markkula center for applied ethics

markkula center for applied ethics at Santa Clara University

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ethics for the real World A message from the executive director

All of us face ethical challenges in our professional and personal lives, but how we can address these

ever-changing dilemmas with integrity isn’t always certain. Who could have imagined, when the Markkula

Center for Applied Ethics was founded in 1986, that we would be debating gene patenting, Internet privacy,

and how an organization maintains its ethical values in a global economy?

The Center identifies areas where ethics are anything but clear and develops strategies to help people

make competent, conscientious, and compassionate decisions. Located in Silicon Valley—a global hub

for innovation, entrepreneurship, and cutting-edge technologies—the Center is an international leader

among ethics centers.

In the following pages, you will learn how the Center affects our region and our world. From working directly

with Silicon Valley business leaders to helping more than 2.2 million Web users solve ethical dilemmas each

year, the Center is fostering a more ethical planet.

In pursuing its goals, the Center advances Santa Clara University’s Jesuit Catholic values. The work we are

doing today ultimately is about educating leaders who will build a more just, humane, and sustainable world.

I encourage you to join the many generous supporters throughout our region and across the globe who

have helped make the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics one of the premier ethics centers in the world.

Your support can help us build a more ethical future, as we strive to reach more people, deepen the

world’s understanding of ethics, and find solutions to ethical dilemmas. Together I know we can shape

a more ethical world.

Sincerely,

Kirk O. Hanson

Executive Director

“Who could have imagined, when the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics was founded in 1986, that we would be debating gene patenting, Internet privacy, and how an organization maintains its ethical values in a global economy?”

Markkula Center for Applied Ethics | 1

“Who could have imagined, when the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics was founded in 1986, that we would be debating gene patenting, Internet privacy, and how an organization maintains its ethical values in a global economy?”

Kirk O. Hanson, the executive director of the Ethics Center and the holder of the

John Courtney Murray, S.J., University Professorship of Social Ethics

Linda and Mike Markkula became the first and most

dedicated supporters of the Ethics Center in 1986

when their daughter, Kristi Markkula Bowers ’90,

MBA ’97, was a student at Santa Clara.

leading the Way in applied ethics since 1986

What would be the impact of integrating ethics into every facet of the curriculum? Could the lessons learned at SCU be shared more broadly with Silicon Valley and even farther?

The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics was born in an “ah-ha” moment as Linda and A.C. “Mike” Markkula Jr.

sat in the audience of a Santa Clara welcome weekend event in 1986. Their daughter, Kristi, was an entering

freshman, and the Markkulas, like other parents that day, were excited and anxious. What kind of challenges

would their daughter encounter, and what guidance would

she receive, both from the University and from her peers?

Mike, an Apple co-founder, and his wife, Linda, were concerned that American schools were turning out a

generation of “ethical agnostics,” who did not appreciate the importance of ethics in creating healthy personal

relationships, institutions, and communities. Across the nation, as students graduated, they would carry this

attitude into the working world, affecting businesses, government, and the wider society.

Yet that day, they were inspired as they listened to the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences describe

an initiative to create a center on campus that would tie together the work being done on ethics in all the

University’s schools and colleges. What would be the impact, they wondered, of integrating ethics into every

facet of the curriculum? Could the lessons learned at SCU be shared more broadly with Silicon Valley and

even farther? The idea for the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics was born.

Since that time, the Center has broadened

its initial emphasis on integrating ethics into

the Santa Clara curriculum and now offers

programs that benefit the University, Silicon

Valley, and the entire world.

Today, leaders in business, medicine,

technology, biotechnology, government,

education, law, and athletics look to the

Center for practical tools to help them

negotiate the ethical challenges in their

fields. SCU students and faculty rely on the

Center to provide internships, grants, and

a rich menu of events and workshops on

ethical issues in many disciplines. Going

forward, the Center will continue to expand

its role as a leader in worldwide education

on ethics in personal and professional life.

2 | Markkula Center for Applied Ethics

Current executive director of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics

Kirk O. Hanson (L.) with former directors Dennis Moberg, Thomas Shanks,

and Manuel Vasquez


What would be the impact of integrating ethics into every facet of the curriculum? Could the lessons learned at SCU be shared more broadly with Silicon Valley and even farther?

The ethics of doing business have never been more

important to an organization’s culture and reputation.

Through the scandals and meltdowns of the past few

years, many companies have learned the hard way

that ethical failures can lead to significant declines in

market valuation and customer loyalty. The Center is a

catalyst for dialog on the best way to create an ethical

organizational culture within Silicon Valley businesses

and around the globe.

The Business and Organizational Ethics PartnershipFor more than 10 years, the Center’s Business and

Organizational Ethics Partnership has addressed real

business-world challenges such as corruption and

corporate governance. The partnership brings together

executives and scholars in a forum designed to increase

members’ knowledge about effectively managing ethics,

helping participants shape policies in their organizations,

and advancing their understanding of business ethics as

practitioners and academics.

Partners include businesspeople from leading Bay Area

companies—which have included AMD, Blue Shield of

California, Cisco, Ernst & Young, Flextronics, HP,

Morrison & Foerster, Visa, and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich

& Rosati—along with business ethics faculty from Santa

Clara and other universities. The group addresses topics

such as doing business in China, signs of ethical collapse

in companies, and the legitimate role of whistle-blowers

in organizations.

Hackworth Business Ethics FellowsWhat is the best way to reach undergraduates with a

message about ethics? In its more than 25 years of

experience, the Center has found that students do the

best job of encouraging peers to engage in ethical reflec-

tion and decision making. The Hackworth Fellowships,

made possible by a gift from Joan and the late Michael

Hackworth, are an important part of the Center’s effort

to interest and engage undergraduate students in

thinking critically about ethics.

In Santa Clara’s Leavey School of Business, four

Hackworth fellows are currently challenging their

classmates to examine the ethical dilemmas they

will face after graduation. And they’re doing it by talking

with former SCU students about the ethical issues

they’ve confronted since leaving the University. Case

studies based on alumni experiences are the basis of

a blog that sparks discussion on the ethical dilemmas

in a business career. The business ethics fellows have

also taken the dialog global through the international

network of Jesuit business schools.


Travis LeBlanc, assistant attorney general, state of California,

at a Business and Organizational Ethics Partnership panel discussion

on Internet ethics and cybersecurity threats

“Always ask the question, ‘Is it ethical?’ And by the way, if you think there’s an ethical issue, there probably is one.” —Michael Hackworth

best ethical practices in business Engaging management


“Always ask the question, ‘Is it ethical?’ And by the way, if you think there’s an ethical issue, there probably is one.” —Michael Hackworth

The late Michael Hackworth, chair of the board at Cirrus Logic,

kept a copy of the Center’s “Framework for Thinking Ethically”

tacked above his office desk. The framework makes classical

ethical theory easily accessible for people who need to make

day-to-day ethical decisions.

With rapid advances in biology and medicine, the study of bioethics

is more important than ever before. The Center partners with local

hospitals to offer assistance in medical decision making, policy devel-

opment, and ethics education for health care professionals, patients,

and their families. With generous support from Andrew and Beverly

Honzel, the Center also engages in research on emerging issues in

health care ethics, with a special interest in vulnerable patient populations.

When there is no one to decideSome of the great ethical crises in our lives happen when we are at our most

vulnerable—when we must decide how to respond to the advent of terminal

illness, either our own or that of a loved one. Imagine how much harder those

choices would be if the dying person was too impaired to make decisions and

had no relative or friend to act on his or her behalf.

Through its Bioethics program, which includes partnerships with three

hospitals and a hospice, the Center is actively working to help these

unrepresented patients, who pose some of the greatest challenges for medical institutions. In collaboration

with our partners, Center staff members have helped to develop and evaluate policies that address the difficult

dilemmas presented by incapacitated, unrepresented patients.

Medical ethics up closeThe Center’s Health Care Ethics Internship, which has trained more than 100 students since its inception,

allows undergraduates to shadow and learn from doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals

as they confront everyday ethical issues in a hospital setting. The program offers undergraduates a

firsthand look at the ethical dilemmas in medicine.

Many interns are preparing for a career in medicine and related fields. Santa Clara student Jennifer Ngo ’10,

who is now studying to be a dentist, described how the program has impacted her approach to health care:

“Visiting Hospice of the Valley

provided me with a viewpoint on life

and people that I could never have

gotten through my average daily

routine. Those new perspectives have

carried into my work, allowing me

to look beyond the practicalities of

someone’s situation and see a person

seeking answers and comfort.”

“Watching families cope with death led me to a greater

understanding of my own attitudes about life.” —Jennifer Ngo ’10, reflecting on her experience

as a health care ethics intern at the Ethics Center


protecting the Vulnerable Policy development in health care


Ethical dilemmas that no one could have imagined just a few years ago are

everyday issues in Silicon Valley. The Center’s location in the valley gives it a

unique opportunity to address some of these emerging ethical challenges,

both online and beyond.

Ethics for the online worldShould the government be allowed to sift through citizens’ emails looking

for words like “bomb” or “jihad” in an effort to foil a terrorist plot? What is

the impact of social media on offline relationships? Should companies providing

Internet service be “Net neutral,” that is, treat all sources of data equally?

In a video series called “Internet Ethics: Views From Silicon Valley,” the Center

goes to thought leaders in the valley to hear what they consider to be the

top ethical issues facing Web users, content providers, and designers. Adobe

co-founder Charles “Chuck” Geschke, Apple co-founder A.C. “Mike” Markkula Jr.,

NetApp Executive Chairman Dan Warmenhoven, and Symantec CEO Steve

Bennett are some of the valley visionaries who have participated.

The brief videos are intended as conversation starters for classes or

individuals who understand that in ethics, asking the right question is key to

finding the right answer.

Innovations in ethicsThe Silicon Valley spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship infuses the work

of the Center’s student fellows in environmental ethics, who use technology

to make a difference in the world.

Samantha Juda ’13, Christina Lesnick ’13, and Tim Vierengel ’13 developed a

carbon footprint calculator to help college students figure out how much energy

they consume. This committed cohort of Center fellows began work on the

calculator as first-year students with Sherry Booth of the SCU English department

and the Sustainable Living Undergraduate Research Project.

The group then won an Environmental Ethics Fellowship at the Center,

which allowed them to complete design and development of the calculator

with assistance from the Center’s Web developer Antony Setiawan M.S. ’12.

The calculator, which can be found online at www.scu.edu/carboncalculator,

now serves as a model for other universities trying to understand their

environmental impact. The Environmental Ethics Fellowship is supported by

a gift from John and Joan Casey.

Charles “Chuck” Geschke,

co-founder, Adobe

Steve Bennett, President and

Chief Executive Officer, Symantec

Dan Warmenhoven, Chairman

of the Board of Directors and

Executive Chairman, NetApp

the internet and silicon Valley Identifying emerging issues


Undergraduate fellows at the Ethics Center developed a calculator

that helps students estimate the size of their carbon footprint.

Sometimes it’s easy to see when things go wrong in

government: Elected officials take bribes, candidates lie

about their opponents, and city officials make important

public decisions in secret meetings. Other times, the right

thing is not clearly evident. Whether the ethical issues are

obvious or complicated, the Center is working with the

public sector to prepare officials to address ethical

dilemmas that might arise.

Public Sector RoundtableHow can pension reform be handled in a way that is fair to

workers and taxpayers? If elected officials discuss an issue

using social media, does that violate sunshine laws? When

is a donation an attempt to influence votes? These are just a

few examples of the difficult ethical issues confronting elected

officials. For a group of mayors, city council members, city

managers, and other officials, the Center has provided a

supportive space to discuss these issues in the form of the

quarterly Public Sector Roundtable. Drawing on experts—

including members of the Fair Political Practices Commission

and California’s Citizens Redistricting Committee—the

group has wrestled with a host of thorny dilemmas

facing local officials.

“These forums provide a great setting

for bright and dedicated individuals

to share ideas that can be challenged

or further explored among the group.

So often in opinion forums, we see

diverse opinions lead to an emotional

diatribe and then polarization. I have

never seen this happen one time

within the roundtable.”

—Phil Kleinheinz, former Santa Clara fire chief


the public sector Serving government at all levels

Codes of honor and ethicsUndergraduates who participate in student government confront many of the same

ethical issues that their professional peers face in city, state, and federal government.

Fairness, transparency, and responsibility are key to good governance at any level.

That was the conclusion of former Hackworth Fellow Daniel Solomon ’10, who took

as his fellowship project the creation of a code of ethics and values for Santa Clara’s

Associated Student Government. Solomon, the chief justice of the judicial branch

of ASG, engaged his classmates in a yearlong process of discussion that led to

the adoption of the code in June 2010.

In it, student representatives commit themselves, for example, to “seek out diverse

ideas/opinions and reserve judgment until I have all of the relevant information” and

to “treat all viewpoints with respect, even if I do not personally agree with them.” Markkula Center for Applied Ethics | 11

the neXt generation Character development in the schools

Of the 55 million students who head off to elementary and secondary schools

nationwide each fall, most will receive an education that lacks clear messages

about values or ethical decision making. At the end of the school day, many go

home to an empty house. They are exposed to hours of violent and materialistic

messages on television. And growing numbers are never taught about values and

character at home. These trends place even greater importance on the role of

teachers in shaping students’ understanding of values and moral decision making.

The Character Education program provides tools and curriculum to help teachers

bring ethics into the classroom, while providing parents with access to information

on raising an ethical child.

Character Based LiteracyThe Character Based Literacy program is written to the national Common Core

State Standards and is currently in use in hundreds of public schools, Catholic

schools, and court-community schools in California and throughout the United

States. It gives teachers the tools to form a moral community in the classroom and

shape the decisions made by students that will impact the direction of their lives.

Tom Kostic, who teaches in the Orange County Depart-

ment of Education, Alternative and Correctional Education

Schools and Services, points out that CBL “has made a

huge impact not only in the lives of our students but also

on the teachers who are delivering the program.”

“I have seen students read who have never read, write

when they previously hated to write, and speak in front of

the class when they were afraid to even call out their name

during roll call,” Kostic said.

Teacher training for Character Based Literacy


from student to teacher An Ethics Center alumna ref lects

Griselda Renteria helps students connect thought

and action using Character Based Literacy.

Griselda Renteria ’07, M.A. ’09 knows firsthand

how teachers can connect with students using the

Center’s Character Based Literacy program.

While working as a teacher in Santa Clara County’s

alternative school program, Renteria had one student

who was particularly difficult. Though she was

only in middle school, this student was tattooed,

tough, and mixed up with gangs. She was one of

Renteria’s hardest-to-reach students—but things

began to change when she was introduced to the

Center’s Character Based Literacy curriculum.

“She read the novels, and she did all of my activities.

She held onto the curriculum so well,” Renteria said.

“Looking at her character education binder, you see

how she transformed from the beginning of the year,

from making bad decisions to questioning what she

was doing, and finally deciding she needed to make

her life better and make better decisions.”

Renteria’s connection to the Center began when

she was 17. She was an incoming freshman at

Santa Clara—the first person in her family to attend

college—and she found a part-time job working at

the Center. She soon became an integral part of the

Character Education Program, eventually winning the

Center’s Markkula Prize in 2007. The prize is given

to a senior undergraduate annually for outstanding

work in applied ethics.

Currently, Renteria is a middle school special

education teacher in the Cupertino Unified School

District, and she continues to use the Character

Based Literacy program in her classroom. Renteria

still works for the program, too. Now, she writes

lesson plans, which will be used nationally by

teachers just like her.


A third of the Center’s more than 2 million annual Web visits come from countries outside

the United States, a testament to the global nature of ethical dilemmas—and evidence of the

Center’s international reach.

Through the Web, the Center was able to connect Radio Free Burma with Santa Clara

Philosophy Professor Scott LaBarge, an expert on heroism. The Internet also enabled the

Center to work with the Library of Congress to make our resources on Darfur widely available.

And in partnership with the Center for International Business Ethics in Beijing, the Ethics

Center created a library of videos, articles, and podcasts on doing business in China. Building

on these achievements, the Center’s online reputation and reach continue to grow every day.

Massive open online courses offer ethics education for everyoneThe Center and Santa Clara recently joined the world of open online education with the

premiere of a business ethics course exploring the common and difficult decisions

that confront professionals. This massive open online course (MOOC) explores such

daily dilemmas as conflicts of interest, résumé inflation, and gifts and bribes. MOOCs

allow anyone with Internet access to enroll in courses taught by some of the brightest

minds in the world.

a global mission Ethics on the Web

the big q Connecting students across the country

Center Executive Director Kirk O. Hanson

addresses attendees at the annual

Center for International Business Ethics

conference in Beijing.

“With massive open online courses, we can give the public a feel for the quality of education Santa Clara University students receive every day. We’re also thrilled the ethical framework we developed at the Ethics Center will be highlighted.”

—Kirk O. Hanson,

Center executive director and MOOC instructor


the big q Connecting students across the country

“In cheating, one attempts to take credit for that

which is not rightfully his. Whatever personal

benefits that may come out of cheating are

stolen, as their acquisition was not legitimate,”

argues a student from Florida State University.

“There are many different motivations for

cheating, and often times, cheaters are good

people who make bad decisions,” adds a

Santa Clara student.

They and hundreds of others from universities

across the United States are engaged in an

online dialog about everyday ethical issues

for undergraduates, called The Big Q. Using

Facebook, Twitter, and a blog, The Big Q

asks students to reflect on quandaries about

sexuality, academic integrity, alcohol and drug

use, roommates, parents, and the wider world.

The subject of articles in Huffington Post

College, USA Today College, and Inside Higher

Education, the blog has received more than

125,000 page views since it started in 2010.

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considering hard questions Bringing the best minds to campus


Leon Panetta ’60, J.D. ’63, former secretary of defense, gave

presentations for the Center about Americans’ responsibility for

the health of the oceans and about U.S. engagement in Iraq.

Joe Grundfest, former commissioner of the Securities

and Exchange Commission, talked with our Business and

Organizational Ethics Partnership about the nexus of law

and ethics.

Janet Napolitano ’79, secretary of homeland security, was

the featured speaker for our “Immigration Week.”

Michele Borba ’72, M.A. ’75, nationally known expert on

bullying, worked with our Catholic School Principals’ Institute

on creating a safe school environment.

Franklin “Pitch” Johnson, legendary Silicon Valley venture

capitalist, talked with students and faculty about ethical issues

in venture capital.

Myron Steele, chief justice of the Delaware Supreme Court,

explained the role of the Delaware courts in U.S. corporate law.

Ann Ravel, chair of the California Fair Political Practices

Commission, met with our Public Sector Roundtable about

the role of money in political campaigns.

Thomas Reese, S.J., former editor in chief of America

magazine, analyzed ethics in the 2012 elections.

Jose Antonio Vargas, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist,

spoke on defining what it means to be an American.

Craig Newmark, founder of craigslist and craigconnects, was

a popular speaker at the lecture series “IT, Ethics, and Law.”

Leon Panetta

Janet Napolitano

Craig Newmark

Thomas Reese, S.J.

Franklin “Pitch” Johnson

Markkula Center for Applied Ethics500 El Camino RealSanta Clara, CA [email protected]

scu.edu/ethics-center

Sustainability is a top priority as Santa Clara University strives for carbon neutrality by the end of 2015. Learn more about SCU’s efforts at www.scu.edu/sustainability.

Calculations based on the Environmental Paper Network and U.S. EPA’s Power Profiler. In addition, the paper has been Green Power certified by the manufacturer ensuring that it has been manufactured with 100 percent certified renewable energy.

Paper Choice—Environmental Benefits StatementUsing post-consumer waste fiber

Pounds of Trees saved: Energy saved: Wastewater Solid waste Greenhouse paper used: reduced: reduced: gasses reduced:

1,715 lbs. 6 2.3 million BTUs 2,540 gallons 161 lbs. 1,744.4 lbs. of CO2

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