An initiative by the University System of Georgia known as the Spirit of USG is bringing awareness to fraud prevention on its campuses the week of Nov. 16-22 in partnership with International Fraud Awareness Week.
At the University of Georgia, recognizing International Fraud Awareness Week means the Internal Auditing Division’s staff is taking stock of the ethical accomplishments across the many parts of UGA’s campuses-its four extended campuses, 155 Extension offices, programs along the coast and research stations around the state-255 auditable entities in all. It also means bringing awareness to the issues common on any USG campus.
“We take the responsibility of maintaining integrity in our processes very seriously at the University of Georgia,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “The Internal Audit Office reports jointly to the UGA President and the USG Chief Auditor for that very reason. It provides a consistent and objective check on what we are doing so that we always support a culture of honesty on all of our campuses.”
The university employs about 10,000 people, including seasonal, temporary and student staff. Part of its educational approach is teaching individuals the value of an ethical environmental and also showing them where problems could lie.
On Nov. 17 from 2-4 p.m. in Room AB of the Training and Development Building, Whitley will be leading a class on “Why Ethics Still Matter.” The course, open to anyone and offered twice annually, will look at trends in unethical behavior, corresponding responses in ethics training and why ethical issues continue to plague institutions.
“The problem occurs when people start graying the lines between what is ethical and what is not,” Whitley said. “You can never do that. We maintain a tough standard at UGA, but it is a good standard to be constantly checking your own motives.”