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2014-2015

annual report 2014-2015

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Thank you to our corporate sponsors

AT&T

KPMG

NICOR Gas/AGL Resources Company

Caterpillar

Microsoft

Northwestern Mutual Financial Network

The National Bank & Trust Company of Sycamore

Road Ranger USA

Cover Pictures: (top) UBUS 101 Class – 2014 Fall Semester; (bottom) UBUS 101 Class – 2015 Spring Semester

Experian


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2014-2015

contentsDirector’s Take ........................................................................ 2

BELIEF Week 2014 ............................................................... 3

Eller International Ethics Case Competition ................... 4

LEAD Student Organization ................................................ 5

NIU Ethics Case Competition ............................................. 5

LEAD Discussion Series ...................................................... 6

Video Ethics Competition .................................................... 6

Dr. Pam A. Smith Endowed BELIEF Scholarship .......... 6

Faculty Development Workshop ........................................ 6

UBUS 101—Business and Society Course ..................... 7

BELIEF Budget ....................................................................... 8

BELIEF 2015/16 Goals ......................................................10


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Once again, after a very busy year, I have the opportunity to reflect on what BELIEF has done over the course of the academic year. I am always amazed at what we have accomplished, and every year, the list seems to get longer. The BELIEF Program has grown substantially since I arrived in 2010, and I am proud of every aspect of our growth.

Our approach to ethics education remains unique and continues to be a benchmarking model of excellence. We are leaders in this area due to the strong infrastructure of the

program. Our corporate partners continue to be committed to our mission and are more like a family than a corporate advisory board. The Faculty for Ethics group continues to provide programmatic guidance and innovative ways to enhance what we have in place. Our student group, Leaders in Ethics and Academic Discipline (LEAD), remains dedicated to broadening the message of ethics to those in the College of Business and beyond. BELIEF exists because we recognize our students cannot be properly

prepared for professional employment without the “belt of ethics” around their waists.

As you glance through this annual report, reflect with me on the accomplishments of BELIEF and the direction we are taking. Think long and hard about your commitment to the program and how you can maintain or even increase your commitment. The seeds of success have been sown; all of us must be involved in watering the garden to ensure good yield.

Dr. William C. McCoyDirector, BELIEF Program

Director’s Take

Sowing the seeds of success

Dr. McCoy with OM&IS LEAD student, Marty Barrett


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BELIEF Week 2014

BELIEF Week has always been one of the most engaging events in the College of Business. It allows business professionals to visit the campus, go into the classroom, and talk directly to our students about ethics as it pertains to their discipline. BELIEF Week is the epitome of “the classroom meeting the business world.”

BELIEF Week 2014 was a notable event, with Nicor Gas (an AGL Resources Company) supplying the keynote speaker and hosting a reception afterwards. Ms. Beth Reese, President of Nicor Gas and Vice-President for AGL Resources, served

as the keynote speaker. As an added benefit, Paul Shlanta, Executive Vice-President, General Council, and Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer for AGL Resources, accompanied Ms. Reese along with Becky Meggesin, Vice-President for Talent Management and Labor Relations.

Ms. Meggesin serves on the BELIEF Corporate Advisory Board and served as the moderator of the “fireside chat” forum held during the keynote session. This was a very different approach to the keynote session; yet widely received by faculty, staff, and students. Students were able to ask questions of all three

professionals and absorb the stories offered by Nicor officials. For the first time, students were able to text a question to the speakers, supporting the use of social media and modern technological advancements. This BELIEF Week was unforgettable.

BELIEF Week was in October 2014. Pictured clockwise from top left: Nicor executives with LEAD students; Nicor executives doing a “fireside chat” with the audience; Nicor representatives hosting an informational table; Nicor representative and NIU student enjoying the reception; Nicor executives with LEAD students..

The famous “Nicor Cake.”


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We are a proud participant in the Eller International Ethics Case Competition. Each year, auditions are held to determine who will represent NIU at the event in Tucson, Arizona in October. The 2014 team consisted of Eddy Chan, a senior-level accountancy student who served as the LEAD organization secretary, and his partner, Daniel Moore, a fellow accountancy student in the College of

Business. Matt McLaughlin, a sophomore accountancy student and LEAD member, was the team’s wingman, learning how the tournament operated to compete the following year.

The case, which dealt with corporate inversion, arrived in late September and prompted intense research and consultation. Our corporate advisory board members were extremely helpful, providing the team with professional insight

concerning corporate inversion. With much confidence, the trio arrived in Tucson ready to take the competition by storm.

Although NIU didn’t place, the students walked away having learned about corporate inversion, collaboration, teamwork and NIU’s commitment to ethics education. We are proud to have been represented by Eddy and Dan, and we look forward to placing in future competitions.

Eller International Ethics Case Competition

The Dynamic Trio: Matt McLaughlin, Daniel Moore, and Eddy Chan in Tucson, Arizona.


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NIU Ethics Case Competition

The NIU Ethics Case Competition is one of LEAD’s signature events in the College of Business. Each year, all students in the College of Business are invited to study an ethical dilemma dealing with some aspect of business. Utilizing the BELIEF decision-making framework, students present a solution to the dilemma in front of a panel of judges. Through several rounds of scoring, the top three teams are chosen.

LEAD has also chosen to incorporate a dual-track competition by allowing regional high school students to compete against each other. The high school track continues to grow with many schools bringing multiple classes to compete. The 2015 competition, held in February, was the largest competition ever held, and we look forward to the continued growth of both the high school and college contingency.

3rd Place College Winners—Thomas Pruiett and Gina DeNinno

2nd Place College Winners—Kirsten Feggestad and Anna Borovitskaya

First Place College Winners – Michaela England and Katelyn Houlne

Winning High School – Rockford Christian

The LEAD (Leaders in Ethics and Academic Discipline) student organization is one of the hardest working student groups within the College of Business. Dedicated to relating ethics to the general student body, LEAD hosts several events throughout the year that make a definitive impact in the College of Business.

LEADStudentOrganization


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LEAD Discussion Series

Video Ethics Competition

The LEAD student organization sponsors an annual Discussion Series event for College of Business students. This event invites a business professional to discuss ethics as it

pertains to their particular discipline. This year, LEAD was fortunate to have Tom

Goris as its speaker. Tom is a managing partner for Northwestern Mutual and was able to relate ethics to finance and financial planning. Northwestern Mutual graciously agreed to host a reception after the event to better connect with student attendees. LEAD worked in conjunction with Adam Cox, Managing Director for the Elgin, Lombard, Skokie, and Vernon Hills office of Northwestern Mutual.

Professor Pam Smith and husband Jon Mayer are dedicated to the cause of ethics education. Their commitment to BELIEF has always been evident in their sacrifice of time and talent, but both made the decision to extend their commitment to a sacrifice of treasure. Thus, they created the Dr. Pam A. Smith Endowed BELIEF Scholarship.

This scholarship is awarded to an NIU College of Business student who, among other criteria, embodies the essence of ethics education and good decision-making. Applicants share stories about the impact that ethical decision-making has on their lives,

and reflect on their interest in ethical leadership. The BELIEF Program is proud to have awarded the very first Dr. Pam A. Smith Endowed BELIEF Scholarship to Marilyn Koonce, a Business Management major graduating in May 2016.

It is our pleasure to co-host the NIU/John Deere Video Ethics Competition.

This competition is a unique opportunity to use videos to demonstrate ethics education in a business setting. Creativity is strongly encouraged, and the competition is open to all NIU students regardless of major. All video submissions

are judged by a panel of John Deere employees as well as a panel of NIU faculty, staff and alumni. The top three submissions are awarded a monetary prize (provided by John Deere) and public recognition.

The 2015 awards went to the following:

• 1st Place ($500)— Andzelika Wojnowska

• 2nd Place ($250)—ASCEND Student Organization

• 3rd Place ($100)—LEAD Student Organization

Tom Goris

Marilyn Koonce, Business Management Major, winner of the2015 Dr. Pam A. Smith Endowed BELIEF Scholarship

Andzelika Wojnowska— 2015 Winner of the NIU/John Deere Video Competition

Dr. Pam A. SmithEndowed BELIEF Scholarship

Faculty For Ethics—Faculty Development WorkshopEach spring semester, BELIEF is

tasked with developing and providing a workshop for College of Business faculty members. These workshops generally deal with some aspect of ethics and how to better deliver ethics to our students.

The 2015 workshop session was a bit different from the norm. The Faculty for Ethics (FFE) group decided to invite students into the session for honest and transparent feedback on what students desire to see in a professor. This was one

of the most unique faculty development sessions ever held, as students willingly shared their desires with faculty.

Part of what made the session so unique is that students shared the things professors can and should do to prevent dishonest academic behavior. Professors appreciated the honesty of the students, and learned quite a bit about student perspectives concerning teaching methodologies and curriculum variance.


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UBUS 101—Business and Society CourseIt is always a delight to engage

freshman students during their first semester in college. The college experience is exhilarating for them as they learn to navigate the campus, get involved with various activities, and grapple with balancing studies and free time.

The College of Business hosts a Themed-Learning Community (TLC) course entitled, “Business and Society.”

This course partners with a COMS 100 public speaking course to teach up to 25 freshman students. The two courses intermingle several assignments throughout the semester, thereby helping to create lifelong bonds between the students. During the 2014-15 academic year, we were able to have two TLC courses—one in the fall and one in the spring. This was a first for the College

of Business, and both courses were very successful with some of the best and brightest business students taking the class. The pictures below capture the fall students during their trip to North Park University for the annual Diversity Summit. Leaving the NIU campus at 7:00 am on a Friday seems to have been too early for a few students…

The Ethics competition is an of outreach to our high schools as well as other college students in a very personal and meaningful fashion. I applaud the program for helping us “earn our rep” as a great ethics school in addition to giving students something real to wrestle with.

James M. Johnson, Ph.D.Presidential Teaching ProfessorDepartment of FinanceNorthern Illinois University

excellent means“”


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BELIEF Budget Reconciliation(07/2014 - 06/2015) FY14/15 Budget FY14/15 Actual Difference FY15 Budget

BELIEF Week Signage $150.00 $1,574.00 $(1,424.00) $2,000.00Keynote Speaker 1,000.00 - 1,000.00 -Travel 600.00 - 600.00 -Hotel (Speaker) 225.00 - 225.00 -Transportation (Speaker) 400.00 - 400.00 -Parking - 175.00 (175.00) 400.00Food (Continental Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner) 500.00 60.00 440.18 500.00Advertisement 375.00 - 375.00 - Total $3,250.00 $1,809.00 $1,441.00 $2,900.00 Special Projects BELIEF Scholarship $2,000.00 $1,000.00 $1,000.00 $1,000.00John Deere/NIU Video Ethics Contest 2,000.00 750.00 1,250.00 1,000.00 Total $4,000.00 $1,750.00 $2,250.00 $2,000.00 Printing Annual Reports $1,500.00 $768.00 $732.00 $1,000.00Bookmarks 1,000.00 - 1,000.00 1,000.00 Total $2,500.00 $768.00 $1,732.00 $2,000.00

LEAD Regional Ethics Bowl - $151.00 $(151.00) $2,000.00 Regional Ethics Bowl - 806.00 (806.00) 250.00 End-of-Year Party (Food) - 345.00 (345.00) 250.00 T-Shirts - - 500.00 Total - $1,302.00 $(1,302.00) $3,000.00

NIU Case Competition Food - 4,660.85 $(4,660.85) $6,000.00Prize Monies - 1,750.00 (1,750.00) 1,750.00Pictures - 143.00 (143.00) 150.00Videotaping - 235.00 (235.00) 250.00Parking - 532.00 (532.00) 550.00 Total - $7,320.85 $(7,320.85) $8,700.00 Eller Ethics Case Competition* Travel - - - $2,500.00Hotel - - - 1,250.00Food - - - 250.00Registration Fee - - - 250.00 Total - - - $4,250.00 Milgard Ethics Case Competition* Travel - - - $2,000.00Hotel - - - 1,000.00Food - - - 200.00Registration Fee - - - 200.00 Total - - - $3,400.00


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General Expenses Travel Reimbursement $1,500.00 $2,261.00 $(761.00) $2,000.00Advisory Board Meetings (Food & Parking) 7500.00 124.00 626.00 1,000.00Faculty Development 500.00 - 500.00 750.00Salary (Partial) 42,000.00 41,132.52 867.48 42,000.00P-Card Expenses 3,000.00 9,287.22 (6,287.22) 6,000.00Misc. Expenses 500.00 2,079.00 (1,579.00) 2,000.00 Total $48,250.00 $54,883.74 $(6,633.74) $53,750.00 Total Expenses $58,000.00 $67,833.59 $(9,833.59) $80,000.00 AY14/15 Income Program Income $47,693.00College of Business Contributions 35,878.00 Total Income 83,571.00 Less Expenses (67,834.00) Net Income $15,737.00

AY15/15 Anticipated Income Corporate Contributions $75,000.00 Pam Smith Scholarship 1,000.00 John Deere—Video Comp 1,000.00 LEAD Alum 1,000.00 Regional Ethics Bowl 2,000.00 Net Income $80,000.00

* Budget line items added to better reflect anticipated expenditures for AY 15/16

Northern Illinois University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution. Printed by authority of the State of Illinois. www.niu.edu 47085 3/16

BELIEF Goals for the 2015-16 Year• Help grow the number of corporate partners from 10 to 12

• Develop a minimum of two joint FFE/LEAD activities

• Develop 2015 BELIEF Annual Report by November 30, 2015

• Help LEAD raise $1,000 for their 2015/16 budget

• Explore the opportunity of creating a one-credit-hour course focusing on the preparation for ethics competitions

• Work with Jill Hayes and Jill Perez to manage time of administrative position

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Documents