Winston Center programs seek to instill sense of ethics

Launched in May of this year, the Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics at Boston College is initiating a series of programs this fall that aim toward attracting a diverse group of audience on campus and in the community at large: students, faculties, and field researchers alike.

In addition to the research component of Winston Center, there are also programs created with the express purpose of reaching out to undergraduates, as well as several leadership training projects to provide hands-on experiences.

Furthermore, the center announced its fall program collaboration with BC's theater department to examine bioethical issues aroused in Shelagh Stephenson's An Experiment with an Air Pump, which is premiering Friday at Robsham Theater.

The Winston Center is also presenting a variety of speaker programs, among them the Clough Colloquium, taking place Tuesday, which will feature General Anthony Zinni (Ret.), who served as the commander-in-chief of U.S. Central Command and as special envoy to Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Students attending the lecture may gain insights on the general's past, both as a soldier and diplomat, then share his vision of an ethics-oriented U.S. foreign policy.

Oct. 19, students from the Connell School of Nursing will have the opportunity to have lunch with Rev. Edward Phillips, a BC graduate, who is known for his founding of the Eastern Deanery AIDS program, which has helped over 40,000 people who suffer from HIV/AIDS-related illnesses since 1993.

"Father Phillips will talk about his work, and give the students chances to learn more about the health care profession," said Richard Keeley, chairperson of the Winston Center and associate dean for undergraduate studies in the Carroll School of Management.

Another speaker event that will offer a similar "interactive" setting, said Keeley, is the Chambers Lecture, to be held by the first woman pilot, Colonel Eileen Collins. Unlike the Clough Colloquium, which is presented in front of a large audience, the Chambers Lecture encourages the exchange of ideas between the speaker and the audience. Students remain engaged in the event through intellectual conversation.

Other than providing the Colloquium and Chambers series, the Winston Center recently teamed up with the University's theater arts department, which will produce An Experiment with an Air Pump starting the end of this week at the Robsham Theatre. The collaboration highlights the University's attempt to bring discussions about ethics to an interdisciplinary level.

Furthermore, the Winston Center is bringing back its Jenks Leadership Program, which enhances student understanding of ethics and leadership skills by applying classroom concepts to student-designed workshops. More information on this program will be introduced in January 2007.