History and Goals of the Institute
In every discipline, people take on leadership roles. A part of leadership is working with other people, building trust, and making decisions. Having a strong ethical sense and attention to the ethical implications of these interactions and decisions is good leadership.
Our Department of Philosophy, Department of Educational Leadership, School of Communication, Office of Veteran and Military Services, our professionals in the Division of Student Affairs, and across campus help students to understand the importance of ethical leadership.
The Arizona Board of Regents established the Northern Arizona University Institute for Public and Professional Ethics in Leadership on February 10, 2022. The institute was made possible by a generous gift from Dr. Richard Morrison. Dr. Morrison is an alum of Northern Arizona University and is a retired attorney, priest, businessman, civic leader, and philanthropist. His deep belief in young people and his passion for improving our society led him to fund the establishment of this Institute.
Richard Morrison is a retired lawyer, priest, businessman, civic leader, and philanthropist.
In law, Richard was a natural resources lawyer (principally water law), lobbyist, and educator. He was a partner in three Phoenix-based firms, enjoys the highest peer rating in ability and ethics, and is listed in Arizona’s Finest Lawyers. He continues to serve as an Adjunct Professor in the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, where he also endowed the Richard Morrison Professor of Water Law.
In religion, Richard served four congregations in Arizona as a priest. He retired on the staff of the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona as the Canon for Ecumenical and Community Relations and as the Episcopal chaplain to the Arizona legislature. Richard was also the representative of The Episcopal Church on the board of directors of the Arizona Faith Network, where he was its liaison to the United Religions Initiative. In addition, he represented the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona as a deputy to the General Convention of the church. Richard was honored with the Town of Gilbert Centennial Award in the category of religion.
In business, Richard has been an owner and manager of ten family-owned companies with agricultural holdings. Mr. Morrison graduated from Northern Arizona University with a B.S. in business with honors and High Distinction. He was the Outstanding Management Senior, graduating with the highest GPA in the College of Business that year. Mr. Morrison is a 2021 inductee to The W. A. Franke College of Business Hall of Fame.
In civic life, Richard was a Co-Founder of the Morrison Institute of Public Policy at Arizona State University and a founding board member (eventually President) of the C.W. and Modene Neely Charitable Foundation. He has a solid commitment to community service, evidenced in part by his having been awarded Arizona State University’s Distinguished Achievement Award (College of Arts and Sciences) in 1989, a Doctor of Humane Letters honorary degree by the University of Arizona in 2011, and a Doctor of Humane Letters degree by Northern Arizona University in 2015. Richard currently serves on the board of directors and as a public policy committee member of the Arizona Community Foundation, Arizona’s largest grant-making organization with over $1B in assets. He also serves on the Dean’s Council for Arizona State University’s Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, and WP Carey School of Business.
Richard is a decorated veteran; he was a naval aviator and an administrative department head in his fighter squadron. Before going to the fleet, he was designated a Distinguished Naval Graduate from the Naval Aviation Schools Command, first in his class of over 600 student naval aviators. He received the Navy Commendation Medal for simultaneously serving as the Administrative Department Head, Personnel Officer, Legal Officer, and Public Affairs Officer in his fleet squadron. He then taught naval science courses at Rice University in Houston to complete six years of active duty.
With a passion and commitment to ethics, Mr. Morrison’s gift will help faculty, staff, and students at Northern Arizona University to increase awareness, discussion, and application of ethics to local, regional, national, and global concerns.
Our Mission: The Northern Arizona University Institute for Public and Professional Ethics in Leadership promotes leadership ethics and ethical decision-making among and across NAU’s many academic disciplines. The Institute promotes civil discourse about ethics and leadership through academic research, an interdisciplinary curriculum, co-curricular programs, and community engagement.
Our Vision: The Northern Arizona University Institute for Public and Professional Ethics in Leadership will be a comprehensive resource for leadership ethics and ethical decision-making in Northern Arizona and the Southwest Region.