The Ohio State University Center for Ethics and Human Values

ETHOS Fellows Program

ETHOS Fellows Program

The ETHOS Fellows Program, led by CEHV University Initiatives Coordinator Prof. Piers Turner, is a 5-session certificate program that:

  • Introduces faculty, staff, and graduate students to Ohio State's Shared Values
  • Facilitates discussions of the values and their application to Fellows' work and communities
  • Assists Fellows in the development of values-based events or projects in their home units

Over the course of this program, Fellows will design and pursue values-based efforts in their colleges, departments, or units, from facilitated discussions and events to a wide variety of other projects. If participants secure approval and financial support from their home unit, their project will be eligible for support via matching funds of up to $250 from CEHV. Participants also join a network of past ETHOS Fellows who help to lead shared values efforts across the University, such as the Shared Values Summit in September 2023.

Program Information

WHO:

The ETHOS Fellows Program is open to faculty, staff, and graduate students interested in advancing values-based decisioning-making in their units or organizations. You can view our past ETHOS Fellows here.

We ask units to nominate and sponsor ETHOS Fellows. In the event that open spots remain after prospective fellows nominated by units are considered, we may also accept a small number of individual self-nominations. Individuals interested in the program should first seek to be nominated by their units before submitting a self-nomination.

WHEN:

The Spring 2027 ETHOS Fellows Program consists of five mandatory sessions to be held online via Zoom. These sessions will take place from 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM on February 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, and March 3rd.

SESSION TOPICS:

  1. Excellence and Impact: Demonstrating leadership in pursuit of our vision and mission
  2. Diversity and Innovation: Welcoming differences and making connections among people and ideas
  3. Inclusion and Equity: Upholding equal rights and advancing institutional fairness
  4. Care and Compassion: Attending to the well-being of individuals and communities
  5. Integrity and Respect: Acting responsibly and being accountable
  6. Project discussion and next steps

COMPLETION REQUIREMENTS:

Participants must attend all sessions, barring some exceptional circumstance. Completion will result in a commitment of up to $250 of matching funds for their project contingent on approval and support from the participant's home unit.

HOW TO APPLY:

Please check back for links to the application forms to the next ETHOS Fellows Program.

Praise from Past Fellows

The open discussions with professionals from across the university gave me insight into the many ways these critical topics can be approached. I've only been at Ohio State for four years, but I've never had the opportunity to connect with so many thoughtful individuals who normally wouldn't occupy the same space. Especially during the pandemic when it's easy to feel isolated, it was invigorating to take time to connect with folks from across the university who are committed to growing a culture of respect and accountability here at Ohio State. Kudos to Piers and Lavender for serving as fantastic facilitators. I've grown not only as a professional, but also as a person.

The most important aspect of the program was having dedicated time and space to openly discuss our values and feelings about them with peers of all levels from across the university.

Although I had been thinking about these concepts for a long time, the ideas had become stale due to overuse. Piers' short and clear explanations helped to bring each concept into sharp focus, and critically, put each value into dialogue with each of the other values.

The open-forum discussions were the most valuable part of this program. I feel like I learned and listened a lot to how we live out our values in ways I was not aware of before. Having individuals from so many units with such vast experiences fostered such powerful discussions that were open, honest and vulnerable both from an individual perspective and from their knowledge of the university. It was a very unique space that I felt grateful to be part of. It really showed me how much work is to be done to improve living our values out as a university, and it helped me figure out areas where my own department can improve that.

The ETHOS Fellows Program is part of the Center for Ethics and Human Values' development of the research, teaching & learning, and other community-driven elements of the Shared Values Initiative at The Ohio State University. If you have further questions, please contact CEHV CEHV University Initiatives Coordinator Prof. Piers Turner.