By Anthony Howard
Jackson State University is now home to the 53rd chapter of the Student Center for Public Trust (StudentCPT) organization, which focuses on educating and engaging future business leaders on accountability and integrity. In September, the College of Business invited the organization’s president, Alfonzo Alexander, MBA, to speak to students about ethical issues and new professionals.
“What we have is that students who graduate from college want to be key team players, they’re ambitious, and they want to grow,” said Alexander. “This is a proactive approach for them to be on the right trajectory to become excellent leaders.”
StudentCPT chapters are supported by the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) Center for Public Trust, which has staff and resources available to help maximize effectiveness. The goal of the organization is to promote ethical thinking in the development of students’ character and conscience.
This year, the JSU chapter of StudentCPT is only open to College of Business students. However, the organization’s advisor, Saundra Thompson McFarland, J.D., associate professor of business law, hopes to expand to other disciplines in the near future.
“Ethics is a key element of any profession,” McFarland explained. “The College of Business emphasizes the importance of ethics by ensuring that all business students are exposed to ethics within the College of Business core curriculum.”
During a presentation, Alexander warned students that many young professionals get looped into unethical situations at the beginning of their careers. He explained how many of those new graduates entering the workforce are usually unaware of the situation until it’s too late.
Alexander encouraged the business students to use the R.A.I.S.E. model for ethical decision-making. The acronym stands for recognize, analyze, identify, select, and execute. Executing the model begins with recognizing the problem and using professional skepticism.
Next is an analysis of facts. Alexander encouraged students to be bold and ask questions and to document and review everything. He also suggested they seek data to support whatever scenario they encounter.
After gathering an analysis, the next steps in the model is to identify possible solutions and select the best course of action. Alexander told the students to consider all the stakeholders, seek help if necessary, and craft a plan of action.
Once all the other steps have been taken, it’s time to execute the plan. Alexander encouraged the students to stand firm in their decision, use ethical courage, have confidence, and trust their process. His presentation seemed to resonate with the majority of the students.
“After doing my internship, I learned it’s very important to know how to move in the workplace and to be ethical and make the right decisions,” said Bryan Mckinney, president of the StudentCPT at JSU. “This organization is needed because a lot of students are getting exposed to this kind of information.”
With chapters on college campuses nationwide, the StudentCPT provides an interactive environment where ethical business behaviors and ideas can flourish while creating opportunities for students to network with the business community and develop professional leadership skills.