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Past Events

Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership Inaugural Lecture on Exemplary Leadership - Thursday, April 02, 2009
Pittsburgh Athletic Association
On April 2, 2009, the Johnson Institute welcomed Coleen Rowley to the Pittsburgh Athletic Association for the Inaugural Lecture on Exemplary Leadership. Rowley is the FBI Agent and Minneapolis Division Legal Counsel who brought the FBI’s pre 9-11 lapses to light and testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee about the endemic problems facing the FBI and the intelligence community. She was one of three whistleblowers chosen as Time Magazine’s Persons of the Year in 2002. In the words of the article, “They were people who did right just by doing their jobs rightly. . .with eyes open and with the bravery the rest of us always hope we have.”

Rowley’s lecture, entitled Exemplary Leadership: Always Do Right, focused the different types of ethical questions that one might encounter in a work environment and obstacles one might find to behaving ethically. She spoke about why good people make serious ethical mistakes, saying that today’s culture is corrupt in many ways and that the line between ethical and criminal behavior is very thin. This can make behaving morally and telling the truth a hard thing to do. In her experience, she has found four reasons people do not act responsibly:

Conflicting Loyalties: People’s loyalties – to their selves, family, workplace, country or religion, often overlap or are misplaced. For instance, the employees of the FBI are reminded, “Don’t embarrass the Bu (Bureau)!” Should one sacrifice the truth because it makes the organization look bad? She spoke of the importance of having an outside reference point when making decisions which she called “The Grandma Test” since it is as if someone wise was looking over your shoulder.

Group-Think: This occurs when people normalize an occurrence or event and thus de-stigmatize it, making it a more acceptable practice. If everyone is doing something less than moral, it does not seem as heinous and therefore can and will occur more frequently. Also, using the Asch Test as an example, she spoke about our tendency to choose what the majority of the group is choosing, even if it is wrong.

The Inability to Admit Mistakes: Many organizations do not tolerate mistakes so employees fear ridicule from others when they do err. Instead of preventing mistakes, this makes people hide errors until they become serious.

Utilitarian Thinking: People construct hypothetical happy endings that are not based in reality when making decisions. By doing this, people often forget that the process is just as important as the outcome. In cases where the end always justifies the means, then torture, for instance, can be seen as a viable method of interrogation.

Rowley’s lecture ended with her thoughts on ethics in today’s society. She believes that today’s society is ripe with moral decay, which is making responsible leadership a hard thing to achieve. What is needed is a moral bailout where everyone is held accountable to each other. Only then, can we succeed in moving toward being an ethical nation.

Respondents to the lecture were Heather Arnet, Executive Director of the Women and Girls Foundation of Western Pennsylvania who spoke of the and Dr. Peter Madsen, Director of the Center for the Advancement of Applied Ethics, Carnegie Mellon University.

To watch the videorecording of this event, follow the "More Information" link.
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Diversity: Corporate Leadership and Issues for Our Region with Keith Caver - Thursday, March 19, 2009

Keith Caver, Vice President and Global Practice Leader of Executive Development at Development Dimensions, Inc., presented a talk to business leaders from all over southwestern Pennsylvania. His lecture focused on corporate strategies for encouraging diversity as well as personal strategies for career management and development. “In this current economic climate,” says Caver, “it is crucial for businesses to evaluate their diversity strategies and respond accordingly in order to capitalize on the maximum value a diverse workplace affords to a company.” He spoke of the reasons why diversity programs are often not successful, however well meaning they are, and pointed out directions business leaders can go in to effectively build multi-faceted diversity into their workplaces.

Caver’s talk was followed by a panel discussion on strengthening southwestern Pennsylvania through diversity and leadership in the midst of an economic crisis. Panelists included Lee Hipps, Director of Non-Profit Technology Practice, Ceeva, Inc. and former COO of the Urban League, Victoria Chester, Manager of Corporate Diversity and Employee Programs at Highmark, and Doris Carson Williams, President and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce. The moderator of the discussion was Sala Udin of Coro. The Johnson Institute worked in partnership with Sustainable Pittsburgh and Coro to provide this follow up to the Annual Regional Equitable Development Summit in December 2008 in which a business case for diversity was presented

To watch the videorecording of this event, follow the "More Information" link.
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Preparing Yourself for Leadership with Keith Caver - Thursday, March 19, 2009

Keith Caver, Vice President and Global Practice Leader of Executive Development at Development Dimensions, Inc., spoke at a luncheon entitled "Preparing Yourself for Leadership" at the William Pitt Student Union to a group of students, young professionals and human resources personnel. Caver addressed important issues affecting young professionals today.

Caver said that it is challenging to become a successful leader in the corporate world. Caver’s business model supports the idea that the best businesses are able to adapt to different environments and uncertain business climates. He suggested that businesses often don’t get to select the change that comes, but can decide on their response to the change. To be a successful leader, one needs to also have this flexibility and adaptability.

Caver spoke of leadership as an intangible which can be learned, if not taught and addressed the question of how to become a successful leader. Leadership traits can be facilitated by family, friends and colleagues. Each person needs to evolve as a human being into his or her capacity to be a successful leader in a changing business environment. As a person evolves, they are noticed and labeled as individuals with management promise by their superiors. However, as individuals work their way up the corporate ladder, their job or position is viewed more critically by their peers and superiors. These individuals are closely scrutinized and the cost of failure becomes more significant. One can respond to these challenges, but not dictate them.

According to Caver, one can respond by making adjustments to his or her environment. One way to achieve this is to create “Mental Models.” Mental models recreate how each one of us looks at the world and how we react to the world. People are not usually conscious of these models because they are so deeply ingrained but can follow this process to understand and, ultimately, change them:

• Hold a mirror to your own mental and emotional selves. Challenge yourself to be good leader. Introspective examination can address certain leadership flaws or highlight positive qualities.
• Engage in meaningful conversation every day. Find the proper balance between advocacy and inquirer.
• Be open to the influence of others. This quality will help you grow as a leader. In Keith’s words, “If you are not growing, you are dying.”

Caver examined why certain business leaders fail after long, successful careers. Key factors that successful leaders have include: hard work ethic, charisma, and the ability to motivate their employees. Motivation is a de facto practice of good leadership. People fail in leadership roles if they do not have personal qualities their colleagues respect and understand. Failure to have a common ground and mutual respect with your colleagues breeds disaster in the workplace.

Civil Society in the Age of Obama - Thursday, February 05, 2009 4:30-6:00 p.m.
Room 4130 Wesley W. Posvar Hall
Dr. Jon Van Til is an internationally recognized expert in civil society,volunteerism, and community leadership. He is a Professor of Urban Studies and Community Planning at Rutgers University, and is a prominent scholar and writer in the field of civil society, community activism and volunteer management. He has published several books on community involvement and the functioning of civil society. He is a columnist and the Consulting Editor for the Nonprofit Times. Professor Roger Lohmann of University of West Virginia will be providing the response.

Generosity: What's at Stake? - Tuesday, January 27, 2009 3:30-5:00 p.m.
Room 4130 Wesley W. Posvar Hall
In the Inaugural Lecture of the Philanthropy Forum, Richard Gunderman will speak about the humanistic meaning of philanthropy. Gunderman is author of a new book that explores the humanistic meaning of philanthropy, "We Make a Life by What We Give" as well as his recent book, "Leadership in Healthcare."

Gunderman is a Professor of Radiology, Pediatrics, Medical Education, Philosophy, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy at Indiana University, where he also serves as Vice Chair of Radiology.  He is a Fellow of the Tobias Center for Leadership Excellence and serves on the Boards of Governors of the Kinsey Institute and the Institute for Advanced Study.  He is the author of over 220 scholarly articles and has published five books.

This lecture is being presented in collaboration with the Johnson Institute and the Innovation Clinic.

Fifth Annual Regional Equitable Development Summit - Thursday, December 11, 2008
Twentieth Century Club
The Employment Goal - Inclusion in the Workforce: Positioning Our Region to Prosper and Compete

The Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership joined with Sustainable Pittsburgh's Community Development Network, the Regional Equity Development Strategy Group, and PolicyLink to present the Fifth Annual Regional Equitable Development Summit. The summit focused on the issue of employment and race in our region with the aim of reducing unemployment and increasing economic opportunity for African Americans.

Deploying talents of all residents and unleashing the benefits and innovation that come from diversity in the workforce are essential for a region and businesses that strive to secure a competitive edge. Our region, with its stagnant population growth, can ill-afford to leave behind anyone not working to his or her potential.

This year's Summit built on the momentum from last year's discussion from which a leadership group came together to identify actions to address our region's equitable development. Rising to the fore is the regional economic benefit derived from enabling all African-Americans and others of color to participate fully in the workforce and to live to their productive potential. As southwestern Pennsylvania comes together and acknowledges that prosperity is directly linked to ensuring all residents are contributing through good jobs and opportunity, it is apparent that ongoing disparities in employment in communities of color are incongruous.

During the Summit, Dr. Chris Benner presented a landmark framing paper, co-authored with PolicyLink specific to southwestern PA, substantiating this reality and economic imperative. This work illustrated the bottom-line business benefit and productive role a fully employed diverse population stands to play in the economy. The presentation was followed by breakout sessions which focused on practical solutions to the diversity in employment agenda. These helped advance partnerships and practical steps the region must take to remove barriers and to seize on inclusion in employment as a vital part of our economic development strategy and success among business and industry.

This event is sponsored by the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, the Richard King Mellon Foundation, the Heinz Endowments and the Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership.

Tune into WDUQ Pittsburgh, 90.5 FM, Sunday, January 11, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. for the broadcast of the Regional Equity Development Summit keynote address by Dr. Chris Benner. The program also includes a response by Dr. Larry Davis, Dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh.

Teaching Ethics Across the Disciplines: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques - Friday, November 07, 2008 .
Kurtzman Room, William Pitt Student Union

The topic of ethics should not be relegated to a few specialized elective courses that are offered within the University's curriculum. Rather, these topics can be infused throughout the curriculum across many disciplines. To this end, James Weber, Professor of Business Ethics and Management and Director of the Beard Center for Leadership in Ethics at Duquesne University, was invited to lead a workshop for University of Pittsburgh faculty members.

After sharing perceived impediments to incorporating the study of ethics in all disciplines, Weber presented a decision-making framework for teaching ethics - recognition, reasoning and resolution. In an interactive session, faculty members from diverse fields including dentistry, medicine, psychology, the sciences, and education identified ethical issues within their own area of study and learned how to integrate ethical reasoning exercises and ethical principles into their classes.

This event was jointly sponsored by the Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership, the David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership at the Katz Graduate School of Business, and the Center for Instructional Development and Distance Education.

Nigerian Leadership Training Program - Friday, October 10, 2008
Pittsburgh Athletic Association

The Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership held the second Leadership Training Program on Accountability, Ethics, and Corporate Governance, October 6-10, 2008 for ten executives from Nigeria. The majority of the participants were Nigerian government officials while a few were from the corporate and academic sectors.

These men and women attended an intensive week-long course designed and directed by GSPIA Professor and Director of the Johnson Institute, Dr. Kevin Kearns. Faculty in the program included GSPIA Professor Louis Picard, Cecil Blake from the Africana Studies Program, Audrey Murrell and Ray Jones from the Katz Graduate School of Business, Peter Madsen from Carnegie Mellon, Bruce Bickel from PNC and Michael Romano from Highmark. Sala Udin from the Coro Center and Sean Fabich from Leadership Pittsburgh joined the group for a panel discussion on Leadership Development Initiatives. The highlight of the week focused on a case study entitled “Royal Dutch Shell in Nigeria: Operating in a Fragile State.” Both GSPIA MPA students and MBA students from the Katz School studied the article in their respective classes. Then, on Friday afternoon at the Pittsburgh Athletic Association, the students and Nigerians joined together in a spirited roundtable discussion focusing on the study with the help of three discussion questions. The Nigerians had been told that they were to be the teachers of the students, who knew of the situation only from the reading. Lively discussion ensued, with the students sharing their ideas and thoughts and the Nigerians providing their more informed and personal viewpoints. Dr. Kearns, as moderator, asked each group to share the results of their table’s discussion, offering an enlightening end to the afternoon’s event. During the reception that followed, many conversations between the students and the Nigerian visitors continued. One student was overheard saying, “What this taught me is never to believe just what is written. There is always more to the story.”

Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership - Thursday, September 18, 2008
There was a lecture by Alice Eagly, professor of Psychology at Northwestern University, at the Pittsburgh Athletic Association on Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership. Linda Babcock, Professor from
Carnegie Mellon University, provided a response.

One of the nation's leading scholars on gender and leadership, Alice Eagly, has written a powerful new book, The Labyrinth of Leadership, that re-examines the path women must follow to assume leadership positions in all types of organizations. Professor Eagly questions conventional wisdom about the so-called "glass ceiling," and argues instead that women must navigate a complex labyrinth of issues and challenges on their way to the top.

To watch the videorecording of this event, follow the "More Information" link.
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Spring Lecture Series - Monday, May 12, 2008
4:30 PM
Pittsburgh Athletic Association
Schenley Lounge
4215 5th Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Why Giving Matters

Arthur C. Brooks, Louis A. Bantle Professor of Business and Government Policy Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
Syracuse University

Giving and volunteering are often seen as merely resources to support charitable activities, and many nonprofit organizations see fundraising as little more than a necessary evil. But research has emerged showing that giving and volunteering are, in and of themselves, an enormous source of prosperity, health, and happiness for givers themselves. This presentation lays out the evidence that charity is one of the most important sources of strength and vitality for individuals, communities, and our nation.

Combining Practice and Theory to Improve Nonprofit Accountability and Governance - Thursday, March 27, 2008
Case Western Reserve University

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Spring Lecture Series - Thursday, March 06, 2008
4:30 PM
Pittsburgh Athletic Association
Schenley Lounge
4215 5th Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

The Collapse of Fortress Bush: The Crisis of Authority in American Government

Alasdair Roberts, Professor
Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
Syracuse University

Award-winning author and political analyst, Alasdair Roberts has written a new book that provides a fresh, balanced, and disturbing portrayal of the American presidency. While the Bush Administration has been widely criticized for its arrogance and unilateral decision making, Roberts’ comprehensive research uncovers a surprisingly weak president who was unable or unable to wield authority effectively and with broad legitimacy. Roberts links the failures of the Bush presidency to historical trends in American politics and culture. The book paints a disturbing tale of the failure of executive leadership in a manner that transcends partisan politics.

Spring Lecture Series - Thursday, February 21, 2008
4:00-6:00 PM
Rivers Club, One Oxford Center, Pittsburgh, PA

The Foundation: A Great American Secret

Joel L. Fleishman, Professor
Duke University

Joel Fleishman has written a highly acclaimed book assailing philanthropic foundations for lack of transparency and accountability. As former head of the Atlantic Philanthropic Service Corporation, one of the most secretive foundations in the country, Joel Fleishman knows of what he speaks. American foundations, he claims, have operated in the shadows and without market pressures to hold them accountable for performance or for adherence to standard practices of good management and governance. Can the effectiveness of philanthropic foundations be monitored? What changes in management, governance, and oversight are essential to holding foundations more accountable to the publics they serve?

Note: This seminar is offered in partnership with The Pittsburgh Foundation and Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania. Attendance is limited and tickets are required for entry. Tickets may be obtained by contacting the Johnson Institute office at 412-648-1336. Please RSVP by February 14th.

Spring Lecture Series - Wednesday, February 13, 2008
4:30 PM
3911 Posvar Hall

The State of Civil Society Leadership in the Czech Republic

Marek Skovajsa, Professor
Charles University
Prague, Czech Republic

Less than two decades after the collapse of communism, the Czech Republic is a consolidated democracy, a rapidly modernizing market economy and a member state of the European Union. Yet the condition of its nongovernmental institutions and civil society leadership was significantly weakened by decades of totalitarian rule. What is the state of nongovernmental organizations and the Czech civil society infrastructure today? In particular, what leadership challenges must be addressed if Czech civil society is to facilitate the country’s continued growth and influence? What is the state of civil society research in the Czech Republic? These and other questions will be addressed in this seminar.

Light refreshments will be provided.

4th Annual Regional Equitable Development Summit - Friday, November 16, 2007 8:30AM to 12:30PM
Twentieth Century Club
On November 16, 2007 Sustainable Pittsburgh, in partnership with the Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership, held the 4th Annual Regional Equitable Development Summit to tackle this question and other similar questions. The keynote speaker for the Summit was David Rusk, author of Cities Without Suburbs, Baltimore Unbound, and Inside Game/Outside Game. His speech, “Most Livable Region by Growing Opportunity for All” focused on Pennsylvania’s regionalism issues and their effects. Rusk pointed out that governmental fragmentation brings about greater racial and economic segregation, as well as slower economic growth. He also provided answers as to how to reverse the negative trends that Pittsburgh is facing. His solution was “by inter-governmental collaboration for greater regional effectiveness”, not by “inter-governmental collaboration for greater service efficiency.” To do this, Pittsburgh must have regional, anti-sprawl, pro-core land use, transportation and other infrastructure planning, regional, unified economic development programs, regional, “fair share” workforce housing policies/programs, and regional tax-base sharing.

After Rusk’s keynote speech, panelists representing a wide variety of issues, such as affordable housing, economic development, education, racial and economic inclusion, and access to work, had the floor to discuss how to create a more equitable region through these avenues. Immediately following the panel, each panelist held a breakout session for their specific area of expertise to discuss ways to partner to advance regional equity.

Over 150 local civic leaders joined together to tackle these issues of regionalism and segregation of opportunity that the Pittsburgh region faces. In an interview after his speech, Rusk said that the best way for students to make an impact is to know what the right questions are to ask of their leaders and then challenge them to action. They have to know where to “chase down some of the answers” before being able to be successful in promoting change.

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Student Colloquium Featuring GSPIA Alum Ehaab Abdou - Wednesday, October 24, 2007 Noon-1:30PM
3430 Posvar Hall
On October 24, 2007, 40 students and faculty of GSPIA had the privilege of hearing, Ehaab Abdou (MID ’04) a distinguished recent GSPIA grad give a noontime lecture titled “Entrepreneurial Leadership for Social Change: The case of Nahdet el Mahrousa (http://www.nahdetmasr.org/).

Abdou first gave a brief history of Egyptian society, its recent trends and the problems it faces before speaking more in depth about Nahdet el Mahrousa (NM), the NGO that Abdou founded in Egypt. Nahdet el Mahrousa literally means “A Responsibility towards Egypt” and is an incubator for creative ideas and a network of young Egyptians who are committed to building a better society through projects that address socioeconomic and development needs. NM’s mission is to seek “to a have a positive impact on Egypt's development through engaging young Egyptian professionals in developing their country and shaping its future.”

One of the most important aspects of NM is their incubated projects. They find pilot projects that prove to be successful prototypes for development and then find ways to fund them nationally. Eventually, when the project receives funding it becomes independent and has its own paid staff, but NM still provides assistance.

One of the most inspiring parts of Abdou’s lecture was when he recounted how NM initially started. It all began when he sent an e-mail from Pitt in November of 2002 to young Egyptian professionals that he knew in the United States and in Egypt about his ideas. The first draft of NM’s strategic plan came from a strategic plan he wrote for class while a student at GSPIA.

In Pursuit of the Public Interest - Wednesday, October 25, 2006 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Pittsburgh Athletic Association, Bigelow Room
What does the injunction, “Serve the public interest,” really mean for public managers, and why is it important? Dr. Carol Lewis, professor of political science at the University of Connecticut, will discuss different perspectives of public interest and offer a multi-faceted formulation of the public manager’s duty—a process that involves the current concerns of democracy and mutuality and the future concerns of sustainability and legacy.

In her systematic anaylsis of what defines the public interest, Dr. Lewis will highlight a case study of the reaction to the looting of Iraq’s National Museum of Antiquities in 2003 to illustrate the worldwide recognition of the legacy obligation to future generations.

The Press and the Erosion of Public Trust - Wednesday, September 20, 2006 4:30pm
Pittsburgh Athletic Association, Bigelow Room
Recent controversies involving sloppy reporting or outright fabrication of news stories have damaged the credibility of major news organizations and raised public alarm about enforcement of ethical standards in the journalism profession. Professor Maggie Patterson, an expert in media ethics, will examine two high-profile controversies -- the 1980-81 Janet Cooke fabrication of a story “Jimmy’s World” in the Washington Post and fabricated stories written by Jayson Blair at the New York Times from 1999 to 2003. These two cases offer important insights on the professional and commercial pressures faced by writers and editors as well as the procedural problems associated with institutional oversight of journalists. Professor Patterson will also explore management and policy recommendations regarding media oversight.
Professor Patterson teaches Journalism at Duquesne University, where she is also director of a masters program in Professional Media Practices. She, with Ph.D. student Steve Urbanski, received the Johnson Institute’s Best Paper Award in Ethics and Accountability. She is a former head of the Media Ethics Division for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. She has co-authored the book Behind the Lines: Case Studies in Investigative Reporting (with Robert H. Russell, Columbia University Press). Her most recent article “Murder in our Midst: Expanding Coverage to Include Care and Responsibility”, written with Romayne Smith Fullerton, will be published in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Mass Media Ethics. Professor Patterson is currently writing a biography of Art Rooney, founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers football team, with her husband, historian Rob Ruck.
Dr. Urbanski is a page design editor at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He advises The Duquesne Duke, the weekly student newspaper serving Duquesne University and has taught communication and journalism at both Duquesne and Point Park University. His research interests include ethics, the media and culture. With a Ph.D. in rhetoric from Duquesne, his dissertation, entitled "Learning to be Free: The Print Media of Cotonou," investigated the role the print media played in defining the concept of freedom in Cotonou, the largest city in Benin, West Africa.

Technological, Organizational and Institutional Safeguards - Friday, May 19, 2006 Noon
Room 501, IS Building, University of Pittsburgh
Policy, Ethics and Accountability Lecture Series

Professor Meijer will discuss the nature of safeguards for the authenticity of electronic records. Many theorists and practitioners focus on technological safeguards. Empirical research on the use of records by accountability also shows that organizational and institutional safeguards can be identified. Meijer theorizes that organizations should create integral arrangements of technological, organizational and institutional safeguards in the design of recordkeeping systems.

Speaker Information: Albert Jacob Meijer studied chemistry at the University of Nijmegen and communication science at Wageningen University. After finishing his studies, Meijer was responsible for knowledge management at a Dutch development aid organization and served as a consultant with a Dutch IT firm. In November 2002, Meijer received his PhD from Erasmus University Rotterdam. Meijer, an Associate Professor at the Utrecht School of Governance, teaches public administration and policy sciences at the bachelor and master levels. His research interests include public accountability, informatization in public administration and the use of e-mail by government organizations.

The Paradox of Preservation with Professor Michele Cloonan - Thursday, April 20, 2006 4:30 pm to 6 pm
Frick Fine Arts Auditorium
School of Information Sciences and Johnson Institute Policy, Ethics & Accountability Lecture Series

What are the moral, cultural, and ethical issues related to the preservation and recording of history? How should we document and analyze events of significant moral and ethical contention? Professor Cloonan will consider the cases of the historical preservation of concentration camps, the "re-construction" of the Bamiyan statues in Afghanistan, and the preservation of Native American artifacts.

Professor Cloonan is Dean and Professor of the Simmons Graduate School of Library and Information Science. She has written widely in areas of preservation, book trade history, and bibliography. Her most recent publications have concerned the preservation of digital media. Before she began her teaching career, she worked as a book conservator at the Newberry Library in Chicago and started the preservation program at Brown University. She has also served on the editorial boards of Libraries & Culture and Library Quarterly.

This event is co-sponsored by the School of Information Sciences and the Johnson Institute.

NGOs, Development and Changing Standards of Accountability - Friday, April 07, 2006 8 am to 3 pm
The Conference featured:

• Keynote Speaker Michael Edwards - Director, Governance and Civil Society Program, Ford Foundation
• Clifford Bob - Assistant Professor of Political Science, Duquesne University
• Evelyn Brody - Professor of Law, Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology
• L. David Brown – Director of International Programs, Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
• Alnoor Ebrahim - Associate Professor of Government and International Affairs and Urban Affairs and Planning, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• Lisa Jordan - Program Officer, Governance and Civil Society Program, Ford Foundation
• William E. Trueheart - President and CEO, The Pittsburgh Foundation
• Dennis Young - Bernard B. and Eugenia A. Ramsey Chair of Private Enterprise, Georgia State University

Use the following links for the video of the conference:
mms://CIDDE-WEB.cidde.pitt.edu/CIDDE/GSPIA/GSPIA_NGO_2006_Tape1.wmv

mms://CIDDE-WEB.cidde.pitt.edu/CIDDE/GSPIA/GSPIA_NGO_2006_Tape2.wmv

mms://CIDDE-WEB.cidde.pitt.edu/CIDDE/GSPIA/GSPIA_NGO_2006_Tape3.wmv


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Is Government Still Accountable? with Thomas Blanton of the National Security Archive - Thursday, April 06, 2006 4:30 pm to 6 pm
Frick Fine Arts Auditorium
School of Information Sciences and Johnson Institute Policy, Ethics & Accountability Lecture Series

Thomas S. Blanton, Executive Director of the National Security Archive at George Washington University, discussed headline-making news about government accountability and freedom of information. Mr. Blanton, who filed his first Freedom of Information Act request in 1976, is a noted policy expert and advocate for opening up the “black vault” of government secrecy. He has been recently featured on NPR, PBS, MSNBC, and numerous other media outlets discussing government policy on sensitive information, government wiretapping, and the U.S. Intelligence Community's Secret Historical Document Reclassification Program. His presentation examined access to government records, challenges to that access, and how to hold the government accountable to its citizens. Mr. Blanton noted the current times highlight the problems of access to government information and openness but civil servants and bureaucrats often maintain strong ethical codes that help promote adequate public information.

Mr. Blanton has been with the Archive since 1986, becoming the Executive Director in 1992. The Archive won U.S. journalism's George Polk Award in April 2000 for "piercing self-serving veils of government secrecy, guiding journalists in search for the truth, and informing us all." The Los Angeles Times (16 January 2001) described the Archive as "the world's largest nongovernmental library of declassified documents."

Blanton filed his first Freedom of Information Act request in 1976 as a weekly newspaper reporter in Minnesota; and among many hundreds subsequently, he filed the FOIA request and subsequent lawsuit (with Public Citizen Litigation Group) that forced the release of Oliver North's Iran-contra diaries in 1990. His books include White House E-Mail: The Top Secret Computer Messages the Reagan-Bush White House Tried to Destroy, which The New York Times described as "a stream of insights into past American policy, spiced with depictions of White House officials in poses they would never adopt for a formal portrait." He co-authored The Chronology on the Iran-contra affair, and served as a contributing author to three editions of the ACLU's authoritative guide, Litigation Under the Federal Open Government Laws, and to the Brookings Institution study Atomic Audit: The Costs and Consequences of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Since 1940. His articles have appeared in The International Herald-Tribune, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, Slate, the Wilson Quarterly, and many other publications. A graduate of Harvard University, where he was an editor of the independent university daily newspaper The Harvard Crimson, he won Harvard's 1979 Newcomen Prize in history. He also received the 1996 American Library Association James Madison Award Citation for "defending the public's right to know." He is a founding editorial board member of freedominfo.org, the virtual network of international freedom of information advocates; and serves on the editorial board of H-DIPLO, the diplomatic history electronic bulletin board, and on the board of directors of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, among other professional activities.

Reaching for Hospitality with Verne Harris, Centre for Memory, Nelson Mandela Foundation - Thursday, March 23, 2006 4:30 pm to 6 pm
Frick Fine Arts Auditorium
School of Information Sciences and Johnson Institute Policy, Ethics & Accountability Lecture Series

“Reaching for Hospitality: Politics and Ethics in Recordmaking”

Verne Harris, an archivist and Project Manager with the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Houghton, South Africa, presented a lecture on the roles of archivists and of politics as intruders in recordmaking. Mr. Harris addressed the case for a just politics for recordmakers, a politics based on reaching for hospitality.

Speaker’s Bio: Verne Harris currently serves as the Project Manager for the Centre of Memory at the Nelson Mandela Foundation. The Centre is dedicated to providing memory resources in honor of Mr. Mandela and his work. Previously, Harris was the Director of the South African History Archive (SAHA), an independent archive that documents the struggles against apartheid and for justice in post-apartheid South Africa. He has also been a part-time lecturer in archives in the University of the Witwatersrand's post-graduate program in Heritage Studies. He has published widely in the fields of archives, records management, history, music, and fiction. He is author of Exploring Archives: An Introduction to Archival Ideas and Practice in South Africa (2000) and co-editor and a contributing author to Refiguring the Archive (2002). Most recently, he served on the team of editors and writers for A Prisoner in the Garden: Photos, letters, and notes from Nelson Mandela’s 27 years in prison (2006).

This event is co-sponsored by the School of Information Sciences and the Johnson Institute.

Public Ethics, Legal Accountability and the New Governance with Professor Laura S. Jensen - Thursday, February 23, 2006 4:30 pm to 6 pm
Pittsburgh Athletic Association Bigelow Room
School of Information Sciences and Johnson Institute Policy, Ethics & Accountability Lecture Series

The face and deliverers of public service are continually changing, especially as new contracting and governance regimes emerge, but the results of such changes and the effects on the American citizen are unclear. Professor Laura Jensen examined these issues in the Policy, Ethics and Accountability Lecture on “Public Ethics, Legal Accountability and the New Governance”, hosted by the Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership and the School of Information Sciences. About 80 students, University staff, and government and nonprofit officials joined the engaging discussion.

Professor Jensen contends that outsourcing is a new way of life for government that most Americans do not fully understand. Contracting regimes are not self-regulating nor do they guarantee performance. The key question is how to make certain that we use the best available services while still protecting American citizens. This issue is not new or of one administration or country. It spans political parties and continents.

The record of contracting and new forms of provision of services is mixed. According to Professor Jensen, successes have been shown in job training programs but failure is apparent in contracting out of prison services. Regardless, contractors face significant organizational and management issues, especially in hiring adequate staff and assuring appropriate cash flow. Privatization and contracting out are not necessarily bad but rather an unanswered question is how contracted organizations fit into public law.

Public law is meant to assure appropriate public authority and jurisprudence, but it is not keeping up with changes in the American governance regime. State action is still different then private action, but courts are struggling with how to decide what is state action in these new governance regimes. Professor Jensen used two cases in the 1980s to document how the courts are not creating a unified set of case laws to deal with accountability issues in contracted services. It still is unclear what is meant by “inherently governmental functions”.

At the heart of the issue is that public law’s ability to hold government accountable does not always hold in the case of government contractors. This new governance regime leads to unintended consequences because of the lack of legal accountability, which Professor Jensen highlighted in the case of privatized military. As an audience member stated, the issue of contractors also extends to ideas of business ethics and fundamental changes in management due to contracts. There is increased hope that these issues will be discussed because of the public’s growing awareness of the issues of contractors and the realization that government is not just ‘red tape’ but also provides essential elements to society. Professor Jensen concluded by noting that issues of contracting and privatization are not about more or less government, as now these contractors form part of new shape of state governance that in essence still keeps government size the same, but rather how these new forms of governance are accountable to public law.

Are the Archives Doomed? with Rick Prelinger of the Prelinger Archives - Thursday, January 26, 2006 4:30 pm to 6 pm
Frick Fine Arts Auditorium
School of Information Sciences and Johnson Institute Policy, Ethics & Accountability Lecture Series

Rick Prelinger, the founder of the Prelinger Archives, presented a lecture on the marginalization of archives in light of copyright issues, advances in technology and resistance to providing access to collections to over 100 members of the University of Pittsburgh community. Mr. Prelinger documented the growing importance of the new public roles of the archivist and their collections. In recent years archives have moved from the cultural fringes to the center, and many now see them as exciting, relevant and culturally hip institutions. Archival materials and collections permeate the culture, and old and new images and sounds intertwine in our media and minds.

However, as the time of archives has come, their life may be endangered. Crucially important cultural resources reside behind for-profit or restricted walled gardens, inaccessible to many. Quick web searches are replacing deep research, and most archival materials aren’t on the web. Copyright snags, a reluctance to embrace technology and resistance to providing public access are marginalizing archives at the very moment when they might otherwise be finding massive new audiences for their contents.

Archivists and librarians have a continued and vital role in society. Providing open access to information is essential. In particular, issues of copyright protection have to be creative. Mr. Prelinger noted the use of creative commons types of copyright. Disciplines must work together to sort out difficult questions of proprietary information and means of appropriately maintaining information.

Following, there was a screening of Mr. Prelinger's all-archival feature film, “Panorama Ephemera,” The New York Times notes that “Rick Prelinger’s collection of industrial and educational films, combined in a feature called ‘Panorama Ephemera’, creates a compelling narrative of our collective conscious.”

Government Secrecy in the Information Age with Professor Alasdair Roberts - Thursday, January 19, 2006 4:30 pm to 6 pm
Pittsburgh Athletic Association Bigelow Room
The idea of transparency and increased government openness has permeated throughout the world, but its implementation remains challenging, as evidenced from Professor Alasdair Roberts’ discussion of “Government Secrecy in the Information Age”.

At the Policy, Ethics & Accountability Lecture series, co-hosted by the Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership of Pittsburgh and the School of Information Sciences, Professor Roberts of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs provided a balanced debate on the current state of transparency. With a crowd of over 100, Professor Roberts noted that the in the last 40 years there has been a general diffusion of the term and ideology of government openness. Webster’s Dictionary recently named ‘transparency’ one of its words of the year.

According to Roberts, the ideal of transparency has been helped by the growth of international organization and nonprofits and a public desire for responsibility in politics and governance. However, as evidenced domestically in the U.S., there has been an intense debate over how to implement this transparency. Many people now say secrecy is at it greatest, but Roberts cautions that such outright statements do not provide an accurate picture. Rather, a more accurate assessment noted that the implementation of transparency, especially in poorer countries with limited civic discourse, is very difficult.

Four major changes have significantly affected transparency. First, new laws have encouraged a strong sweep for open government, such as FOIA laws. Second, there has been a growth in the environment of watchdogs of government. Third, dissent, such as through whistleblowers, is permitted though not perfect. Lastly, technology has changed to more effectively diffuse information.

Despite these trends for more transparency, changing ideas of governance are posing significant dilemmas for government transparency. Roberts noted, in particular, the issue of privatization and contracting out. While bureaucracy can control certain elements of government, as government services are implemented by non-government agents, the ideals and use of transparency can prove challenging. Privatization cannot evade transparency. The lack of transparency in international organization, for which Roberts won the Johnson Award for Best Papers in Ethics and Accountability, and networking of security also pose significant problems in transparency implementation. These issues, among others, are also discussed in Roberts new book Blacked Out : Government Secrecy in the Information Age (2006).

Regional Equity Summit: Shared Prosperity, Stronger Regions - Tuesday, December 13, 2005 7:30am - 11:30am
20th Century Club in Oakland, 4201 Bigelow Blvd
Regional Equity Summit: Shared Prosperity, Stronger Regions--An Agenda for Rebuilding Older Core Cities

Sustainable Pittsburgh's annual Regional Equity Summit, in partnership with Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership, featured Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and chief executive officer of PolicyLink, a national nonprofit research, communications, capacity-building, and advocacy organization.

The Summit centered on the new report, "Shared Prosperity, Stronger Regions: An Agenda for Rebuilding Older Core Cities," produced by PolicyLink in partnership with Community Development Partnerships’ Network (CDPN). A round-table discussion featured local stakeholders representing government, businesses, and community interests.

National Partner organizations include Baltimore Neighborhood Collaborative, Neighborhood Progress in Cleveland Ohio , Detroit LISC, the Philadelphia Neighborhood Development Collaborative, and Sustainable Pittsburgh.


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The Ethics of Dissent with Professor Janne Nolan - Thursday, December 01, 2005 4:30 pm to 6pm
Pittsburgh Athletic Association Bigelow Room
School of Information Sciences and Johnson Institute
Policy, Ethics & Accountability Lecture Series

With an eager crowd of over 70 students and community members, Professor Janne Nolan advised all to remember the importance of ethics and differing opinions in policy-making. Using the cases of the fall of the Shah of Iran in 1979, the withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan, and the bombings of U.S. embassies in East Africa in 1998 Professor Nolan highlighted that major strategic and intelligence failures are often really failures of acknowleding different viewpoints and facts.

While recent headlines and foreign tactics certainly showcase the problems of a lack of dissent in Washington, Professor Nolan showed that the problems of a lack of a "marketplace of ideas" are not new or unique to the current administration. In fact, using the three cases mentioned above, Nolan documented that there was knowledge of these events but those who warned of them were marginalized by other policy-makers. Policymakers in power gave little thought or attention to the effects of certain policies, especially arming certain factions, documented in the above cases. For example, in Afghanistan, the long-term effects of arming groups did not enter the mainstream of policy-making agenda.

Nolan concluded by calling for more focused attention on local populations and recognizing the importance of a wide perspective. However, she noted that such policy-making is very challenging and difficult.

Click on more information to read about coverage of the event in The Pitt News.
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Young Leadership Panel: Becoming a Leader in Public Service - Wednesday, September 14, 2005
What does it take to gain leadership positions as young professionals? Four of Pittsburgh’s most prominent activists under 40 candidly shared their insight on leadership in public service at this panel discussion. The featured guests were Heather Arnet, playwright and President of the Women & Girl’s Foundation, Gregg Behr, President of the Forbes Funds, Rich Overmoyer, GSP Consulting and former Deputy Secretary of the Technology Investment Office in the Department of Community and Economic Department, and Cori Shropshire, staff writer for The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Coro Center for Civic Leadership Fellow for Public Affairs from 2000-2001.

In an engaging debate with students, these activists all saw leaders of the 21st century crossing boundaries in terms of discipline, sector, and location. Young students starting their careers in public service should work to share their vision with others through strong argumentation, policy, and communication tools. Those in attendance praised the candid comments of the panelists. One student in particular noted: “We often hear about them and what they're doing but often don't get to see them in the flesh. It's a great inspiration.”