DuPont, a 209-year-old world leader in science-based products and services, also has long been considered a leader in corporate social responsibility for its policies in ethics, sustainability and community impact. In recognition, the University of Notre Dame has selected DuPont as the 2011 recipient of the Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C. Award for Exemplary Ethical, Environmental, Social and Government Practices.
Ellen Kullman, DuPont chair and chief executive officer, will be on hand to accept the award from Father Hesburgh, Notre Dame president emeritus, during a ceremony beginning at 3 p.m. on March 30 (Wednesday) in the Mendoza College of Business Jordan Auditorium.
“DuPont is a deserving recipient of this year’s Hesburgh Award because of the company’s longstanding commitment to ethical values, as well as environmental and social responsibility. They are recognized as among the worldwide leaders in this area and we are very pleased that Ellen Kullman will travel to Notre Dame to receive the award,” said Patrick E. Murphy, Professor of Marketing and the award’s faculty coordinator.
The award is sponsored annually by Notre Dame’s Institute for Ethical Business Worldwide and Center for Ethics and Religious Values in Business.
The award ceremony, which is free and open to the public, begins with the Frank Cahill Lecture featuring a panel discussion by current MBA students Daniel Diamond, Michelle Lanouette, Suhan Park and Brent Schavitz, who will discuss ethical issues they have faced in the early years of their professional careers.
Nominations for the Hesburgh Award are made by MBA students in the Fall 2010 Marketing and Ethics course, with a panel of faculty members selecting the winner. Previous recipients of the award include Levi-Strauss, General Electric and Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz.
DuPont, which has 60,000 employees in more than 90 countries, has four core values that form the company’s cornerstones: safety and health; environmental stewardship; highest ethical behavior; and respect for people. Some of DuPont’s accomplishments include being named among Fortune magazine’s “50 Most Admired Companies” in the world for 2010. Fortune rated DuPont as No. 1 in its industry in the categories of innovation, financial soundness, people management and social responsibility.
The company also ranked 19th on Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s 12th annual “100 Best Corporate Citizens” list, its second consecutive year on the list. The scoring is based on seven attributes that align with what the Hesburgh Award embodies: environment, climate change, human rights, employee relations, corporate governance, philanthropy and financial performance.
Contact: Patrick E. Murphy, 574-631-9092, Murphy.72@nd.edu