate AACSB accreditation summaries. The center sponsors student competitions, and it has also given rise to the Haub School’s Net Impact chapter, as well as the Arrupe Rising Business Leaders Network.