Ethics in Higher Education Leadership: Current Themes and Trends

Abstract

Universities have been around for a very long time and operated in very similar ways for hundreds of years, but they are not immune to the disruption of the 21st century. In resonance with the surround- ing environment, institutions of higher education are in a state of change and having to respond to the globalization, unstable economies, and to the changing expectations of society. In what is sometimes referred to as the most tumultuous time of change in higher education, leaders are faced with the chal- lenge of frequent and complex decision making, and oftentimes implicit ethical challenges. As higher education is thrown into upheaval, and corruption in higher education comes to the limelight, it is an opportune time to take stock of the ethical status of higher education leadership by identifying emerging themes in relation to ethics, as a platform for encouraging deeper consideration of ethics in higher education leadership.