Honor & Integrity
Contact Information
Smeal College of Business
The Pennsylvania State University
211D Business Building
University Park, PA 16802
Phone: 814-865-5106
Email: integrity@smeal.psu.edu
On the Web: https://www.smeal.psu.edu/integrity
This is Who We Are
At the Penn State Smeal College of Business, a deep commitment to honor, integrity, diversity, inclusion, and sustainability serves as the bedrock of a culture with which all community members identify – faculty, students, staff, and alumni. The honor code serves as a framework for being accountable to ourselves and to one another.
A testament to our values-driven culture, the honor code helps to define who we strive to be as a community, and it calls on those who wish to be a part of our community to recognize and abide by ethical standards.
As a Smeal student, you accept that success comes only from fair and ethical means, and you are ready to become a leader who acts with honor and integrity. Is the Penn State Smeal culture right for you?
Smeal Honor Code
“We, the Smeal College of Business community, aspire to the highest ethical standards and will hold each other accountable to them. We will not engage in any action that is improper or that creates the appearance of impropriety in our academic lives, and we intend to hold to this standard in our future careers.”
Develop Your Ethical Leadership Skills
Ethics is a cornerstone of long-term success in business, and recruiters seek potential employees with whom they can trust their brand. As a student at Smeal, you are provided an opportunity to develop skills associated with ethical leadership and practice those skills now. Starting in your first year, you will be invited to participate in a variety of initiatives that connect you with recruiters, alumni, faculty, and students who share your commitment to honor and integrity:
PSU 6 Business Ethics Case Competition: In your First Year Seminar, explore how ethics is an integral part of strategic decision making in business as you propose a solution to a real-world problem. Select teams will present their findings to a panel of recruiters who serve as judges and compete for a monetary prize.
Smeal Ethical Achievements in Leadership (SEAL) Challenge: This challenge, which has multiple levels, begins with a focus on skills and experiences to improve your self-leadership and create new relationships that will support your development into a leader of others—all while putting into action your commitment to Smeal’s shared values. Engagement in a number of defined activities will culminate in achieving badges, which yield access to special events with alumni and recruiters, securing a line on your resume that distinguishes you as a future leader.
Support for Honor & Integrity Throughout Smeal
Smeal has a long-standing tradition of being committed to honor and integrity, but our reputation is dependent on the actions of Smeal students. Resources to support our students are available throughout the college, including:
- Academic integrity policies are in place to ensure that your degree is backed by a reputation of quality
- Smeal’s Business Career Center can guide you in the role of integrity throughout recruitment processes, including preparing for behavioral interviews and evaluating the company culture of prospective employers
- Smeal Alumni Relations connects students with mentors to gain new perspectives on how to navigate ethical challenges
- Diversity enhancement and sustainability are critical elements of our commitment to an ethical culture, and Smeal provides a variety of opportunities to ensure a holistic approach to your education
Tarriff Center
The recently established Tarriff Center for Business Ethics and Social Responsibility ensures the permanency of ethics and social responsibility at Smeal and provides new initiatives that support your development into an ethical leader.
A Lifelong Commitment
A commitment to honor and integrity extends throughout, and beyond, your time as a Smeal student. We provide continuous opportunities for you to build on your existing values and develop the skills and knowledge you will rely upon to be a responsible leader for the duration of your professional career.
Getting Involved
Attend a "Donuts and Dilemmas" event: Engage in an informal conversation over coffee and donuts with recruiters and alumni about ethical challenges they’ve faced in their careers and lessons learned.
Participate in the Kohl’s Business with Integrity Case Competition: This competition provides you the opportunity to analyze a contemporary issue in business and recommend a strategic plan that demonstrates business with integrity. In addition to being involved in a great educational experience to refine skills that are critical for ethical leadership in business, qualifying participants will have an opportunity to interact with executives representing a number of outstanding organizations and compete for financial prizes.
Become an Integrity Advocate: Create and support initiatives for your peers, which are designed to increase awareness of Smeal’s commitment to Honor & Integrity and the importance of responsible business activity. Integrity Advocates are provided a unique opportunity to develop their own leadership skills, through such key activities as running case competitions, supporting student organizations, and collaborating with local business leaders.
Join Smeal’s Business Ethics Case Competition Team: This team is comprised of a select number of undergraduate students that work together to develop their ethical decision-making skills, and strategically incorporate ethics and social responsibility into solutions for current challenges in business. Students on this Team represent Smeal at a number of international competitions.
Key Department Contact
Director
Michelle Darnell
Phone: 814-867-5106