Aug. 1, 2014
For Immediate Release

By Joan C. McKinney, news and publications coordinator

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. - Campbellsville University will be focusing on ethics this academic year as the Quality Enhancement Plan from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) begins its first year of a five-year plan of action.

The plan, formally called “Find your Compass: Developing a Basis for Ethical Decision Making,” will enrich student learning from the freshman year through the senior year.

“As a Christian university and our mission, ethics is a proper topic for us to explore,” Dr. Joe Early Jr., director of the program, said.

Early, associate professor of theology at CU, said selection of the QEP topic “succinctly fits Campbellsville University's mission to prepare servant leaders who can participate with integrity in a diverse, global society.”

“As a faith-based institution of higher education, the university seeks to foster a learning environment in which students can develop a moral compass, effectively use ethical decision making tools to address personal and professional moral dilemmas and disagree respectfully with those who hold opposing viewpoints.”

Early said baseline data will be gathered in the students' freshman year through a test, called the DIT 2, and it will be measured again in their senior year to gauge growth in ethical thinking.

He said the QEP will be specific to each particular major to allow students to see how ethics are applied and relevant to their chosen field in upper level courses.

Early said there will be speakers on campus who will specialize in ethics and will share their insight and who will aid student development.

He said grants for ethics related events will be available for faculty, staff and student organizations.

Early said, “We at Campbellsville University adhere to Christian principles that promote integrity, honesty, mercy, benevolence, justice, equality, citizenship, fairness and humility.

“We endeavor to impart these principles to our students. As servant-leaders, we serve each other out of love and believe in the value and worth of each person.”

Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 3,600 students offering 63 undergraduate options, 17 master's degrees, five postgraduate areas and eight pre-professional programs. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.