On Tuesday, the George Washington University School of Business held its first lecture in what is to become an annual series. Named for alumnus Richard W. Blackburn, the series strives to encourage students to discuss business ethics. The first speech was given by author and New York Times Op-Ed columnist David Brooks.
Before the lecture began, GWSB freshman Rebecca Manikkam recited the School of Business Class of 2017 Oath of Honor. Mannikkam won a competition set forth by the GWSB to create an oath that best exemplifies the Bussiness school’s code of ethics and goals.
A GW Law School alumnus and university trustee, Blackburn gave a short speech regarding the purpose of the annual capstone lecture in his name.
“The most important thing I learned in business is trust,” said Blackburn.
He explained that trust allows people to share ideas and be creative. In order to build trust, according to Blackburn, one must have integrity and civility.
In the inaugural lecture, Brooks spoke on integrity and the culture of civility in America. He began his remarks by comparing the ethics of 1940s America to today. Mr. Brooks argued that people used to practice “self-defeat”, a form of stoicism that creates humility.
“We were more humble when we won World War II than [when] a defensive player stops a play for two yards,” said Brooks.
Brooks then gave statistics regarding changes in culture and American public opinion on debt, social trust, and even simple word choices, noting that answers have become mostly negative.
“In past decades, when asked the question how many people can you confide in completely, the answer was around 4 or 5. Now when asked that question, the average is 2 or 3. Also, the number of people who answer 0 has doubled,” said Brooks.
Yet, he argued that this can change if students and those in the business community take an introspective look at both their lives and their careers.
“What we say is the least important thing that we give. What we can give is ourselves.”