What Can Young People Teach Us About Ethical Leadership?

NEW YORK, May 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity and its exclusive corporate sponsor, LRN, have announced that Jonathan Calloway, East Tennessee State University, Class of 2011, is the first place winner of the 2011 Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics essay contest.

The Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics is an annual competition that challenges college students in the U.S. to submit essays on the urgent ethical issues that confront us in today's complex world.

"Today's college students are listening to the ethical voices within. They are drawing on their memories and the lessons of their teachers, and are concerned with the morality of their private and public experiences. They are challenging us all to make a difference," said Elie Wiesel.

Calloway, a Psychology Major, won first place for his essay, "Rocks in the Sun: Sous le ciel d'Haiti," describing his experiences witnessing suffering and hope as a volunteer in Haiti. "The Elie Wiesel Foundation Prize in Ethics is the most prestigious award to receive. In Haiti, I received the award of humbleness and recognition that I must be the change I want to see in the world," Calloway said.

Thousands of young people have participated in the Foundation's Prize in Ethics since its inception in 1989. In November 2010, Yale University Press published "An Ethical Compass: Coming of Age in the 21st Century," a collection of outstanding essays from the first two decades of the prize.

Additional winners of the 2011 contest include:

• Second Prize: Ethan Schwartz, University of Chicago, for his essay "The Children of Prophets: Intergenerational Transmission and the Ethics of Tradition," in which he explores the ethics of tradition in Judaism and Biblical scripture and how they relate to modern Jewish thought.
• Third Prize: Kanglei Wang, Yale University, for her entry, "The Ethics of Nationalism: A Sino-Tibetan Dialogue," examining the political, cultural and social gulf which exists between China and Tibet.
• Honorable Mention: Amy Schilit, University of Southern California, for her essay "Strangers in a Strange Land," in which she analyzes the plight of African asylum seekers and refugees in Israel.
• Honorable Mention:  Rebekah Berger May, University of New Orleans, for her essay "Plank," examining race relations in New Orleans.

"These students view human endeavor through an ethical lens, creating a distinctly sustainable advantage in navigating our increasingly interconnected and ethically interdependent world," said Dov Seidman, CEO of LRN. "These are the types of leaders we desperately need; individuals who think about the ethical dimensions of their decisions and actions, and who are inspired by sustainable values to propel their journeys of innovation, progress and significance."

About The Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Essay Contest

The Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Essay Contest encourages students to write thought-provoking personal essays that raise questions, single out issues and are rational arguments for ethical action.

Submissions for the 2012 contest will open in the Fall 2011 Semester. The contest is open to undergraduate full-time Juniors and Seniors who are registered at accredited four-year colleges or universities in the United States during the Fall 2011 Semester. All submissions to the essay contest are judged anonymously. A distinguished committee reviews the essays, and a jury headed by Elie Wiesel chooses the winners. Winning essays present intensely personal stories, originality, imagination, clear articulation and genuine grappling with an ethical dilemma.  

For suggested essay topics and more information, visit: http://www.eliewieselfoundation.org/prizeinethics.aspx

About The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity

Elie Wiesel and his wife, Marion, established The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity soon after he was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize for Peace. The Foundation's mission, rooted in the memory of the Holocaust, is to combat indifference, intolerance and injustice through international dialogue and youth-focused programs that promote acceptance, understanding and equality. For more information: www.eliewieselfoundation.org, "like" us on Facebook, or follow @eliewieselfdn on Twitter.

About LRN: Inspiring Principled Performance

Since 1994, LRN has helped 15 million people at 700 companies worldwide simultaneously navigate complex legal and regulatory environments and foster ethical cultures. LRN's combination of practical tools, education and strategic advice helps companies translate their values into concrete corporate practices and leadership behaviors that create sustainable competitive advantage. In partnership with LRN, companies need not choose between living principles and maximizing profits, or between enhancing reputation and growing revenue: both are a product of principled performance. In 2008, LRN acquired green strategy firm GreenOrder. LRN works with organizations in more than 100 countries, and has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London and Mumbai. For more information, visit www.lrn.com or follow @ LRNinc on Twitter.

SOURCE The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity