FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: December 17, 2000
Contact: Dianne Hopkins, Christos and Mary Papoutsy Charitable Foundations, 603-431-7030


Endowed Chair in Business Ethics
Established at New Hampshire College

New Hampshire College (Southern New Hampshire University), Manchester, New Hampshire—New Hampshire College is pleased to announce the establishment of the Christos and Mary Papoutsy Distinguished Chair in Business Ethics on December 4, 2000. To be endowed with one million dollars, this chair will serve as a cornerstone for an integrated program in business ethics at both the undergraduate- and graduate-level at New Hampshire College.

The purpose of the endowed chair in business ethics is to promote and enhance awareness of ethics in personal and professional settings for students and community audiences. Through teaching, community lectures, and conferences, all audiences will be assisted in understanding and applying the lessons taught by current and Classical ethicists to twentieth-century settings. Special emphasis will be placed upon the works of ancient Greek writers and intellectuals whose teachings have shaped the history of Western civilization from antiquity until the present.

New Hampshire College (Southern New Hampshire University) is one of a handful of institutions of higher learning in the country that will devote significant resources to programs emphasizing business ethics education. Through the business ethics chair and related programs, New Hampshire College will challenge students to consider how they might act when faced with questions of right and wrong, and how to examine anew ethical situations.

The Christos and Mary Papoutsy Distinguished Chair in Business Ethics will also offer conferences, round-table discussions and other events focusing on various groups throughout the community who have a stake in business enterprises. These programs will be designed to increase public understanding of the issues, and to encourage ethical action by business organizations and to promote responsible corporate citizenship.

The business ethics chair will take a leadership role in the academic and business world to encourage serious consideration and application of ethical values in business-making decisions. Emphasis on the importance of dialogue for developing mature, moral judgement, both personally and in group decision-making, will form a core of the methodology for programs sponsored by this endowed chair. The chair will encourage the development of sound policies and practices, with moral values in business decisions that will result in healthy business relationships and strong community partnerships.

Attending the first meeting of the Advisory Board were Dr. Kenneth E. Goodpaster, representing the Koch Endowed Chair of Business Ethics at the University of St. Thomas; Dr. John C. Rouman, Professor Emeritus of Classics at the University of New Hampshire, Dr. Richard Gustafson, President of New Hampshire College (Southern New Hampshire University); Mr. Richard Kimball, well known and respected New Hampshire businessman; Prof. Eleanor Dunfey Freiberger of New Hampshire College; Mr. David Myler, former Chairman of the Board of New Hampshire College; Mrs. Mary Papoutsy and Mr. Christos Papoutsy, founders of the chair endowment.

The personal philosophy of the founders of this endowment, Christos and Mary Papoutsy, is a simple one: "only by participating do we earn the right to profit from our educational opportunities, business ventures, endeavors, and risks." Believing in and adhering to this philosophy, the Papoutsy couple has participated actively in many successful charitable endeavors locally, regionally, and at international locations.

On May 11, 1991, Mr. Christos Papoutsy was the recipient of an honorary Doctor of Law degree from his 1959 Alma Mater New Hampshire College, recognized for more than thirty years of outstanding entrepreneurial and business achievement. Mrs. Mary Papoutsy, a Classicist and educator trained at the University of Southern Maine and Rutgers University, firmly believes in the time-honored lessons of Hellenic civilizations and their applicability to all facets of modern life. For her many efforts to promote Hellenism she was recently honored by an international Greek-American fraternal organization, AHEPA (American Hellenic Progressive Association), receiving its prestigious Pericles Award.

A series of significant inaugural activities are currently being planned for the launching of the Christos and Mary Papoutsy Distinguished Chair in Business Ethics, beginning with the spring of 2001. For more information, contact the office of President Richard Gustafson at New Hampshire College (603-645-9631).

Attending first Advisory Board meeting Dec. 4th at New Hampshire College in Manchester, New Hampshire
were (L to R) Mary Papoutsy, Christos Papoutsy, Prof. Eleanor Dunfey-Freiburger, Richard Kimball,
Dr. Kenneth E. Goodpaster, Dr. John C. Rouman, Pres. Richard Gustafson.
Missing from photograph were board members David Myler and Prof. Richard Hanson.

Pres. Richard Gustafson accepts a check from Christos and Mary Papoutsy
for the establishment of a business ethics chair at New Hampshire College
in Manchester, New Hampshire on Dec. 4, 2000.

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or mail to:
Hellenic Communication Service, L.L.C.
P.O. Box 6748
Portsmouth, NH 03802-6748