SMU Chancellor to speak in New York

WINONA, Minn. — Brother Louis DeThomasis, FSC, Ph.D., chancellor of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, will present “Doing it Right in a Shrinking World: The Balance of Ethics and Profit” at the 2007 Ethics Conference.

The conference, presented by the Foundation for Accounting Education, will be held Tuesday, July 31, in New York. Conference topics will explore the world of business ethics, where religion, ethical codes and historical perspectives are challenged.

DeThomasis who also serves as a senior fellow for the Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership at SMU, will discuss a new “sense” of business ethics in a globalized world. The golden rule, religious tenants, and a code of ethics are no longer effective in our culturally diverse and complicated modern-day business world. The presentation will explore a modern-day definition of business ethics, where religion, ethical codes, philosophy, and historical perspectives are brought into question.

DeThomasis will address the relationship of global dynamics in financial networks, the role of business in “doing good,” and the question of “Who should do ethics: businesses or the people”? Last, he will discuss the importance of imagination and the role of faith as they relate to doing ethics in today’s rapidly changing and pluralistic economy.