Photo by: Jacob Rokeach

Chancellor Emeritus Daniel Ritchie shared his experiences as one of DU’s most notable visionary leaders last week at the Voices of Experience lecture titled, “What it Means to Lead with Inspiration and Values,” and claimed that ethics and morality are essential qualities of leadership.

Approximately 50 DU students, faculty and community members were present at the lecture in The Cable Center.

Ritchie addressed the importance of making ethical decisions and acting with the correct intentions when reaching a position of leadership. He presented various statistics from surveys that documented the lack of trustworthiness in the business world.

For example, in a recent Roper Survey, 72 percent of respondents believed that wrongdoing was widespread in the business world, and respondents stated they believe that only two percent of large firms are trustworthy.

Ritchie also said there has seen significant rise in student cheating. He stated that 70 percent of college and high school students admitted to cheating, which was 26 percent higher than the statistical analysis in 1993. Ritchie believes some of the increase in cheating can be attributed to technological advances that make cheating easier.

“Technology is making it easier for students to cheat. Some students blame a high school culture where grades are more important than integrity,” Ritchie said.

During his 16-year tenure at the DU, Ritchie said he strived to promote integrity and virtuous character in the university’s student body. He said he has witnessed these attributes in DU’s students, who are clearly distinguishable from others because of the unique qualities they possess.

“DU students are good human beings. They are kind, thoughtful and they are people that I could trust. They have a certain mindset, a distinct personality and a way of looking you in the eye,” Ritchie said.

Ritchie, who earned his bachelor’s degree and MBA from Harvard University, recounted his experiences as executive vice president of the Music Corporation of America (MCA) in Hollywood. He shared his biggest ethical dilemma, which occurred while working for this celebrity-oriented industry in 1969.

Ritchie stated that during his time at MCA he was receiving an unparalleled salary and had purchased the Beverly Hills house that was originally built for actress Elizabeth Taylor. He was living luxuriously but did not agree with many decisions that were made by his boss. ng job because of his inherent, honorable and moral values.

“The people in the company could not believe that I quit, but I had to. I thought I would never make that much money again, but Hollywood was not for me. It is a heartless place,” Ritchie said.

When Ritchie became DU’s chancellor in 1989, he concentrated on improving the reputation of DU and strived to develop the best university for creating excellent, well-rounded and honorable students. Using a luxurious car analogy, Ritchie stated that he decided DU had the potential to be a Rolls Royce, instead of a used Volkswagen.

One of the first components Ritchie focused on was ethics. With the help of Bill Daniels, who was an ardent supporter of ethical behavior, the two men began to redirect the business school. Their collaboration made it possible for ethical analysis to be a prominent skill business students learn. The university’s emphasis on ethics is a core attribute that makes DU different from other universities, Ritchie said.

“Ethics are not simply rule-based. Ethics requires thought, intensity and effort. The university community [members] must practice it otherwise they are wasting their time. We made some progress in a world that needs it,” Ritchie said.

In 2006, the Wall Street Journal ranked Daniels College of Business third in the world of business schools for strong ethical standards.

While aiming to develop one of the best schools in the nation, Ritchie implemented the Ammi-Hyde interview, whereby every applicant is interviewed and asked to comment on his or her standards of conduct and beliefs.

His inspiration for the interview process came from a trip to the India Institute of Management in Bangalore, where an extremely rigorous and competitive interview process is used to select business students.

Ritchie also took credit for jump-starting a writing skills program at DU. He said he noticed that students were having difficulty with their writing skills, so he sought advice from the heads of the best writing schools in existence, including faculty from Harvard and Stanford.

“Students perform better when they are writing with special interest,” Ritchie said.

During the question-and-answer period at the end of his speech, an audience member asked if Ritchie was ever tempted to take the short cut toward efficiency while disregarding his core values.

“No, I do not ever recall a time that I was persuaded by a short cut. You just do what you think is right. I really do not care much about me. You get to the point where that’s not what life is all about, it’s about other people.” Ritchie responded.

Ritchie concluded the presentation by encouraging students to persist in times of distress and find something more important than themselves.

“To live for yourself is ultimately not satisfying. Life has funny turns, most of what I’ve done in my life I would have never imaged as a 20 year old. Everybody, sooner or later, has opportunities to do important and satisfying things. A self-centered, selfish life is not worth living,” Ritchie said.

Ritchie currently serves as the chairman and chief executive of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.