Regence to Serve as Title Sponsor of the 2008 Ethics Bowl

Published on Sep 04 2007 in Ethics Bowl, Press Release by

The Oregon Independent College Foundation (OICF) is pleased to announce that Regence, the region’s largest not-for-profit health insurer, has agreed to be the title sponsor of the 2008 Ethics Bowl to be held March 7-8 on the campus of Lewis & Clark College in Portland.

“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