Cynthia Cooper Delivers Ethics Week Keynote Address at VSU

VALDOSTA — Cynthia Cooper will present “Leading with Courage: Building Trust and Shaping Our Future” at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, in Valdosta State University’s Health Sciences and Business Administration Building Auditorium.

Cooper was named a Time Magazine Person of the Year in 2002 for her role in unraveling the fraud at WorldCom, one of the largest and most consequential corporate scandals in United States history. She is an internationally recognized speaker on ethics, leadership, overcoming adversity, the current economic crises, and recent scandals. 

She was the first woman inducted into the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Hall of Fame, and the first woman to receive the American Accounting Association’s Accounting Exemplar Award. She is also a recipient of the Maria and Sidney E. Rolfe Award for contributions to educating the public about economics, business, and finance.   

Sponsored by VSU’s Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration and Office of the President, Cooper’s presentation is part of the university’s recognition of Ethics Awareness Week, which kicks off Monday, Nov. 2, and runs through Sunday, Nov. 8.

VSU is committed to the highest ethical and professional standards of conduct.

This is important for all stakeholders because it builds trust, promotes fairness, and creates a positive environment for everyone involved. Students benefit from an honest and supportive learning environment, faculty and staff benefit from a culture of respect and accountability, and parents and families can feel confident that students are receiving a quality education. Ethical practices also help university leadership make responsible decisions, use resources appropriately, and maintain the trust of alumni, donors, employers, and surrounding communities. 

Ethics Awareness Week is an annual opportunity to remind VSU faculty, staff, and students of their commitment to an ethical culture and their shared ethical values and expectations.

Visit https://www.valdosta.edu/administration/audit/ethics-week/ for a complete list of Ethics Week activities.