1. IAU 2010 Annual Conference
Value-Based Education and
University Ethical
Leadership
Simon S.M. Ho
Vice Rector
The University of Macau
June 2010 1

2. Major Sins of our Time
(M. Gandhi)
1. Politics without principles
2. Wealth without work
3. Pleasure without conscience
4. Knowledge without character
5. Commerce without morality
6. Worship without sacrifice
7. Science and technology without humanity
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3. The Global Challenges/Crises
Isolated unyielding challenges confronting
the world community will be merging into
a tight and unyielding web of crisis:
Financial/economic
Ecological/ environmental
Socio-cultural
Identity/ spiritual
Reaching critical thresholds in the next
decade? A whole human system crisis? 3

4. The Global Challenges/Crises
Globally observing the lowest level of trust, with the highest level of
cynicism
Values are blurred, always just slogans
Personal success is often defined by the power or the wealth that one
holds
Economic growth exist side by side with social injustice and all sorts of
social problems like drugs, divorce, abortion, suicides, isolations, etc.
Decreasing moral standard, pollution, corruption, fraud, discriminations,
etc.
Tearing the fabrics of our societies apart, and the need for moral
regeneration
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5. Addressing the Global
Challenges/Crises
Need a human choice for a sustainable, satisfying &
soulful society => facing this world with a soul that
dreams in hope.
What is the role & functions of higher education in this
reform process?
It becomes critical for us as higher education leaders to
step back and to think in terms of what we should do to
change this world community.
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6. Knowledge as Power to Reform
Universities create, keep and disseminate
knowledge
Gateway to power, significantly affecting
the socio-economic life quality throughout
the world.
Thus with moral responsibilities to maintain
the well-being of a society.
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7. Knowledge as Power to Reform
Knowledge does not give people real power.
Real power is being able to make the choice
between right or wrong, good or evil, life
and death, love or hate, wait or act, etc.
Many teachers & students are not
concentrating on continuous
learning/knowing but try to prove how
knowledgeable (ignorant) they are.
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8. Other Problems of Today’s Higher
Education
Focus too much on research overlooking teaching
Teachers’ insufficient interaction with students
outside classrooms
Too narrow major programme curriculum
Disciplinary fragmentation & academic separations
Emphasis too much on science & technology
overlooking humanity
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9. Other Problems of Today’s Higher
Education
Many universities these days more like business
corporations focusing on figures, size, resources,
reputations, rankings, etc.
A degree often viewed as the exit route to a better life style
rather than the beginning of a life journey to know and to
serve.
Individual isolation lacking inter-personal
connections
Lacks a sense of ‘learning community’
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10. Role of Higher Education
in Re-stalling Core Values
Higher education needs to recognize and re-
build the core values of a modern free society.
University education is to train a responsible,
satisfying & soulful person, not a smarter
manager/professional who can just make more
monies.
We are about the teaching of hope; the incubator
for reconciliation/connection.
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11. Some Core Values of a Modern
Society
Freedom
Credibility/Integrity
Justice/Fairness
Trust/Respect
Open communication
Embrace of diversity/difference
Tolerance
Hope
Love
Social Citizenship & responsibility
Harmony/unity
Human dignity of everyone
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12. Value-based Education
“We teach because we shape the future.”
William Butler Yeats: “Education is not the filling of
a pail but the lighting of a fire”.
Changing hearts, changing minds, changing lives
Ignite a revolution of rising expectations
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13. Value-based Education
the formation of qualities to help students
become decent human beings.
nurturing the human spirit and freedom in
the service of humanity.
on the quality of life and on the ability to
sustain a connected view of things
characterized by many of the core values
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14. Value-based Education
Trust should characterize administrators-faculty-
student relationships
Academic knowledge is not private but common
public, using for the good of the society
Issues facing higher education, such as human
right & dignity, discriminations, power abuse,
conflicts of interests, academic dishonesty, and
interpersonal isolation argue for the pursuit of an
ethical context
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15. Value-based Education
Education without ethics is snobbish and dangerous.
Unethical behavior exist when institutional leaders
tolerate.
Educational institutions at all levels should take a
major role in ethical leadership development.
To foster teachers’ & students’ awareness of ethics
issues and to equip with them an ethical framework 15

16. Challenges for Ethical
Leadership
Leadership is crucial to universities’
sensitivity to values in higher education
The leadership values and ethics are
the same as before, but the recent new
environment changes rapidly
Universities can be leaders to lead
other institutions
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17. Important Attributes of Ethical
Leadership
Character/virtue
Integrity/honesty
Trust/Respect
Competence/Knowledge
Commitment
Visionary
Optimism
Inspiration
Caring
Compassion/Humility
Responsibility/Accountability
Transparency
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18. Sustaining Ethical Leadership
To identify university leaders’ beliefs and principles
with reference to ethical leadership in the context
of higher education
Moral issues are not always clear cut, yet, it is
important that they be addressed in the teaching
and practice of all disciplines
To provide equal access to opportunity for learning,
growth and participation to all students, faculty,
and staff
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19. Sustaining Ethical Leadership
This would become possible when the people, the
system, the policies, the activities, the process and
the culture are aligned
We can change the world only if we have that
good alignment
We need an effective institutional culture and ethos
of higher education ethics
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20. The Learning Common
The current lack of a sense of ‘community’,
‘connectedness’, ‘shared values’ and ‘mutual
responsibilities’ that give direction and purpose
University strategic planning should emphasize the
‘learning common’ concept as the
institutionalization of an environment which
addresses concern for values and ethics in higher
education.
Recognized as an effective approach resolving
current deficiencies in higher education.
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21. The Learning Common
Embraces a distinctive ethos or culture, loaded
with values and sustains a context for ethical
behaviour
Curriculum addressing social concerns
Enables discipline-isolated faculty members to
approach other disciplines without losing academic
freedom
Addressing the growing diversity among students
in terms of age, race, religion, martial status, & 21
admission criteria, etc.

22. The Learning Common
Connect leadership, faculty members, staff
and students
Help resolve the gap between
science/technology and humanity
Help resolve the tension among research,
teaching, and student mentoring
‘Residential colleges’ concept gives direction
to students and anchors their learning
experience in the intellectual life 22

23. Questions & Views are Welcome
歡迎提問
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