Steve and Janet Bear Endow Professor of the Practice in Ethics
The Kenan Institute for Ethics is thrilled to announce the establishment of a new endowment to support a Professor of the Practice in Ethics. Thanks to the generosity of former Kenan Institute advisory board vice-chair, Stephen Bear (T’73), and his wife, Janet, Duke University will soon be able to hire a distinguished practitioner of ethics. This new Professor of the Practice will focus on teaching ethics to the undergraduates across Duke, a passion of Mr. Bear’s since leaving Bristol-Myers Squibb, where he was the head of Human Resources. Mr. Bear commented:I believe that there is the potential for a great synergy by adding a distinguished practitioner to the Kenan teaching team. A practitioner can help students understand how ethical theories can be applied to the challenges that they will face in life after Duke.
The Kenan Institute’s Nannerl O. Keohane Director, Suzanne Shanahan, notes, “The Bear gift is a special one. As a think and do tank committed both to moral reflection and action, having a practitioner who can bring real world ethical challenges and experience into the classroom will be invaluable. We hope that such a hire will further promote the Institute’s work in areas like emerging technology and/or business ethics. It is also a most fitting tribute to Steve’s own legacy, having spent his second career sharing his own experience with students as a faculty member at Farleigh Dickerson.”
