APPE Seeks Board Member Nominations
The Association for Practical and Professional Ethics’ (APPE) Board of Directors Nominating Committee is now seeking nominations from the APPE membership for individuals to be considered for inclusion on the ballot to become members of the Board. The next annual election will be held in spring 2025. Board members are elected for a term of four years with the option to stand for re-election to a second four-year term. Candidates must be current APPE members, and if elected, must maintain their APPE membership in good standing throughout the term of their service on the Board. We are seeking candidates to fill four vacancies on the Board in 2025. Self-nominations are welcome. |
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Upcoming Virtual APPE Events Ethically Curious Book Club (Nov. 8, 1 to 2 p.m. ET)
The Ethically Curious Book Club rescheduled its second of two book club meetings for later this week. APPE Member Deni Elliott will moderate the discussion over Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
If you haven't joined the Bookclub officially, you'll need to sign up and join us on Bookclubs.com to get more information, including the Zoom links.
Ethics Roundtable (Nov. 13, 1 to 2 p.m. ET)
Ethics in Action: Making Mental Health Care Accessible and Affordable
APPE is proud to partner with Felician University to host virtual Ethics Roundtable discussions that are free and open to the public; no RSVPs are required. Ethics Roundtables are opportunities to engage one another on current, ethical issues in order to generate meaningful dialogue.
Get the Zoom Link. |
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Conference News: Registration is Open, Proposal Reviews Due Dec. 2
 Thank you to the more than 130 reveiwers who are in the middle of reviewing proposals for next year's in person and virtual conferences, which will be held February 20-23, 2025 in Norfolk, Virginia, and online on March 28. If you have been assigned reviews, you should have received an email earlier this week. Please complete these reviews in Ex Ordo by Monday, December 2, so that we can provide acceptances and rejections to applicants by mid-December.
In the mean time, be sure to register for the conference and our pre-conference workshops, which include the Ethics Center Directors Syposium and the APPE RISE Pre-Conference. Register here. You can also book your hotel using our conference code. Learn more.
We are also seeking exhibitors, advertisers, and sponsors. If you're interested, please review the levels and opportunities and reserve your space by contacting APPE Executive Director Kristen Fuhs Wells at kristen@appe-ethics.org. |
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APPE Member Spotlight  Name: Michael Jordan
Title/Organization: Senior Lecturer, Department of Philosophy, San Jose State University
APPE Member since: 2009This year you became the APPE Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl Chair. How is this year going, and what are you hoping to focus on over the next few years?
To be honest, stepping into the role as the Ethics Bowl Chair has been a bit overwhelming, but I'm getting a handle on it and feeling very encouraged. This year’s Ethics Bowl is the largest ever, with 168 schools and 214 teams competing across 13 regions nationwide. The influx of new schools has been remarkable, and it's exciting to see the Ethics Bowl grow each year. Over the next few years, I’d like to focus on expanding the Bowl’s capacity so that even more schools can participate. Right now, nine of the thirteen regions filled up just weeks after registration opened, which speaks to the increasing demand. Adding more regions would be a key way to accommodate more teams and continue to make the Ethics Bowl accessible to schools across the country
The APPE IEB National Competition, which is held in conjunction with the APPE Annual Conference, is always seeking judges and moderators. Who makes a good judge, how do you train them if they're new to Ethics Bowl, what is the commitment, and how do they volunteer?
The Ethics Bowl relies on judges and moderators who bring both a commitment to fair, thoughtful evaluation and an enthusiasm for ethical discussion. Judges come from a wide variety of backgrounds—they can be academics, professionals in fields like law, healthcare, business, or anyone with a strong interest in ethical reasoning. Most importantly, a good judge is someone who values open-minded dialogue and can evaluate complex moral arguments impartially and constructively. For those new to Ethics Bowl, we provide thorough training. Before the competition, we hold orientation sessions covering the format and scoring criteria.
The commitment involves attending the training session and judging for one to two days during the National Competition at the APPE Annual Conference. Volunteers can reach out to me directly (mjordan.ethicsbowl@gmail.com) or contact APPE (contact@appe-ethics.org).
You're a longtime Ethics Bowl coach, across various age groups. What is it about Ethics Bowl that resonates with so many people?
I’ve had the privilege of being involved with the Ethics Bowl since 2003, coaching teams from middle school to college. Without a doubt, it’s been the highlight of my career as an educator. What resonates so deeply with so many people about Ethics Bowl is that it provides a unique platform for students to engage in meaningful, civil discourse around some of today’s most pressing ethical issues. It’s more than just a competition; it’s an experience that helps students become thoughtful, engaged citizens. Ethics Bowl challenges students to listen actively, think critically, and communicate respectfully, even when perspectives differ. Watching students grow into insightful scholars and compassionate individuals through this process is incredibly rewarding, and I think that experience is what draws people in and keeps them involved.
You're an empty nester now. How are you and your wife doing?
My wife and I certainly miss our son, but we’re thrilled to see him thriving in college. It’s funny—I've spent 25 years in higher education, but nothing quite prepared me for the experience of dropping my only child off at the dorms. Every day gets a bit easier, though. I’m especially proud that he’s stayed involved in Ethics Bowl, which he’s been part of since 7th grade. I coached him through middle school and high school, so it’s been incredible to watch his growth in this activity. Now he’s on his college team, and there’s a good chance our teams might meet up at the California Regional competition this December. It’s a unique moment—part of me wants to cheer for his team as a dad, but as a coach, I should be rooting for my own team to win. As my son likes to say, ‘Game on'! |
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Ethics in the News: - Ethics won’t save us from AI (The New Atlantis)
- Ethical implications of making a chatbot using the voice or likeness of someone (NPR)
- Four ways to embrace the AI revolution without compromising ethics (Fast Company)
- Most unethical behavior goes unreported and unresolved (Gallup)
- Unclaimed dead bodies are often "donated" to science — but it’s not always consensual (Salon)
- What are the ethics to true crime documentaries, portrayals? (The State News)
- Why we created an AI Code Of Ethics and why you should consider one for your company (Forbes)
APPE Members in the News
APPE Member Thomas Creely recently wrote a piece for CIO Applications--The Ethics of Technology: Navigating Moral Dilemmas in an Age of Innovatiion. Read it here.
Congratulations to three APPE members for a successful grant application from the National Science Foundation that will "create the first-ever baseline model of AI ethics education." Deborah Mower from the University of Mississippi is leading the grant, along with Glen Miller at Texas A&M and Qin Zhu, at Virginia Tech. Learn more.
Jobs & Events
Have you seen our job and event emails? Limited free access to post jobs and events of interest in the weekly email (as well as in the Info Hub) is a benefit of membership. If you're a member and would like to submit something for consideration, just login to the Member portal, go to Job & Event Postings and click "add." Non-members can access the jobs and events by creating a login but must pay a fee to list positions and events. Reach out to contact@appe-ethics.org for more info.
We Want to Hear From You! To be featured as a member spotlight or if you have news to share, including books published, send us an email at membernews@appe-ethics.org. |
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Ethics Issue to Consider Voting, Power, Democracy, and Elections If you're not overwhelmed by election content (or maybe you're just looking for something new to discuss) head over to The Prindle Post, a digital publication presented by The Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics at DePauw University (an APPE organizational sponsor and headquarters of APPE). There, you'll find a variety of new and previously written articles about all things related to elections, democracy, voting, and even the electoral college. You can peruse the following: |
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