Think of the last time you heard about a company facing backlash for unethical practices. Today, news travels fast, and a single ethical lapse can harm a business’s reputation instantly. In fact, more than 60% of consumers now say that a company’s ethical values and authenticity directly influence their purchasing decisions. This growing awareness underscores the importance of ethics education — something the Wilson College of Business at the University of Northern Iowa takes seriously.

Ethics has been a foundational value at the Wilson College of Business, a focus inspired by the college’s namesake, David W. Wilson, ’70. Wilson, president and owner of one of the largest privately-owned automotive groups in the country, attributes his business success to a steadfast commitment to ethical principles he strengthened at UNI.

“We hope this contribution fosters instruction that reveals the importance of maintaining ethical principles at all levels of business,” Wilson told a Homecoming audience at the announcement of the $25 million dollar gift from him and his wife to UNI, the largest in the institution’s history.

Since that time, the campus has welcomed two Wilson Ethics Fellows, Robert Earle and Nicholas Sars, to bring their unique expertise to campus. Earle, the inaugural Wilson fellow, coordinated an ethics teaching workshop for UNI faculty last summer to share ethics lessons from their courses and discuss ways to incorporate ethics teachings more broadly. Sars’ research focuses on questions about free will and moral responsibility, and he aims to apply his expertise in these areas to practical domains like business ethics, technology ethics and biomedical ethics.

The Wilson Chair in Business Ethics, established in 1999, aims to educate students and the community about social and ethical issues in business and promote discussion on ethical practices. Since 2021, Professor Russell Guay has advanced these goals through his teaching, research and service. An annual ethics case competition awards $2,500, thanks in part to the Wilsons’ contribution.

‌The inagural Wilson Scholar:
Jenna Meyer

Jenna Meyer is a freshman UNI student studying human resource management who graduated from South Tama High School. She always knew she wanted to go to college, but paying for a four-year degree was daunting. “This scholarship definitely relieved that burden for me and my family. So I’m really blessed from that aspect, and it’s just a super special thing.”