草榴社区

Nicholas DeNichilo, PE, FASCE, NAC, president and CEO of global engineering, management and development firm Mott MacDonald

On February 17, 草榴社区 College of Engineering welcomed Nicholas DeNichilo, PE, FASCE, NAC, president and CEO of global engineering, management and development firm Mott MacDonald. As the keynote speaker for the 2017 Patrick J. Cunningham, Jr. and Susan Ward '80 Endowed Lecture Series in Engineering, DeNichilo addressed the 草榴社区 community on the topic of 鈥淏usiness and Professional Ethics鈥擬anaging with Integrity.鈥�

DeNichilo began by emphasizing that, 鈥淚t is a privilege, but also an awesome responsibility to be an engineer.鈥� He reminded the audience of more than 200 students and faculty that the safety, health and welfare of the general public is often in an engineer鈥檚 hands.

After defining ethics and reviewing the National Society of Professional Engineers鈥� Code of Ethics, DeNichilo presented examples of the effects of unethical decisions. From the World Bank and Wells Fargo, to Volkswagen and the water issues of Flint, MI, such behavior can have life-changing consequences. He stated simply, 鈥淎ny business that lacks ethical standards is bound to fail鈥� and noted that St. Augustine said, 鈥淗abit, if not resisted, becomes necessity.鈥� With this in mind, DeNichilo encouraged students to consider their values and how they match the company they鈥檙e considering working for.

As a reminder from the presentation, each attendee was given a postcard with 鈥渞ed flags鈥� that indicate something unethical is about to occur, as well as questions you should ask yourself when trying to make ethical decisions.