Academy gives students training in ethics

Five high school seniors from Missouri and Illinois have spent the past two weeks at Columbia College considering how they make moral decisions and how others reach them.

They are participating in the college’s first Summer Ethics Academy. The three-week program was started by Mark Price, an assistant professor of philosophy, to help high school students think about ethics before they become adults and to show them the college experience before they graduate.

Each weekday, the students participate in two two-hour sessions, and the rest of the time is free. During the morning session, they sit around a table with Price and talk about contemporary ethical issues. They discuss scenarios and decide whether they think the issues raised are moral ones and why. During the afternoon sessions, Price lectures about traditional moral theories.

“It’s very challenging,” said Shannon Buckridge, who will start her senior year at Hickman High School in the fall. “I’ll be hanging out with my friends and still will be thinking about it. I think I’ll be able to live a more ethical life and apply it to life in general.”

Price applied for a grant from the Higher Education and Leadership Ministries in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) to start the program. The college has its roots in the denomination and, although the school is nonsectarian, it maintains a relationship with the church.

Applicants did not have to show a belief in God; however, special consideration was given to those students who are members of a Disciples of Christ congregation, Price said.

Columbia College has worked to build its ethics program. That push largely began when John Schiffman, a member of the college’s Board of Trustees, gave a sizable donation to the college, which he wanted to go toward ethics education. A lecture series on ethics is held in the Schiffman name.

“The summer ethics program for high school students was the next step in ethics education,” Price said. “My specialization has always been ethics. (The program) was a hope to give them some ethics training before independence.”

The program, which runs through Friday, is free for the students, including room, board and other activities.

“It prepares you for college life, gives you a chance to live on campus and adjust to the classroom setting,” said Ashley Gilpin of Auxvasse. “As you grow, you have to learn more about yourself, and this has definitely helped. It’s made me realize that when you have a belief, you should have a good argument to back it up.”

The program is also intended to work as a recruitment tool for high-achieving students. Buckridge is now considering attending Columbia College.

“Before I came, I wasn’t sure because it was so small, but now it’s on my list,” she said. “It just seemed more personal; they seemed to care a lot.”

Price said the program will affect the students’ ethics overall and said he hopes the program and Columbia College continue to serve the community.

“That’s my goal, to inspire them to develop a strong basis for their own moral thinking,” Price said. “That basis can be applied to anything they face in life.”