Doing Good Well: Navigating Ethical Tensions in Philanthropy 
Wednesday, March 18 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. ET | Virtual | Free for APPE Members
Register here to receive the Zoom link.

Philanthropy is built on values--but those values can be tested in moments of complexity, urgency, and imbalances of power. This moderated panel brings together ethics scholars to explore the ethical challenges facing grantmakers today, from decision-making under uncertainty and accountability to communities, to the responsibilities that come with institutional influence. The conversation will connect ethical theory to real-world philanthropic practice and invite reflection on how funders can act with integrity, humility, and transparency in a changing social landscape. APPE Executive Director Kristen Fuhs Wells will moderate the conversation between APPE board members Deborah Mower and Alex Richardson. 

This is an Indiana Philanthropy Alliance event, but APPE members are invited to attend for free. 

APPE Members Meeting
Thursday, March 19 from 5 to 6:30 p.m., ET | Virtual | Free
Register here to receive the Zoom link.

Traditionally held in conjunction with the APPE Annual Conference, this format for our annual members meeting encourages participation from those who attend the conference and those unable to join us in person.

All members are welcome and encouraged to attend. The agenda will include updates from APPE leadership, the presentation of the 2026 Board Nominees, and an open member discussion.

Ethics Roundtable: Eyes Everywhere: The Ethics of Being Watched
Wednesday, April 8, 1 to 2 p.m., ET | Virtual | Free
Zoom link

This roundtable explores the ethical dimensions of surveillance across educational, civic, and digital environments. Topics will include facial recognition, student monitoring software, predictive policing, and algorithmic decision-making in areas such as admissions, hiring, and public safety.

Panelists:
Mildred Mihlon, Felician University
Janet Giddings, San Jose State University
Alma Gonzalez, NeuroCharacter Education
Joel Ballivian, UW-Madison
Deirdre Frontczak, Santa Clara University
Cathy Lively, Columbia University

APPE Virtual Conference
Friday, April 10, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., ET | Virtual
$25: Students; $50: Members; $100: Non-members
Register here.

Join us for more than 50 presentations by scholars and professionals across the world in topics such as AI, bioethics, business, engineering, government, law, media, moral theory, and more.

The 35th Annual APPE International Conference welcomed more than 325 people to St. Louis, March 5-8. View the conference photos.

We were pleased to award the following:

• Undergraduate Paper Award: Henry Moon, Brown University
• Graduate Paper Award: Kylee Shiekh, Virginia Tech
• Early Career Paper Award: Ava Randel, The Hastings Center for Bioethics
• Clifford G. Christians Research Ethics Award: Patrick Plaisance, Pennsylvania State University
• NEP Ethics Education Research Award: Steven Kelts, Princeton University Center for Information Technology; Emily Foster-Hanson, Swarthmore Department of Psychology; Tania Lombrozo, Princeton Department of Psychology; Kerem Oktar, Princeton Department of Psychology

We also awarded the Spirit of APPE Award to Patricia Werhane.

If you attended the conference and haven't taken the survey yet, please complete it by March 16.

Our 2027 conference will be held March 4-7 in Pittsburgh.

The APPE Board has announced that it will match the next $10,000 raised for the APPE Endowment, a long-term fund designed to secure APPE’s future and ensure we thrive for generations to come, continues to grow. To date, we have raised more than $22,000 and our goal is $50,000. All gifts, no matter the size, will help.

2026 APPE Board Slate

• Matthew Altman, Chair and Professor of Philosophy, Central Washington University
• Rockwell F. Clancy, Research Scientist, Engineering Education, Virginia Tech
• Robert V. Doyle, Associate Professor of Religious Studies & Director of MA in Religious Studies, Felician University
• Jessica McManus Warnell, Teaching Professor, Department of Management & Organization; Rex & Alice A. Martin Faculty Director, Notre Dame Deloitte Center for Ethical Leadership; Managing Director for Research Strategy, Operations, and Engagement, Human-centered Analytics Lab; Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame

There is one candidate running for a first full term after being elected to serve a partial term:

• Liza Dawson, Chief of Bioethics, IRB chair, and Research Integrity Officer; Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR)

Candidates running for a second full term:

• Raquel Diaz-Sprague, (former) Visiting Scholar University of Alabama at Birmingham

• Alex Richardson,  Associate Director for Content Strategy and Engagement at The Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics at DePauw University

Ethics Bowl Cases to Consider

Transitive Life Support and MAID to Order (2026 APPE Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl National Competition Case Set)

The cases in the final match of this year's APPE IEB National Championship featured these questions:

• Is it morally desirable to give fetuses the status of full moral persons, given the risk of diminishing the moral and legal standing of pregnant women (or their legal surrogates) as autonomous individuals?
• What safeguards, if any, should be put in place in order for the mental illness component of MAID to be morally permissible?

Read the cases (#17, 13) here, then discuss with your friends, family and colleagues. You can also watch the final match between Seattle University and William & Mary.