I’m sure many of you have read in the news recently about the MBA Oath started by students at Harvard Business School. With the mixed opinions about whether or not MBAs should be held partially responsible for the current economic conditions, Harvard students started this Oath to encourage graduating MBAs to keep ethics and integrity top-of-mind in their business dealings. The Oath has now gone global with over 1000 MBA signatures, and business schools around the world jumping on board.
What some of you might not know is that Ivey has had an ethics pledge in place for over 5 years, marked by the tradition of the Ivey Ring Ceremony. The Ivey Alumni Association Board of Directors initiated the Ivey Ring Tradition in 2004 to send a clear message to new graduates about their role and responsibility in preserving the strong collective reputation that Ivey has earned over the last 87 years.
Since 2004, all students who graduate from any of Ivey’s degree programs participate in a ceremony that marks their promise to act ethically, and with integrity in the business arena. The Pledge that students sign and recite at the Ceremony also includes a promise to uphold the reputation of the Ivey Business School, and to acknowledge the responsibilities of being a member of Ivey’s prestigious alumni network. Ivey Alumni are active participants in the Ivey Ring Tradition, witnessing over 700 graduates sign the pledge and get “ringed” each year.
This Tradition is an important part of Ivey’s commitment to developing leaders who act with integrity, and contribute to the communities within which they operate. It symbolizes and gives confidence to the business world that Ivey graduates all over the globe are upholding ethical business practices, and have made a promise to maintain the traditions, integrity and high standards set by those Ivey alumni who have come before them.
You can read the Ivey Pledge and find out more about the Ivey Ring Tradition on our alumni website.