The Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program (DFEI) at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) College of Business recently announced a joint effort with schools in the Southern Colorado Ethics Consortium to recognize outstanding organizations in El Paso and the greater southern Colorado region.

The Southern Colorado Ethical Leadership Award will honor businesses who demonstrate the “Best of the Best” in ethical leadership and embody the ethical principles of integrity as exhibited by Bill Daniels. The first recipients will be awarded in fall 2023 at the Southern Colorado Ethical Leadership Award Banquet. Eligible recipients are for-profit organizations in southern Colorado. Nominations can be made by members of the organization, employees, students, customers or community members.

Each nomination will be judged on the questionnaire responses nominees submit, including how the company follows the eight Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Principles. The judging will be performed by a group that includes select UCCS Ethics Club members/officers, UCCS Faculty Fellows and Southern Colorado Ethics Consortium (SCEC) champions.

“We are excited to announce the Southern Colorado Ethical Leadership Award,” said Tracy Gonzalez-Padron, Professor and Director of the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program at UCCS. “For over ten years, our focus has been on building collaborative partnerships beyond El Paso County. For example, DFEI at the UCCS College of Business supports Southern Colorado Ethics Consortium for higher education institutions in the southern half of the state. It is our distinct pleasure to extend this effort by presenting the Southern Colorado Ethical Leadership Award to organizations that practice trust, transparency, respect and more.”

Those seeking to submit a nomination can do so here. All nominations are due by March 2023. More information about this award can be found on the UCCS Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative website.