The second annual Ethics Week at Michigan State University ran from 16 to 20 February 2026, bringing together students, faculty, staff and community members for a week of discussions on ethical decision-making across disciplines. According to MSU Today, the series aimed to create space for sustained conversation about how ethical principles inform research, teaching and institutional leadership. [2],[3]

Programming expanded from the inaugural year, with more than 30 events that ranged across artificial intelligence, leadership, entrepreneurship, law, economics, inclusion and information systems. MSU reported that nearly 1,200 people participated either in person or online, reflecting broad campus and community interest. [2]

The week opened with a session on responsible uses of AI in scholarship and creative work led by Wes Fondren, associate provost for AI at Coastal Carolina University, who addressed the practical and ethical questions researchers face when deploying AI tools. Later in the programme Kay Firth-Butterfield, former Head of Artificial Intelligence at the World Economic Forum, discussed the technical, economic and social shifts driven by AI and the governance challenges they pose. [2],[3]

Events combined panel discussions, workshops and interactive formats to encourage cross-disciplinary dialogue. The final day included a student case competition analysing a contemporary ethical dilemma and a leadership panel in which university executives reflected on how ethics shapes campus decisions. The leadership panel featured President Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Provost Laura Lee McIntyre, Executive Vice President for Administration Vennie Gore, Vice President and Chief Communications Officer Emily Guerrant and Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning Innovation Marcio Oliveira. [2]

“As an assistant vice president, I recognize that the decisions we make influence not only our teams and units, but also the student experience,” Ray Gasser, assistant vice president of Residence Education and Housing Services, said after attending several sessions. “The workshops offered spaces to step back from the day-to-day and reflect on how ethical principles should guide my decision-making, communication and how I build a team. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to continue to learn and contemplate my own ethics and values.” [2]

Provost Laura Lee McIntyre emphasised the value of critical thinking and encountering diverse perspectives within higher education, saying those commitments support a community of “curious and engaged scholars, students and community members.” President Guskiewicz used the platform to outline plans for an Ethics Institute that, he said, would integrate ethics into curriculum, research and everyday campus conversations. The university presented the institute as a means to make ethical reasoning a routine part of institutional life. [1],[2]

The programme was coordinated by units across MSU, including the MSU Ethics Institute, the Broad College of Business, the Center for Ethical and Socially Responsible Leadership, the College of Arts and Letters, the College of Social Science, the College of Osteopathic Medicine, the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, the Office of the University Ombudsperson, University Health and Wellbeing, MSU Libraries and Army ROTC. Organisers said the breadth of partners was intended to reflect the many arenas in which ethical questions arise on campus and beyond. [3],[4]

Source Reference Map

Inspired by headline at: [1]

Sources by paragraph:

Source: Noah Wire Services