The Kegley Institute of Ethics (KIE) was founded in 1986, in memory of Charles W.
Kegley, first chair of the CSUB Philosophy and Religious Studies Department. Dr. Kegley
believed philosophical explorations found richest development via connection with
real people and real problems. Shortly after his diagnosis with terminal cancer, he
and his colleagues determined to carry on this commitment by founding a practical
and professional ethics center. Dr. Christopher Meyers was hired in 1986 to help bring
the center to fruition. Working in collaboration with Dr. Jacquelyn Ann Kegley and
department colleagues Dr. Gary Kessler and Dr. Bruce Jones, they devised a center
whose mission is “To Inspire our Community to Recognize the Value of Thinking About
and Engaging in Ethics.”
Unlike most centers from that period, KIE’s founders chose not to focus on a specific
area (e.g., bioethics or business ethics), but instead committed to exploring – through
education, research and community engagement – the ethical foundations that underlie
all human activities. Such explorations have emerged through speaker series that have
hosted internationally renowned luminaries, as well as through a successful record
of ethics education, research, consulting, and public philosophy.
Dr. Michael D. Burroughs served as KIE director from 2017 to 2023. Since then, Dr.
Nate Olson has served as Interim Director (after serving as Associate Director since
2017). He and the KIE staff are continuing the traditions and legacies of the Institute
while also working to expand its reach and impact on campus and in the community.
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