Weber State University hosted the second annual Ethics Day which started Tuesday and will continue with events today.

Development Director Nathan Clark said this is the second year that Ethics Day has taken place at WSU. He said a focus on ethics, is something that the Development Office wanted to bring to WSU’s campus.

In 2009, WSU alumnus Richard Richards started the Richard Richards Institute for Politics, Decency and Ethical Conduct. Clark said one of the main goals of the institute is to promote ethical behavior.

“There are four missions that he (Richards) has,” Clark said. “The top is to teach and inspire ethical leadership. The institute has a board, which decided ‘we need to do something on campus to push that message across.”

Department Chair of the Institute Nancy Haanstad said, as part of Ethics Week, the Development Office encouraged professors to either find a speaker in their field to speak about ethics or for the professor to talk about ethics in their field of expertise.

“This week,” Haanstad said, “several members of faculty will discuss the importance of ethics in their disciplines.”

On Tuesday morning, two local journalists spoke to students in a panel discussion about ethics in journalism.

Scott Schwebke from the Standard Examiner and Jesse Fruhwirth of KRCL’s RadioActive answered questions from students on the issues of ethical journalism.

Schwebke and Fruhwirth fielded questions on reporting on politics

“I’d like to stand here as a really strong advocate for journalism,” Fruhwirth said, “and for independent investigators and for independent voices.”

Last night as part of Ethics Day, a banquet dinner was held in the Shepherd Union Building to honor 19 high school students that received an Ethics Scholarship from the Richard Richards Institute.

Calvin M. Boardman the Bill Daniels Chair of Business Ethics at the University of Utah was the keynote speaker during the banquet. Boardman spoke on the importance of ethical business practices and ethical behavior embraced by business leaders in Utah.

Ethics Week continues today with a speech from Quinn McKay. Mckay is a motivational speaker and corporate consultant. He received an MBA and a DBA from Harvard University. McKay also has held the positions of Dean of Business at WSU and was the Director of the BYU MBA Program.

McKay will provide a free workshop on recognizing and dealing with ethical dilemmas in the workplace. His workshop will take place at noon in the Dumke Legacy Hall, located in the Hurst Center.