The OICF Ethics Bowl 2010 Champion, Willamette University. From left: Marta Tarantsey, Rafael Baptista, Tejeswara Reddy, and Angelika Orletsky.

Students from Willamette University defeated Marylhurst University to win the Oregon Independent College Foundation’s 5th Annual Ethics Bowl on February 27, 2010. Willamette, which won the championship in 2007, also competed against strong teams from Linfield College and Concordia University to become the first repeat winner in event history. For the fourth year in a row, Regence BlueCross BlueShield sponsored the Ethics Bowl.

Hosted by University of Portland, the 2010 OICF Ethics Bowl matched student teams from the OICF’s ten member colleges and universities in 5-rounds of case debates over a variety of contemporary ethical dilemmas. Teams of 3-5 students were paired in head-to-head team matches that were judged by panels of distinguished leaders from across Oregon and Washington who listened to team presentations and offered reactions to students. Mohan Nair, EVP & Chief Marketing Executive, Regence BlueCross BlueShield; Merrit Quarum, M.D., Chief Executive Officer, Qmedtrix Systems, Inc.; and Callie Papas, Vice President & Chief Compliance Officer, Schnitzer Steel Industries served as judges for the final debate between Willamette and Marylhurst. A complete list of participating judges is available below.

Students grappled with real-world ethical questions that challenged their thinking on issues such as the use of animals in research, university admissions, coaches’ compensation, and a host of other timely, hot-button issues. A complete list of cases is available upon request.

“The Ethics Bowl allows many of the brightest students from Oregon’s independent colleges to interact with some of the region’s most recognized business and community leaders,” said Mohan Nair, Chair of the OICF Board of Trustees. “The Ethics Bowl is a fabulous event that provides students with the opportunity to have in-depth discussions with leaders that would rarely occur otherwise.”

Members of the winning team from Willamette included: Angelika Orletsky, a senior Economics/Russian major, Marta Tarantsey, a junior French/Rhetoric and Media Studies major, Tejeswara Reddy, a sophomore Economics/Environmental Earth Science major, and Rafael Baptista, a sophomore Politics major. Robert Trapp and Hilary Jones served as faculty advisors for the Willamette University team.

Members of the runner-up team from Marylhurst included: Benjamin Caldwell, a senior Cultural Studies major, Alexander Craghead, a senior Communications major, Erin Clark, a junior Cultural Studies major, and Shauna LaDue, a junior Communications major. Mike Randolph served as the faculty advisor for the Marylhurst University team.

Since 1950, the Oregon Independent College Foundation has served as a fundraising and programmatic consortium of Oregon’s ten leading private colleges and universities. Current OICF priorities include connecting students and alumni with professional workforce development opportunities, increasing diversity on the member campuses, and programs that showcase the colleges’ focus on ethics. OICF members include: Concordia University, George Fox University, Lewis & Clark College, Linfield College, Marylhurst University, Pacific University, Reed College, University of Portland, Warner Pacific College, and Willamette University.

Oregon Independent College Foundation

2010 Ethics Bowl Leadership & Match Judges

Ethics Bowl Leadership

Mohan Nair, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Executive, Regence BlueCross BlueShield (Chair)

Robin Baker, President, George Fox University

Joseph Baumann, Managing Consultant – Institutional Relationships, TIAA-CREF

Richard Liebman, Partner, Barran Liebman LLP

Dennis Rawlinson, Partner, Miller Nash LLP

Shari Scales, Vice President of Advancement, George Fox University

Mark Swenson, Regional Vice President, Bon Appétit Management Company

Mike Van Orman, Senior Vice President, U.S. Bank

Ethics Bowl Judges

Jennifer Allison, Assistant General Counsel and Director of Corporate Compliance, EthicsPoint

Pete Aparico, Investment Manager, Schnitzer West (Moderator)

Herbert Aschkenasy, President, Oregon Freeze Dry

KayLynne Bauman, Project Manager, Witherspoon & Heath (Moderator)

Joseph Baumann, Managing Consultant – Institutional Relationships, TIAA-CREF

George Brown, M.D., President & CEO, Legacy Health System

Roger Busse, President & Chief Operating Officer, Pacific Continental Bank

Drew Corrigan, Partner, KPMG

Don Coulman, Attorney, Invention Law Group, Ltd.

Tyler Cox, Marketing Consumer Analyst, Regence BlueCross BlueShield (Moderator)

Lucerne Currie, Director of Accounting, Electro Scientific Industries, Inc.

Mark Cushing, Attorney, Tonkon Torp LLP

Steve Deacon, Chief Executive Officer, S. D. Deacon Corp.

Tiah DeGrofft, Foundation Administrator, Wildhorse Foundation

Jay Dudley, VP – General Counsel & Corporate Compliance Officer, Portland General Electric

Mark Ganz, President & CEO, Regence BlueCross BlueShield

Fr. Rick Ganz, SJ, Special Counsel to the President, Marylhurst University

Lonnie Iholts, President, Siuslaw Bank

Jerry Ketel, President, Leopold Ketel & Partners

Melissa Mackie, Talent Acquisition and College Relations, Regence BlueCross BlueShield(Moderator)

Cinthia Manuel, Loyalty Program Coordinator, Regence BlueCross BlueShield (Moderator)

Catherine Mater, President, Mater Engineering, Ltd.

Mohan Nair, Executive Vice President, Regence BlueCross BlueShield

Kathy Oliver, Executive Director, Outside In

Callie Papas, Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer, Schnitzer Steel Industries

Michael Paul, Co-Founder, Commercial Asset Preservation

Peggy Privratsky, R.PH, Pharmacy Recruiting Manager, Bi-Mart Corporation

Merrit Quarum, M.D., Chief Executive Officer, Qmedtrix Systems, Inc.

Terry Shanley, CEO, SMART

Michael Sheridan, Vice President – Financial Advisor, Merrill Lynch

Jeff Sponaugle, Chief Technology Officer, Kryptiq Corporation

Mike Van Orman, Senior Vice President, U.S. Bank

Sohrab Vossoughi, Founder and President, ZIBA Design, Inc.

Jodi Walder-Biesanz, Senior Strategic Marketing Manager, Portland Energy Conservation, Inc.

Grant Watkinson, President, Coastwide Laboratories (retired)

Jacqueline Yerby, Assistant Vice President for Ethics and Compliance, Regence BlueCross BlueShield

###

The Ethics Bowl will open with the CEO’s Great Debate on February 26.  Mohan Nair, Chair of the OICF Board of Trustees & Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Executive at Regence BlueCross BlueShield will serve as Moderator of the Great Debate, which will include the following senior executives: Mark Ganz, President & CEO, Regence BlueCross BlueShield; Chandra Brown, Vice President, Oregon Iron Works & President, United Streetcar; Jake Nichol, President/CEO, Leatherman Tool Group; Steve Clark, Publisher/President, Pamplin Media Group; Catherine Mater, President, Mater Engineering & Senior Fellow, Pinchot Institute for Conservation; and Luis Machuca, President/CEO, Kryptiq Corporation.  Student team debates will begin on February 27 at 9:00 AM on the campus of the University of Portland.  The winning team will be announced at approximately 4:30 PM the same day.

The OICF Ethics Bowl matches student teams from the OICF colleges in case study debate over a variety of contemporary and complex ethically-based situations.  “The Ethics Bowl will challenge students and business leaders alike to offer thoughtful solutions to real-world ethical dilemmas,” said Kevin Matheny, OICF President/CEO. “With headlines in the media continuing to reflect poor ethical decision making in today’s society, it’s important to gather Oregon students, business executives and community leaders together to discuss the significance of applied ethics in our lives.”

Teams of three to five students from the 10 OICF colleges will compete head-to-head and be judged be judged by panels of distinguished corporate and community leaders from across the Northwest.  Many prominent leaders from business, law, finance, nonprofit and other fields will listen to team presentation and offer reactions to students.  A team from the University of Portland won last year’s Ethics Bowl and a team from Willamette University was the runner-up.

“In the business world, every day we’re faced with choices that have ethical implications for our customers, our colleagues and the communities we serve,” said Mohan Nair, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Executive, Regence BlueCross BlueShield. “The Ethics Bowl provides an opportunity for business leaders and students to highlight and discuss such issues.”

Title Sponsor for the Ethics Bowl is: Regence BlueCross BlueShield (Portland, Ore).  Presenting Sponsors are: Maybelle Clark Macdonald Fund (Portland, Ore.) and The Wollenberg Foundation (Menlo Park, Cal.).  CEO Sponsor is:  Bon Appétit Management Company (Palo Alto, Cal.).  Managing Partner Sponsor is: the Portland Business Journal (Portland, Ore.).

Since 1950, the Oregon Independent College Foundation has served as a fundraising and programmatic consortium of Oregon’s ten leading private colleges and universities.  Current OICF include connecting priorities include connecting students with professional workforce development opportunities, increasing diversity on the member college campuses, and programs that showcase the colleges’ focus on ethics and leadership development. OICF members include: Concordia University, George Fox University, Lewis & Clark College, Linfield College, Marylhurst University, Pacific University, Reed College, University of Portland, Warner Pacific College and Willamette University.

Oregon Independent College Foundation

2010 Ethics Bowl Schedule of Events

Hosted by University of Portland

Friday, February 26      Leftbank Annex (101 N. Weidler – Portland)

6:00 p.m. Opening Reception

7:30 p.m. Opening Event/Great Debate INTERVIEW/PHOTOS

Saturday, February 27       All events in Franz Hall & & The Commons, University of Portland

7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Judges Orientation #1 & Breakfast

8:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. Opening Plenary Session for Attendees

9:00 a.m. – 10:10 a.m. Round One of Competition

Five concurrent matches of 10 teams

10:10 a.m. – 10:20 a.m. Break INTERVIEW/PHOTOS

10:20 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Round Two of Competition

Five concurrent matches of 10 teams

11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Lunch Break INTERVIEW/PHOTOS

Judges Orientation #2

12:00 p.m. – 12:50 p.m. Lunch Break Continued/Surprise Case Preparation

Each team will receive one surprise case for presentation in Round 3 (i.e., where they will be the initial responding team) and second case for review (i.e., where they will provide a reaction).  Cases will be randomly assigned to each team prior to the Ethics Bowl.  Thus, when the surprise cases are handed out, each team will clearly know their roles for Round 3.

11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. Judges Orientation #2 & Lunch

12:50 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Round Three of Competition

Surprise Cases – Five concurrent matches of 10 teams

2:00 p.m. – 2:10 p.m. Break INTERVIEW/PHOTOS

2:10 p.m. – 3:20 p.m. Round Four of Competition

Five concurrent matches of 10 teams

3:20 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Break INTERVIEW/PHOTOS

3:30 p.m. – 4:40 p.m. Final Round of Competition

Top two teams from Rounds 1-4. Finalists will be determined using two criteria:

1)    The respective number of “wins and losses” (based on point totals) in Rounds 1-4.

2)    The cumulative number of scoring points that each team has earned in Rounds 1-4.

4:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Awards and Closing Remarks

5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Post event reception & Team Recognition        INTERVIEW/PHOTOS

Oregon Independent College Foundation

2010 Ethics Bowl Leadership & Match Judges & Moderators (as of January 28, 2010)

Ethics Bowl Leadership

Mohan Nair, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Executive, Regence BlueCross BlueShield (Chair)

Robin Baker, President, George Fox University

Joseph Baumann, Managing Consultant – Institutional Relationships, TIAA-CREF

Richard F. Liebman, Partner, Barran Liebman LLP

Dennis Rawlinson, Partner, Miller Nash LLP

Shari Scales, Vice President of Advancement, George Fox University

Mark Swenson, Regional Vice President, Bon Appétit Management Company

Mike Van Orman, Vice President, U.S. Bank of Oregon

Ethics Bowl Judges

Jennifer Allison, Assistant General Counsel and Director of Corporate Compliance, EthicsPoint

Peter Aparico, Investment Manager, Schnitzer West (Moderator)

Herbert Aschkenasy, President, Oregon Freeze Dry

KayLynne Bauman, Project Manager, Witherspoon & Heath (Moderator)

Joseph Baumann, Managing Consultant – Institutional Relationships, TIAA-CREF

George Brown, M.D., President & CEO, Legacy Health System

Roger Busse, President & Chief Operating Officer, Pacific Continental Bank

Don Coulman, Attorney, Invention Law Group P.C.

Tyler Cox, Marketing Consumer Analyst, Regence BlueCross BlueShield (Moderator)

Lucerne Currie, Director of Accounting, Electro Scientific Industries, Inc.

Mark Cushing, Attorney, Tonkon Torp LLP

Steve Deacon. Chief Executive Officer, S. D. Deacon Corp.

Tiah DeGrofft, Foundation Administrator, Wildhorse Foundation

Jay Dudley, VP, General Counsel & Corporate Compliance Officer, Portland General Electric

Fr. Rick Ganz, SJ, Jesuit of the Oregon Province, Special Counsel to the President, Marylhurst University

Lonnie Iholts, President, Siuslaw Bank

Jerry Ketel, President, Leopold Ketel & Partners

Nick Konidaris, President & CEO, Electro Scientific Industries, Inc.

Melissa Mackie, Talent Acquisition and College Relations, Regence BlueCross BlueShield (Moderator)

Cinthia Manuel, Loyalty Program Manager, Regence BlueCross BlueShield (Moderator)

Mohan Nair, Executive Vice President, Regence BlueCross BlueShield

Kathy Oliver, Executive Director, Outside In

Callie Papas, Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer, Schnitzer Steel Industries

Michael Paul, Co-Founder, Commercial Asset Preservation

Peggy Privratsky, Pharmacy Recruiting Manager, Bi-Mart

Terry Shanley, CEO, SMART

Jeff Sponaugle, Chief Technology Officer, Kryptiq Corporation

Jodi Walder-Biesanz, Senior Strategic Marketing Manager, Portland Energy Conservation, Inc.

Jacqueline Yerby, Assistant Vice President for Ethics and Compliance, Regence BlueCross BlueShield

###

Students from the University of Portland defeated Willamette University to win the 4th Annual Ethics Bowl of the Oregon Independent College Foundation (OICF) on February 28, 2009. Strong teams from Warner Pacific College and defending champion Concordia University were also top contenders.

Hosted by Marylhurst University, the 2009 OICF Ethics Bowl matched student teams from the OICF’s ten member colleges and universities in 5-rounds of case debates over a variety of contemporary ethical dilemmas. Teams of 3-5 students were paired in head-to-head team matches that were judged by panels of distinguished leaders from across Oregon and Washington who listened to team presentations and offered reactions to students. Mohan Nair, EVP & Chief Marketing Executive, The Regence Group; Christopher Folkestad, Executive Director, Maybelle Clark Macondald Fund; and Kathy Oliver, Executive Director, Outside In, served as judges for the final debate between University of Portland and Willamette. A complete list of participating judges is attached.

Students grappled with real-world ethical questions that challenged their thinking on issues such as social networking rights, frozen embryos, presidential pardons, mental health concerns, and a host of other timely, hot-button issues.  A complete list of cases is available upon request.

“The Ethics Bowl allows many of the brightest students from Oregon’s dynamic independent college sector to work with some of the region’s most recognized business and community personalities,” said Mohan Nair, Chair of the OICF Ethics & Leadership Program Committee. “Students are able to have in-depth discussions with business leaders that would rarely occur otherwise. The Ethics Bowl format provides a wonderful opportunity for students from the ten OICF colleges to apply decision-making skills they have developed through their coursework,”

Since 1950, the Oregon Independent College Foundation has served as a fundraising and programmatic consortium of Oregon’s ten leading private colleges and universities. Current OICF priorities include connecting students with internship and employment opportunities, increasing diversity on the member campuses, and programs that showcase the colleges’ focus on ethics. OICF members include: Concordia University, George Fox University, Lewis & Clark College, Linfield College, Marylhurst University, Pacific University, Reed College, University of Portland, Warner Pacific College, and Willamette University.

Contact:
Kevin Matheny
President/CEO
503-496-3420
kevin@oicf.org

What to do with frozen embryos that have no immediate plans for in vitro fertilization? Should government agencies create ethical guidelines for the nation’s banks to consider as they do business? Do those who use social networking sites deliberately surrender their privacy? What ethical responsibility do publications have to inform readers that they include stories written for compensation?

These are just a sampling of ethical dilemmas that more than 50 students from the 10 member colleges and universities of the Oregon Independent College Foundation will debate during the OICF’s 4th Annual Ethics Bowl program on February 27-28, 2009. Marylhurst University will host the event. A complete schedule of events is attached.

The OICF Ethics Bowl is a unique initiative that matches student teams from the OICF colleges in case study debate over a variety of contemporary and complex ethically-based situations. “The Ethics Bowl will challenge students and business leaders alike to offer thoughtful solutions to real-world ethical dilemmas,” said Kevin Matheny, OICF President/CEO. “With headlines in the media continuing to reflect poor ethical decision-making in today’s society, I can think of nothing more important than gathering Oregon students, business executives and community leaders together to discuss the importance of applied ethics in all aspects of our lives.”

Teams of three to five students from the 10 OICF colleges will compete head-to-head and be judged by panels of distinguished corporate and community leaders from across the Northwest. Many prominent leaders from business, law, finance, nonprofit and other fields will listen to team presentation and offer reactions to students. A complete list of current judges is attached.

Ethics Bowl Program of Events

The Ethics Bowl program will commence with an opening gala and Great Debate on February 27 in the Dolores Winningstad Theatre at The Portland Center for Performing Arts.

OICF Ethics & Leadership Committees & Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Executive at The Regence Group will serve as Moderator of the Great Debate, which will include the following senior executives: Mark Ganz, President & CEO, The Regence Group, Christopher Folkestad, Executive Director, Maybelle Clark Macdonald Fund, Judy Peppler, President – Oregon, Qwest Communications, David Childers, CEO & President, EthicsPoint, Inc.,  Eric Friedenwald-Fishman, Creative Director/President, The Metropolitan Group, Craig Wessel, Publisher, Portland Business Journal, George Brown, M.D., President & CEO, Legacy Health System, and Randy Drake, Senior Vice President for Fitness & Business Development, 24-Hour Fitness. Student team debates will begin on February 28 at 9:00 AM on the campus of Marylhurst University. The winning team will be announced at approximately 4:30 PM the same day.

Mohan Nair, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Executive, The Regence Group will serve as the 2009 Ethics Bowl event chair. Summa Cum Laude (Title) Sponsor for the Ethics Bowl is: The Regence Group (Portland, Ore). Cum Laude (Presenting) Sponsors are: Maybelle Clark Macdonald Fund (Portland, Ore.) and The Wollenberg Foundation (Menlo Park, Cal.). CEO Sponsor is:  Bon Appétit Management Company (Palo Alto, Cal.). Managing Partner Sponsors are: 24-Hour Fitness (San Ramon, Cal.) and the Portland Business Journal (Portland, Ore.).

“The Ethics Bowl is a unique forum that allows some of Oregon’s brightest students to work with many of the state’s most recognized business and community personalities,” said Mohan Nair, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Executive, The Regence Group “Students will present their views on issues that seem to regularly make the news, including business and politics, and other timely issues.”

A five-student team from Concordia University won the OICF’s 3rd Ethics Bowl in March 2008. A team from Willamette University was the runner-up.

Since 1950, the Oregon Independent College Foundation has served as a fundraising and programmatic consortium of Oregon’s ten leading private colleges and universities. Current OICF priorities include connecting students with full and part-time employment as well as professional internship opportunities, increasing diversity on the member college campuses, and programs that showcase the colleges’ focus on ethics and leadership development. OICF members include: Concordia University, George Fox University, Lewis & Clark College, Linfield College, Marylhurst University, Pacific University, Reed College, University of Portland, Warner Pacific College and Willamette University.

2009 Ethics Bowl Leadership & Match Judges & Moderators (as of February 16, 2009)

Ethics Bowl Leadership

• Mohan Nair, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Executive, The Regence Group (Chair)
• Robin Baker, President, George Fox University
• Gillian Floren, Vice President, Marketing and Business Retention, Greenlight Greater Portland
• Robert Hirshon, Wein Charitable Trust
• Dennis Rawlinson, Partner, Miller Nash LLP
• Mark Swenson, Regional Vice President, Bon Appétit Management Company
• Mike Van Orman, Vice President, U.S. Bank of Oregon

Ethics Bowl Judges

• Herbert Aschkenasy, President, Oregon Freeze Dry
• George Brown, M.D., President & CEO, Legacy Health System
• Roger Busse, President & COO, Pacific Continental Bank
• David Childers, CEO & President, EthicsPoint, Inc.
• Drew Corrigan, Partner, KPMG
• Don Coulman, Patent Attorney, Invention Law Group
• Sam Currie, District Manager, Bon Appétit Management Company
• Britt Davis, Director of Development, Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University
• (Moderator)
• Randy Drake, Senior Vice President – Fitness & Business Development, 24-Hour Fitness
• Jay Dudley, VP, General Counsel & Corporate Compliance Officer, Portland General Electric
• Christopher Folkestad, CPA, Executive Director, Maybelle Clark Macdonald Fund
• Fr. Rick Ganz, SJ, Jesuit of the Oregon Province, Visiting Scholar at the MJ Murdock Charitable Trust
• Lonnie Iholts, President, Siuslaw Bank
• Benita Joseph, Oregon District HR Manager, United Parcel Service (Moderator)
• Jerry Ketel, President, Leopold Ketel & Partners
• Melissa Mackie, College Relations Lead, The Regence Group (Moderator)
• Mignon Mazique, Executive Counselor, MercyCorps
• Robert McKean, President & CEO, Albina Community Bank
• Mohan Nair, EVP & Chief Marketing Executive, The Regence Group
• John Nolting, Senior Vice President, KeyBank
• Kathy Oliver, Executive Director, Outside In
• Judy Peppler, President – Oregon, Qwest Communications
• Nelson Pratt, Vice President, Brand Marketing, The Regence Group
• Bruce Rubin, Partner, Miller Nash LLP
• Terry Shanley, CEO, SMART
• Robert Sznewajs, President & CEO, West Coast Bancorp
• Mike Van Orman, Vice President, U.S. Bank
• Jodi Walder-Biesanz, Marketing & Communications Director, ESCO Corp.
• Grant Watkinson, President, Coastwide Laboratories
• Jacqueline Yerby, Assistant Director – Ethics & Compliance, The Regence Group

Contact:
Kevin Matheny
President/CEO
503-496-3420
kevin@oicf.org

Hosted by Lewis & Clark College, the 2008 OICF Ethics Bowl matched student teams from the OICF’s ten member colleges and universities in 5-rounds of case debates over a variety of contemporary ethical dilemmas. Teams of 3-5 students were paired in head-to-head team matches that were judged by panels of distinguished leaders from across the region who listened to team presentations and offered reactions to students. Mohan Nair, EVP & Chief Marketing Executive, The Regence Group; Sandra McDonough, President & CEO, Portland Business Alliance; and Christopher Folkestad, Executive Director, Maybelle Clark Macdonald Fund, served as judges for the final debate between Concordia and Willamette.

Students grappled with real-world ethical questions that challenged their thinking on issues such as: is teaching to the test unethical or an effective way to ensure that school children are properly prepared with important facts that will help them in their academic careers and future life? Is it ethical to hold community voting in faith–based facilities (i.e., churches and schools)? Is it ethical for cell phone companies to offer a service to parents where they can track the location of their children at any given time? These were just a sampling of ethical dilemmas posed to more than 50 students.

“The Ethics Bowl allows many of Oregon’s brightest students to work with some of the region’s most respected business and community leaders,” said Mohan Nair, EVP & Chief Marketing Executive, The Regence Group and Chair of the OICF’s Ethics and Leadership Program Committee. “The Ethics Bowl is a fabulous event for Oregon’s ten leading private college and university students. Students are able to have in-depth discussions with business leaders that would rarely occur otherwise.”

Contact:
Kevin Matheny
President/CEO
503-496-3420
kevin@oicf.org

The debate will take place during the Ethics Bowl Dinner Friday night March 7th, and will involve a team of OICF Ethics Bowl Sponsors and judges debating a team of Oregon Ethics in Business winners and nominees.

“Our goal is to provide a fun-filled yet meaningful exchange that highlights the best of what the two organizations are seeking to accomplish,” said Matheny.  “The event will feature the recognition of ethical business leaders and practices in Oregon.”

OICF team members include: John Emrick, Former CEO and Chairman, Norm Thompson Outfitters, Christopher Folkestad, Executive Director, Maybelle Clark Macdonald Fund, Mark Ganz, President and CEO, the Regence Group and Sandra McDonough, President and CEO, Portland Business Alliance.

Oregon Ethics In Business team members currently include: Steve Deacon, CEO, SD Deacon Corporation, David Evans, CEO, David Evans & Associates, and Patti Moss, CEO, Cascade Bancorp.

“The OICF Ethics Bowl is an academic competition designed to increase awareness among the students from the foundation’s ten member colleges and area businesses and community leaders about the importance of ethics in leadership, decision making, interpersonal relations, and all aspects of life,” said Matheny.

Using the “College Bowl” model of academic competition between teams of students, the Ethics Bowl offers a distinctive platform that matches student teams from the ten OICF member colleges in debates over case studies that address a variety of contemporary ethics-based dilemmas.  Over 50 business executives and community leaders serve as judges and evaluate team discussions, truly connecting the classroom with the boardroom during the two-day event.

Teams of three to five students will represent each OICF college and university.  The students are full-time undergraduates and may come from any academic program.  Teams are being selected at the discretion of each OICF member institution.  OICF members include:  Concordia University, George Fox University, Lewis & Clark College, Linfield College, Marylhurst University, Pacific University, Reed College, University of Portland, Warner Pacific College and Willamette University.

Title sponsor for the 2008 Ethics Bowl is Regence, the region’s largest not-for-profit health insurer.

Contact:
Kevin Matheny
President/CEO
503-496-3420
kevin@oicf.org

“Our commitment to ethics is the cornerstone of our company’s operating principles, said Mohan Nair, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Executive for Regence. “We believe that ethics is a key to our success as an organization, one that is more strongly positioned to serve our employees, our members and our communities. Regence is proud to support the OICF Ethics Bowl series.”

The Ethics Bowl provides a unique opportunity for business and community leaders, students, and faculty alike to openly discuss real world ethical issues and dilemmas; critically important dialogue as these young people become the next generation of community leaders.

The OICF Ethics Bowl is an academic competition designed to increase awareness and discourse among students from the OICF’s 10-member colleges and area business and community leaders about the importance of ethics in leadership, decision-making, interpersonal relations, and all aspects of life.

Using the “college bowl” model of academic competition between teams of students, the Ethics Bowl offers a distinctive platform that matches student teams from the ten OICF member colleges in debates over case studies that address a variety of contemporary ethics-based dilemmas. Approximately 50 business executives and community leaders serve as judges and evaluate team arguments, truly connecting the classroom with the boardroom.

“We are delighted to welcome a wonderful partner in Regence that epitomizes ethics and leadership at the highest level, “said Brent Wilder, OICF’s interim President. “Meaningful investment in programs that encourage discourse about ethics, leadership, and personal character aligns with the priorities of the OICF and the member colleges, and will provide substantial opportunities for thoughtful young people from the colleges to interact with top business and community leaders from across the region.”

Teams of students will deliberate a variety of case studies that focus on a variety of “real world” ethical dilemmas—business, public policy, personal decisions, etc.—that will challenge team analysis and decision-making skills.

The Ethics Bowl is more than a “day away from the office” or “time out of the classroom,” it’s a rare opportunity for substantial dialogue between the leaders of today and the leaders of tomorrow.

Profile of Student Teams

Teams of 3-5 students will represent each OICF college and university in the Ethics Bowl. Students must be enrolled as full-time undergraduates and may come from any academic program. Teams will be selected at the discretion of each OICF member institution. A faculty member will prepare and coach each student team.  OICF members include: Concordia University, George Fox University, Lewis & Clark College, Linfield College Marylhurst University, Pacific University, Reed College, University of Portland, Warner Pacific College, and Willamette University.

Ethics Bowl match procedures

A total of 10 student teams will compete in the OICF Ethics Bowl. There will be a moderator and three judges in each match. In a given match, “Team A” will respond to questions based on a case study. “Team B” will have the opportunity to add to, adapt, or reject the response of “Team A.” In like fashion, “Team B” will respond to questions about a second case and “Team A” will reply. Judges will ask questions to each team following their presentations and use specific scoring criteria. Teams will be randomly matched. All 10 teams will participate in four rounds of matches. The two teams with the best “win-loss” records and highest number of judges’ points will move on to the final round. Teams from Marylhurst University and Willamette University were finalists in 2007, with Willamette being crowned as OICF Ethics Bowl champions.

Contact:
Kevin Matheny
President/CEO
503-496-3420
kevin@oicf.org