Undergraduate Certificate Program in Leadership and Ethics
I.
Unit Housing Certificate
The School of Public Affairs/College of Public Programs and
The Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics/College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
In cooperation with the Barrett Honors College and
The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics
II.
Organization of Undergraduate Leadership and Ethics Certificate Program
The School of Public Affairs, in conjunction with the Lincoln Center for Applied
Ethics, the Barrett Honors College, and the Department of Intercollegiate
Athletics, requests authorization to offer an Undergraduate Certificate in
Leadership and Ethics. The School of Public Affairs consists of 14 faculty
members, the Morrison Institute for Public Policy, and the Advanced Public
Executive Program. The School offers an Undergraduate Certificate in Public
Administration and Public Management, a B.I.S. Concentration in Public
Administration and Public Management, a Master of Public Administration, and a
Doctor of Philosophy in Public Administration.
The Lincoln Center includes faculty from several colleges and departments:
Barrett Honors College, W.P. Carey School of Business, College of Education,
Katherine K. Herberger College of Fine Arts, College of Law, School of Life
Sciences and the School of Justice and Social Inquiry. Each Lincoln Professor
serves as a liaison between the Center and his or her respective college or school.
The Lincoln Professors serve as advisors and mentors in their colleges and
schools regarding the development and offering of courses containing ethical
content in the various disciplines within their colleges. They teach at least one
undergraduate course every semester on ethics in their respective fields.
The Barrett Honors College is an umbrella unit to all others at ASU, seeking to
recruit and educate the most intellectually engaged undergraduate students in the
State of Arizona and in the Nation. BHC has 2700 undergraduate students, over
one quarter of who are National Merit, National Hispanic, and National
Achievement scholars. Honors curriculum emphasizes critical thinking and
discourse; honors students work closely with faculty and participate in many
seminar courses. Community service, leadership, and scholarship are combined
in the academic experience of BHC students.
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The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics serves as an integral part of the
educational experience for 500 athletically gifted students. In this capacity, the
intercollegiate athletics program provides a platform for students to develop and
hone leadership skills and to apply moral reasoning. The Department of
Intercollegiate Athletics served as a catalyst for this Undergraduate Certificate
and supports the Leadership and Ethics through Sport track.
III.
Name of Proposed Certificate Program
Undergraduate Certificate in Leadership and Ethics
IV.
Purpose and Nature of Certificate
The Certificate in Leadership and Ethics will provide a catalyst for students with
identified leadership potential to become ethical leaders of organizational and
community change. Specifically, the Certificate in Leadership and Ethics is
designed to prepare individuals for positions of leadership and responsibility in
the university, in their communities, and throughout their careers in business,
government, and society; to explore the relationship between leadership and the
capacity for individuals to assume responsibility for their actions and to act with a
sense of ethics and integrity; and to provide students an understanding of change
processes as they affect individuals, groups, and organizations throughout society,
so that they might better learn to cope with and direct change in positive and
beneficial ways.
This certificate enhances interdisciplinary education at Arizona State University.
In combination with other undergraduate degree programs, this certificate offers
students grounding in leadership, teamwork, decision-making, ethical thinking,
and relationship skills and increased choice in a coherent set of electives and
related fields.
V.
Duplication and Appropriateness for ASU
The proposed certificate does not duplicate existing certificates, minors or majors
in the Arizona university system. The Phoenix metropolitan region is home to
local, state, county, federal and not-for-profit organizations, major corporate
headquarters, community groups and one of the largest higher education
institutions in the nation. These provide opportunities for student recruitment, but
also for internships and job placements for students once they complete the
certificate program. Since there are so many potential benefits of a certificate
program in leadership and ethics in a major metropolitan area, Arizona State
University is the logical location for this program.
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VI.
Primary Audiences for Certificate
a. Students who wish to enhance their degree in an existing undergraduate
major at ASU.
b. Students who are active (or wish to be active) in leadership roles
throughout the campus or local communities, the state, the nation and the
world.
c. Working adults who may wish to further their education but are not
enrolled in a degree program. Many of these students may engage in a
certificate program that focuses more narrowly on their specific areas of
interest. Some of these students may eventually want to pursue an
undergraduate or graduate degree program as a result of their success in
the certificate program.
d. Some students may have existing degrees and may want to refresh their
skills or add to their experiential skill set.
VII.
Admissions Process
Students interested in earning the certificate must make formal application to the
School of Public Affairs. This certificate is available to all admitted
undergraduate students, regular or non-degree, who have completed 45 hours of
credit and who have a cumulative grade point average of 2.67 or higher. Students
may begin taking courses before they formally apply for the certificate; however,
they should apply for admission as soon as possible.
A special track in Leadership and Ethics through Sport will be a substantial part
of the certificate in leadership and ethics. The transferable leadership skills
learned through sport will be emphasized in this track, which will consist of one
elective and a special treatment of these topics in the capstone. Additionally, case
studies using sport will be used to understand ethical dilemmas, etc. Students
pursuing this track would be required to meet the basic criteria for selection to the
program, but also be granted admission by a special committee that will consider
a number of criteria, including identified leadership potential, academic
achievement, evidence of community service involvement, letters of
recommendation, essay, and former or current participation in competitive
athletics.
VIII. Curriculum and Advising
Coursework in the certificate program will involve instruction in 1) leadership
and the associated skills of deliberation, teamwork, problem-solving, negotiation,
mediation, cooperation, and decision-making in multicultural settings; 2) behavior
that accords with the ethical principles and civic virtues of the good and
responsible citizen of the campus community, the local community, the state, the
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nation, and the world; 3) critical, creative, and ethical thinking abilities; and 4)
interpersonal, intra-group, and inter-group relationship skills essential for
achieving success in a culturally diverse and rapidly changing world.
The Certificate in Leadership and Ethics will be awarded to students who have
met the standard for admission and have completed the 15-hour certificate
program of study with a grade point average of 2.67 or higher in certificate
coursework. All courses applied to the certificate must be completed with a grade
of C or better. The Certificate in Leadership and Ethics will require completion
of four core courses, including a leadership capstone experience, and one elective,
discipline-based course in leadership or ethics. The four required courses and
possible electives are shown below. The core courses can also be taken for
Honors credit (footnote 18.)

PAF 494 Building Leadership Skills (three credits): An introduction to
developing leadership skills, including an assessment of the individual
student’s leadership skills, an examination of models of leadership and the
skills and capacities required to lead successfully, and a series of activities in
which students will reflect on the leadership lessons generated through their
university experience.

PHI 394 Ethics and Justice (three credits): Tentative description: An
exploration of the ethical issues confronting contemporary leaders in the
public, private, and nonprofit sectors, with special attention to the relationship
between ethics and justice.

PAF 494 Leadership and Change (three credits): An overview of the
leader’s role in bringing about significant and creative organizational and
societal change, with special attention to establishing a vision, mobilizing and
empowering individuals and groups, and assessing outcomes of the change
process.

PAF 494 Leadership Capstone (three credits): This course will engage
students in specific service learning projects either on-campus or in the
community and provide an opportunity for self-reflection and self-critique
designed to enhance students overall leadership skills. Students will work
directly with community mentors from the public, private, and nonprofit
sectors on specific leadership projects that will test and refine their abilities to
lead. (We anticipate that this course will be a signature experience for
students in the Certificate Program in Leadership and Ethics.)

Elective (three credits): A Leadership/Ethics Course within a substantive
discipline. (Examples follow.)
BUS/HON 497
Honors Colloquium (Leadership through Service)
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COM 430
Leadership in Group CommunicationMGT 300
Organizational Management and Leadership
PAF 420
Public Leadership
PAF 460
Public Service Ethics
PAF 494
Leadership, Ethics, and Sports
PAF 494
Leadership and Communication
POS 314
The American Presidency
REC 430
Managing Nonprofit Organizations
SPF 498
Educational Leadership and Diversity in Sports
Due to the uniqueness of this program, all core courses and the Leadership Capstone
must be taken at Arizona State University (A student could petition this requirement) any
course substitutions for the certificate are at the discretion of the School of Public Affairs.
The Certificate Program advisor will be responsible for monitoring student progress,
providing information regarding internship/job placement opportunities, processing
course substitutions and verifying completion of certificate.
IX.
Faculty
Margaret Walker, Lincoln Professor in the Department of Philosophy, will teach
the philosophy course, Ethics and Justice. The faculty teaching the core classes
and electives offered by the School of Public Affairs will consist primarily of
regular faculty members in the School of Public Affairs with specializations in
leadership, management, ethics, organization behavior, community development
and diversity issues:
Name
Nicholas Alozie
Thomas Catlaw
Rank
Professor
Assistant Professor
Joseph Cayer
Bette DeGraw
Professor
Professor
Janet Denhardt
Professor
Robert
Denhardt
Professor
John Hall
Professor
Zhiyong Lan
Ronald Perry
Professor
Professor
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Area of Specialization
Women and Minority Issues
Civil Society, Globalization,
Organization Behavior
Public Management
Public Administration,
Organization Behavior
Leadership Studies,
Organization Behavior,
Politics and Management
Public Administration,
Organization Behavior,
Leadership
Governance, Community
Building, Conflict Resolution
Organizational Studies
Public Management
In addition to regular faculty members, faculty associates who can teach classes
within the certificate include:
Name
Richard Bowers
Kelly Campbell
Jaime Casap
Tim Delaney
Dickinson
McGaw
Frank Sackton
Edward Twardy
X.
Title
City Manager, Scottsdale,
AZ (retired)
Academic Associate, ASU
Center for Nonprofit
Leadership/Management
Senior Manager,
Organization Capability,
Charles Schwab Corporation
Area of Specialization
Public Entrepreneurship
Leadership, Organization
Behavior
Leadership, Organization
Development
Center for Leadership, Ethics Nonprofit Leadership/Ethics
and Public Service (founder)
ASU Professor Emeritus
Leadership, Organizational
Development, Ethics,
Decision Making
ASU Professor Emeritus
Communication Techniques,
Public Service Ethics
Dean, Continuing Education, Public Leadership
University of Vermont
(retired)
Administration
The School of Public Affairs anticipates approximately 20-30 students enrolled in
certificate classes the first year. The second year, the school expects
approximately 40 students enrolled in the certificate classes. Capacity in the
leadership core classes will be limited to a maximum of 30 in most, but a
maximum of nineteen students in the capstone course. As resources increase,
more classes will be added and more students will be permitted to enroll in the
certificate courses.
Current library holdings, academic resources, student support services and
campus facilities are adequate for the requirements of this certificate. The School
of Public Affairs plans on appointing a Lincoln Professor of Leadership and
Ethics within the school and within the College of Public Programs. This
appointment would carry all the typical responsibilities of a Lincoln
Professorship, and the holder of the professorship would also be expected to take
a leadership role in developing this certificate program and other related activities
in the area of leadership and ethics. Also, the Department of Intercollegiate
Athletics and the School of Public Affairs would fund a new faculty position in
the School of Public Affairs at the lecturer or assistant professor level. This
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individual would be expected to teach in the certificate program, but also teach
other courses in the School of Public Affairs, freeing existing faculty (listed
above) to teach in the certificate program.
The Certificate Program advisor and School of Public Affairs director will be
responsible for any changes or substitutions to the certificate requirements. The
future Lincoln Professor within the department will also provide an advising and
administrative role for the certificate. The School of Public Affairs is responsible
for all issues relating to the certificate.
The School of Public Affairs believes there is a strong need and desire from
students for a certificate program in leadership and ethics. Students will be
recruited from current undergraduate majors. In addition, particular emphasis will
be placed on recruiting students who are active as student leaders throughout
campus and the communities. Current School of Public Affairs staff is adequate
to provide all the resources required for new student recruitment and advising.
Flexible class times and locations will make the certificate a viable option for
those students unable to attend classes during the day.
Prospective students will be required to submit an application to the School of
Public Affairs, and, in the case of students pursuing the “Leadership and Ethics,
through Sport” track, will be required to submit other materials as noted above.
In all cases, the School of Public Affairs staff will check to make sure the
minimum requirements for admission are met. Once admission eligibility is
determined, the staff will enter add the certificate code into the student’s DARS
report. The Certificate Program advisor is responsible for monitoring student
progress and verifying all requirements for the certificate are met. In addition,
once the student completes all the requirements for the certificate, the School of
Public Affairs will forward the necessary paperwork to the College of Public
Programs and the Graduation Office.
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