A Two-Year Reflection: Linda Gallicchio looks back on her first two years at the Institute

As I sit reflecting on my two years with the Rutland Institute for Ethics, one thing stands out: I am too busy to have much time for reflection! Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining. Joining the institute in a new position responsible for outreach has been quite a journey—one that I remain grateful to be on.

I am not a professional ethicist. I could best be described as a “practicing ethicist” in my prior work as a human resources professional and executive in a number of corporations spanning several decades. The “practicing” came from dealing with all those grey matters that I faced numerous times in the course of a day. It was not uncommon in the 1980’s and 1990’s for some to refer to the issues of dealing with people as the “soft” issues. I beg to differ. When situations are clear as mud it can be a challenge to navigate a course to its conclusion without breaking up on the rocks along the way. There are casualties in “soft” issues that can be anything from an irate customer who will never come back, and tell 20 other people their tale of woe, to millions (or billions) of dollars being lost in a white-collar (supposedly victimless) crime.

Let’s face it: this world needs more good works from the Rutland Institute for Ethics and other similar organizations! We are not wanting for opportunities to nurture an ethical environment. That is what excited me two years ago and continues to. The opportunities are inexhaustible. As long as there are people dealing with people, there is work to be done. It is natural for me to network, to envision linkages, and create collaborations—I can’t help myself. So the work is rewarding when I can pull together projects and events with others.

Let’s get on to that brief reflection—of highlights of some events and projects from the past two years. One of the earlier collaborations came in the form of an ethics forum I envisioned and Michele Brinn at the Greenville Chamber helped build into a successful reality. Three distinct forums resulted, each building on the feedback of the prior one, each pulling in sponsors and participants from various sectors within the Upstate.

We also brought some wonderful speakers to campus and the Upstate: William Kilgallin of the Office of the Inspector General at the NSF; Joe McCool author and contributing writer to BusinessWeek; Linda Tarr-Whelan, Demos Fellow and former US Ambassador to the United Nations on the status of women; Dr. Ben Hippen, a nephrologist who spoke on “Organ Sales and Moral Travails”.

One of my favorite projects was an ethics DVD collaboration with Ashley Cowden and her honors writing class through the Clemson English Department’s Client Based Program and nearly 200 students and their teachers at McCants Middle School. Thanks to Duke Energy, we were able to produce over 60 DVDs and discussion guides. IPTAY, Wendy’s Old Fashion, Chick Fil A, Zaxby’s, BiLo and Publix contributed to a Premier Party featuring several of the vignettes acted by McCants students. A visit by the Clemson Tiger was a treat, and he good heartedly took part in a push up contest!

I hope you enjoyed this brief look back. In next quarter’s issue I will begin sharing some of the new and exciting collaborations that are part of this academic year’s work in outreach for the institute. Your interest, support and advocacy are so important to us. Sharing information about us with colleagues, friends and family could be invaluable in helping us grow our outreach and contribution to the various life communities.

~Linda Gallicchio, Associate Director-Business

lgalli@clemson.edu