“From Prominence to Prison: Why Smart People Do Dumb Things,” featuring former entrepreneur, fugitive and felon Patrick Kuhse, will kick off the Rapaport Ethics Across the Curriculum spring program on Thursday, April 16.
Kuhse will hold an ethics workshop, open to the campus community, from 12:50-1:55 p.m. in Everest Lounge, Hale House. He will give a public lecture at 7 p.m. in Reamer Campus Center Auditorium.
“The lessons learned on his path to success are lessons that everyone is vulnerable to and no one needs to experience first-hand,” said Robert Baker, Ethics Across the Curriculum chair and director.
Kuhse’s journey from successful stockbroker to financial fraud includes fleeing the United States and taking refuge in Costa Rica before his self-surrender and subsequent incarceration in foreign and U.S. prisons for money laundering, bribing a public official and conspiracy.
Since his release in 2001, he has given more than 1,200 talks and workshops here and abroad on business ethics. To arrange class visits or for more information, contact Baker at bakerr@union.edu
Other Ethics Across the Curriculum programs this term include:
- “Engineering Ethics Workshop” with Michael Davis of Illinois Institute of Technology (April 27, 12:50-1:55 p.m., Everest Lounge)
- “Common Morality” with noted philosopher Bernie Gert of Dartmouth (May 7-8, 12:50-1:55 p.m., Phi Beta Kappa Lounge, Schaffer Library)
- “Workshop on Justice,” with Rosamond Rhodes of CUNY and Mt. Sinai (May 19, 12:50-1:55 p.m., Everest Lounge)
- “Report from the Trenches,” sharing faculty experience teaching ethics and offering help for new grant applicants(May 28, 12:50-1:55 p.m., Everest Lounge).