HIGH POINT, N.C., Feb. 23, 2015 – A team of six High Point University students made its way to the semifinal round in the fourth annual North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities Ethics Bowl tournament, held Feb. 6-7 at Campbell University School of Law in Raleigh.
The HPU team of Michael Ball, Emily Pearl, Hunter Edwards, Brea Hampton, Jane Horton and Will Trimble, along with campus co-coordinators Dr. Amy MacArthur and Dr. Matthew Brophy, both assistant professors of philosophy, came home with a trophy, which celebrated their achievement of reaching the semifinals in a tough competition. Twenty North Carolina independent colleges and universities and over 100 students participated.
“I couldn’t be more proud of how our team competed this year,” says Michael Ball, senior on the HPU Ethics Bowl team. “What separated us the most from other teams was how well we worked together in every round of the competition. Everybody brought something unique to the table. I was thrilled with our success in making the semifinals.”
The NCICU Ethics Bowl is designed to provide an academic experience that increases student awareness about applying ethics in leadership, decision-making, interpersonal relationships and other issues in today’s society. The purpose of the competition is to emphasize the importance of applying ethical standards to situations students inevitably will face in their upcoming professional careers. This year’s topic was ethics in education.
“The students did an extraordinary job and represented High Point University, on and off the stage, extremely well,” says Brophy. “Our student team enjoyed themselves thoroughly – not just competing, but talking with other students, making connections with business and community leaders and networking at the reception and dinner.”
“We appreciated the opportunity to participate again in this fourth year of NCICU Ethics Bowl,” said MacArthur. “The experience is a great way to educate our students, and they really value being able to learn from various professionals as well as other students in grappling with these ethics cases. We will definitely continue to participate in years to come.”
NCICU comprises North Carolina’s 36 private, nonprofit liberal arts, comprehensive and research colleges and universities accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. NCICU represents independent higher education in the areas of state and federal public policy and on education issues with the other sectors of education in the state. It also provides research and information to and about private colleges and universities, conducts staff development opportunities and coordinates collaborative programs. For more information, visit www.ncicu.org.