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I have been Executive Director of CESR for two years. I cannot recall a time when I felt as proud of the CESR program as I felt last week. On Friday, we held the 4th annual Business Ethics Case Competition (BECC), generously sponsored by alumnus Tim Borden of Steamboat Springs.

As you might anticipate, the CESR faculty and staff came together in making the event a resounding success. Liz Stapp did an outstanding job in drafting a very challenging case study focused on the ethics of sustainable supply chain management. Sterling Fraser and Casey Conlan, both Leeds undergrads, were extremely helpful in coordinating the event for both judges and competitors.

Much appreciation goes to the judges Beth Cross, Barbara Mowry, Marc Prisant, and Tim Wolf. They were outstanding in asking pointed questions and providing our students with generous encouragement. Lorna Christoff did a masterful job as MC in setting a warm but professional tone. And, of course, none of this would have been possible without the stewardship of Ann Richmond.

While I was grateful the event was seamless, I was most proud of something much more profound. I swelled with pride for how our partnership with the Office of Diversity Affairs (ODA) bore fruit in the competition.

A year ago, Kristi Ryujin, Director of ODA, was a judge for BECC. From that time on, Kristi vowed to convince Diverse Scholars to compete in the next year’s competition. As part of the ongoing partnership between CESR and ODA, she and I agreed to work together to teach Diverse Scholars on how to compete in ethics case competitions. Over the course of several months, Lorna Christoff and Don Oest worked steadily with Diverse Scholars on presentation skills, critical thinking, team work, etc.

Well, all of our efforts culminated in the results of last Friday evening. Diverse Scholars not only competed in the competition, they placed second and third. Sigma Six Consulting won $4,000 and Pathos Consulting won $2,000!  It was so heartwarming to share in their success especially in recalling where we were we a year ago. I think I even saw a tear rolling down Kristi’s cheek!

Congratulations also goes to the CESR Fellows. Representatives of CESR Fellows captured first place and won $6,000! We also express our deep gratitude to Tim Borden for his generosity and continued support of CESR.

More on the BECC and winning teams here