Hampshire College to Launch Leadership and Ethical Engagement Project

Hampshire College is launching a project focused on ethical engagement and leadership.

The Leadership and Ethical Engagement Project will provide a model for integrating a deliberate focus on ethics within the academics and culture of an educational institution, with a distinctive focus on contributing to the common good.

The Leadership and Ethical Engagement Project will provide courses, paid internships, research support, and other resources for students from all academic disciplines who want to apply critical thinking skills to both problems and values, who want to understand core ethical beliefs that guide their own actions as well as the actions of organizations and institutions, and who want to develop practical leadership skills. 

The Leadership and Ethical Engagement Project will also be a resource for exploring new ideas and models of communities, organizations and institutions that have adopted ethical core operating principles that focus on the common good. 

The Leadership and Ethical Engagement Project is being established by a $2,085,000 grant over five years from SHIFT, a private family foundation dedicated to advancing the culture of common good. The project will include new interdisciplinary academic offerings in applied ethics and practice-based leadership initiatives.

Hampshire will formally launch the Leadership and Ethical Engagement Project on February 12 with a public presentation entitled Ethics and the Common Good: What Kind of World Do You Want to Live In? The interactive public presentation featuring author and Commons activist David Bollier and choreographer, performer, and educator Liz Lerman, will be held on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 4:30 p.m. in Franklin Patterson Hall. The event is open to the public and free of charge.

“At Hampshire College, work in the community and direct engagement in national issues are key components of the learning experience," said President Jonathan Lash. "Hampshire students do not just acquire knowledge, but also use it for the common good. As they learn through putting their ideas into action, they contribute to justice and positive change. The new Leadership and Ethical Engagement Project will support the development of the skills, confidence, and practical experience to become effective change-makers."

The Leadership and Ethical Engagement Project will support faculty and students in all academic disciplines as they examine theories and new models for social and economic institutions, personal actions, and communities that aim to foster the common good.

Hampshire has already opened personnel searches for a new applied ethics professor and a Leadership and Ethical Engagement Project program director. New course offerings will be available as early as fall 2015.

The Leadership and Ethical Engagement Project will also include symposia, speakers, and workshops exploring new ideas related to ethics and the common good.

Hampshire will develop connections and collaborations with innovative organizations that can serve as internship and innovative learning resources.

Hampshire will also initiate learning opportunities and conversations within the Five College community about ways that students across academic disciplines think about and actively contribute to the common good.

More on the Leadership and Ethical Engagement Project »

More on Feb. 12 Public Presentation »

Hampshire College Dean of Curriculum and Assessment Laura Wenk speaks about the Leadership and Ethical Engagement Project on WAMC »