Dixie State College of Utah's Udvar-Hazy School of Business continues its bi-monthly noontime Business and Ethics Forum spring semester series on Thursday, February 26, featuring a presentation by local certified public accountant Robert Whatcott.
The Business and Ethics Forum, presented every other Thursday throughout DSC's spring semester, will be held in the Boeing Auditorium (Room 121) of the DSC Udvar-Hazy Business Building. DSC students, faculty and staff, the entire Washington County business community, and the general public are all invited to attend. Admission is free.
Mr. Whatcott will speak to the forum about the CPA profession and "what a normal day of a CPA consists of," especially during the tax season. He will also share his thoughts on the importance of ethics and how ethics plays a vital role in his everyday business practices, but in his experiences as a former St. George city councilman. Whatcott will also answer questions and give career advice to students who have an interest in the accounting field.
Whatcott, who is the owner of Whatcott & Associates, has lived in the St. George area for nearly 30 years. He is a graduate of DSC and Southern Utah University, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Accounting and Business Administration. Whatcott has worked nearly 20 years in the accounting profession, and has also been involved in community activities, including serving on the St. George City Council for 12 years.
The series will continue March 5, with a presentation by local business owner Jason Wells. In addition, local real estate agent Steve Wilson will speak to the forum April 2; and Jack Rolfe, physical therapist and founder of the School of Life Foundation, will wrap up the semester schedule with a presentation April 16.
Each speaker throughout the semester will speak on business matters in their respective professions and have been asked to integrate ethics into the discussion.
The bi-monthly forum, along with campus' Institute for Business Integrity, was created by former DSC president Dr. Robert Huddleston in 2006, as a way to integrate ethics into the curriculum, and have it serve as a blueprint to ensure that students graduate with a set of ethical tools to help them get along in the professional world.
In 2006-07, Dixie Statešs business program sought initial accreditation with the high profile Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). In order to become accredited with the AACSB, ethics were required to be integrated into the collegešs business curriculum. As a result, each business class on the DSC campus now includes an ethical component.
Dr. Huddleston noted that the business forums will give students and current and prospective local business owners an added dose of ethics training that is so sorely needed into todayšs business world. His hope is that by the time students leave Dixie State, they have been exposed to enough ethical cases that, when they get out in the workforce, they will have the wherewithal and the intestinal fortitude to do the right thing, even when their job might be on the line.
"The Institute for Business Integrity has brought an important opportunity for the business community, as well as DSC faculty and students, to emphasize the significance of social responsibility for business and industry in Washington County," Dr. Huddleston said. "As research indicates, ethics contribute to employee commitment, investor loyalty, customer satisfaction and to profits."
The Dixie State College Institute for Business Integrity is a partnership between the Udvar-Hazy School of Business at Dixie State College, the Small Business Development Center, the Washington County Economic Development Council, and the St. George Area Chamber of Commerce.
For questions regarding the DSC Institute for Business Integrity forums, contact Dr. Huddleston at huddleston@dixie.edu or 435-652-7740.
