Former Arthur Andersen partner to speak at Pamplin College's annual ethics symposium
C.E. Andrews, a Pamplin College of Business alumnus and former partner at Arthur Andersen, will give the guest lecture at the 19th Annual Symposium on Business Ethics on Monday, March 1, at 7 p.m. at Virginia Tech's Burruss Auditorium.
Andrews’ talk, “Ethics R U: Finding Your Moral Compass,” is free and open to the public, no tickets needed.
Andrews’ visit and the symposium are sponsored by the Business Leadership Center of the Department of Management in the Pamplin College of Business and by a Warren Lloyd Holtzman Seed Grant from the Community Foundation of the New River Valley.
Andrews had a 29-year career at Arthur Andersen, joining the now shuttered accounting firm in 1974 after receiving a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Virginia Tech. He became a partner in 1984. He held increasingly responsible positions, including key leadership roles in the firm’s metropolitan Washington office; its mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and national markets; and, ultimately, Arthur Andersen Global.
He managed all lines of business at Andersen, including audit, tax, and consulting before being named head of its worldwide audit and business advisory practice in 2001. When Andersen stopped operating in 2002 after it was convicted of obstruction of justice — destroying documents related to its client, Enron — Andrews remained with the firm to assist with its orderly dissolution. The conviction was reversed in 2005 by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Andrews moved to SLM Corporation (Sallie Mae), where he worked from 2003 to 2008, first as executive vice president of accounting and risk management, and later as chief financial officer, president, and chief executive officer. He is currently president of RSM McGladrey, where he is responsible for helping to build the professional services firm’s brand, talent, and market share. Andrews currently serves on the Pamplin Advisory Council.
Andrews will meet faculty members during an informal seminar earlier in the day on March 1. Previous symposium speakers have included academics, authors, government officials, and executives from Tyco, Enron, and Fairmont Hotels and Resorts.
The symposium will be part of a series of campus events exploring ethical issues in various disciplines during the week of March 1. “Faculty are encouraged to use this occasion to consider ethical issues related to the subject matter of their courses,” said Richard Wokutch, management professor and director of the department’s undergraduate programs.
Other events include a panel discussion and seminar on ethics in science and engineering, an “Ethics Bowl,” in which graduate-student teams will discuss several ethics-related case studies, and a panel discussion organized by the GILEE Ethics Group, whose acronym stands for “graduate, interdisciplinary, liberal, engineering ethics.” Comprising engineering science, engineering, humanities, and business faculty, the group developed a curriculum that addresses how issues of engineering ethics and cultural identities are intertwined in a globalized workplace.
Questions about the speaker and other ethics-related events should be addressed to Richard Wokutch.
Free parking is available around the Drillfield with a visitor’s pass from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. No pass is necessary on the Drillfield after 8 p.m. or on weekends. Parking is also available in Perry Street Lot 1, 3, 4 and 6 near Prices Fork Road. Find more parking information online or call (540) 231-3200.
