At the David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership, we have developed a strong portfolio of programs and activities that cut across our diverse array of students and corporate and community partners. We are a proud sponsor of certificate and fellowship programs for undergraduates in the College of Business Administration, MBA students in the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, and University of Pittsburgh faculty and staff in such areas as ethics, organizational leadership, and corporate social responsibility.
Undergraduate Opportunities
Volunteer Tax Assistance Program (VITA)
VITA is an IRS initiative designed to support free tax preparation services for the underserved through various partner organizations such as the United Way of Southwestern PA. This service helps low to moderate-income individuals, people with disabilities, the elderly and nonnative English speakers file their taxes each year for free. As part of the Berg Center’s commitment to community engagement, we have partnered with United Way to provide this service to the Pittsburgh community.
This program challenges accounting students to consider the community impact of accounting while gaining experience in working with individual taxes. This program has broadened the Berg Center’s impact by including accounting faculty and students in a program that has a direct benefit to the residents from communities in and around the university’s Oakland campus as well as assisting our international population. The program is conducted at Carnegie Library in Oakland, which is the largest library in the City of Pittsburgh.
Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Essay Contest
The Berg Center supports undergraduate students annually in the Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Essay Contest. This is a national contest for college and university students across the country to write an essay on any subject they feel strongly about related to the domain of ethics. The Berg Center connects undergraduate students with faculty and PhD mentors and provides structured support throughout the essay writing process during the fall semester.
If you are interested in participating, please contact bergcenter@pitt.edu.
Internships & Research
At the undergraduate level, we fund summer internships so students can gain leadership experience, helping serve nonprofits and underserved communities. We also provide research opportunities through our lab. Interested students should contact David Lebel, Center Director, at rdl15@pitt.edu.
Graduate Opportunities
Berg Center Diversity & Inclusion Fellowship
The Berg Center Diversity and Inclusion fellows work in teams on business consulting projects for non-profits and minority-led small businesses. These projects provide students with real-world consulting experience and support the business functions and needs identified by the partner organization. Past projects include strategic plans for growth and impact, a scaling strategy for a digital app, healthcare data monetization that adds societal value and drives inclusion, social media strategies and financial plans.
As part of their work, students register for the corresponding course (Project Course in Organizational Leadership) for both Fall 1 (1.5 credits) and Fall 2 (1.5 credits) and earn a scholarship. Professor Nisha Nair facilitates the fellowship program. To learn more, please contact bergcenter@pitt.edu.
International Business Ethics Case Competition
The Berg Center sponsors a team of 4-5 graduate students to participate in the International Business Ethics Case Competition (IBECC). IBECC asks students to identify and research an ethical issue a company or industry is facing. The team assumes the role of a consulting company to present an analysis of the legal, financial, and ethical dimensions of the problem, and then proposes a solution. The Berg Center sponsors a faculty mentor to support the student team as they develop their case, as well as student travel to the case competition in April. If you are interested in applying with a team, please contact bergcenter@pitt.edu.
Faculty & Staff Opportunities
Certificate in Organizational Leadership and Ethics (COLE)
Together with the University of Pittsburgh Office of Human Resources, the Berg Center offers the Certificate in Organizational Leadership and Ethics (COLE), a series of workshops designed for supervisors and administrators who want to maximize their impact as ethical leaders within their units/departments or overall workplace. This workshop series combines knowledge, interactive discussion, and skill-building exercises to help participants learn the essentials of ethical leadership. Workshops include:
- Mentoring and Leading Others
- Situational Leadership: Adapting Your Leadership Style for Optimal Results
- Solving Problems and Ethical Dilemmas
- Leadership and Effective Talent Development
- The Changing American Workplace: Rights, Responsibilities, and Challenges
- Silence (Not Golden): Dissent and Consensus in the Workplace
- Leading employees in virtual and hybrid settings.
Participants learn competencies that include skills for building and maintaining a responsible workplace, responsible use of power and authority, enhancing productive work team performance, and developing talent through the use of tools such as mentoring. COLE workshops can be taken in any sequence over a five-year period. Faculty and staff can take one or more of these workshops based on interest. To receive a certificate, individuals must complete six workshops over a maximum five-year period. This series is designed for faculty and staff who are supervisors or administrators, or those who have made the transition from technical or administrative positions into managerial career paths whereby effectively managing people is part of competency development and overall effectiveness.
Since the COLE program began in spring 2011, more than 1,800 faculty and staff have participated, with more than 200 receiving the Certificate of Completion. Participants include executive administrators, program directors, research administrators, student services administrators, and development officers. Participants come from a variety of University schools and departments, including health sciences, Institutional Advancement, business, arts and sciences, engineering, athletics, and Computing Services and Systems Development.
After employees receive the Certificate of Completion, there is a June Graduation Ceremony.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
By actively participating in meaningful projects, I gained a deeper understanding of the challenges and complexities involved in fostering diversity and inclusion within organizational contexts. Engaging with other fellows and professionals in the field exposed me to diverse perspectives, ideas, and experiences.
One of the great benefits of working at Pitt is access to incredible certificate programs that allow for personal and professional growth. I have so many takeaways from the COLE program. The courses were a great blend of many important topics and areas. If you’re a Pitt employee thinking of taking part in the program, you most definitely should.