Ethics in the Workplace

We Are All Winners With An Ethical Culture!

Georgia College & State University and the USG BOR are committed to creating a more ethical culture.  This webpage is intended to provide you with our core values and the importance of building an ethical culture together.

Ethics Awareness Week 2023

Annually, the USG highlights their commitment through an Ethics Awareness Week which is scheduled this year for November 6-12, 2023. The purpose of this week is to remind our campus community of our commitment to an ethical culture and our shared ethical values and expectations. 

Georgia College & State University, along with the other 25 USG institutions and the University System Office, are hosting activities to bring awareness to the importance of an ethical culture. We share in our Core Values of Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect.

Ethics Awareness Week Schedule

Bobcat Community:

  • Tuesday, November 7, 11:00 a.m. -5:00 p.m. and Wednesday, November 8, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., Blood Drive in Donahoo Lounge
  • Friday, November 10, 12:00-5:00 p.m., Food Drive to support the Agape Festival in Donahoo Lounge.  Food Donation Guide

Faculty and Staff Events:

  • Monday, November 6, 8:30-10:00 a.m., Eggs and Ethics with speaker James Robertson in Magnolia Ballroom
  • Tuesday, November 7, 12:00-1:00 p.m., USG presents The Color of Money: Uses & Limitations
    • Anyone can attend; however, the target audience is institutional finance leadership and staff (including those managing budgets), provosts, and academic affairs faculty and staff.
    • Presenters are Amanda Bibby, Associate Vice Chancellor of Accounting & Reporting USG, and Lisa Little, Executive Director of Strategic Sourcing USG
  • Wednesday, November 8, 10:00-11:00 a.m., USG presents Chancellor's Panel: Ethical Considerations for a Data-Driven Landscape 
  • Thursday, November 9, 10:00-11:00 am, USG presents Promoting an Ethical Culture in Challenging Times
    • Featuring Nigel Lange, Interim Inspector General, State of Georgia; Jenna Wiese, Vice Chancellor, Audit, Ethics & Compliance, USG; Dr. Bruce Weinstein, CEO, Institute for High-Character Leadership
    • CEUs available

Student Events:

  • Tuesday, November 7, 9:00-11:00 a.m., Election Day Doughnut Giveaway in the Den
  • Daily Dilemma Instagram Polls- Students are encouraged to respond to the daily posts, share their thoughts in the comments, and continue the conversation with their friends about situations facing college students today.

What do we mean by workplace ethics?

One of the most important responsibilities that we place on the employees of organizations is upholding the highest standards of ethical behavior.  In a nutshell, this comes down to doing the right thing even when the wrong thing might also have some attraction.  Workplace ethics are most often related to decision-making processes.  Most leaders face the opportunity to choose between alternative courses of action in their work situations and other aspects of their lives. Work-place ethics refer to choosing the option that is determined to be the moral or legal “right” choice, even if the other alternative(s) are very attractive and even if you can “get away with” the less ethical choice. 

Who is Responsible for Creating an Ethical Culture at Georgia College?

All the stakeholders in the Georgia College community are responsible for creating an ethical culture.

Stakeholders Include:

  • Students 
  • Faculty
  • Staff

Students are responsible for upholding the GCSU Honor Code and acting in an ethical manner inside and outside the classroom.

Faculty and Staff

Faculty and Staff are required to learn and follow the GCSU and BOR ethics policies and perform their jobs to the highest ethical standards.  Visit USG BOR Ethics Policy 8.2.18.1 and Core Values located here: 

View Board of Regents Ethics Policy

WE ARE BOBCATS NOT PIRATES!
Creating a more ethical workplace includes reminders that all campus community members are to not illegally obtain digital content.  

What are Georgia College’s and the USG’s core values?

Every member of the USG community is required to adhere to the USG Statement of Core Values – Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect – that form and guide the daily work of the organization.

  • Integrity – We will be honest, fair, impartial, and unbiased in our dealings both with and on behalf of the USG.
  • Excellence – We will perform our duties to foster a culture of excellence and high quality in everything we do.
  • Accountability – We firmly believe that education in the form of scholarship, research, teaching, service, and developing others is a public trust. We will live up to this trust by safeguarding our resources and being good stewards of the human, intellectual, physical, and fiscal resources given to our care.
  • Respect – We recognize the inherent dignity and rights of every person, and we will do our utmost to fulfill our resulting responsibility to treat each person with fairness, compassion, and decency.


Want to learn more on about a dedication to building an ethical culture?

See these resources: