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Professor Hogan Appears with President Barron on WPSU to Discuss Civility

Professor Hogan Appears with President Barron on WPSU to Discuss Civility

March 17, 2015

Tom Hogan, LER Professor of Practice, recently appeared on an episode of “Higher Education in Focus” with Penn State President Eric Barron to discuss civility and ethics in the classroom, the workplace, and society.

During the half-hour program, hosted by WPSU’s Patty Satalia, Hogan discussed the recent call for civility from University leadership and the reactions of the Penn State community to the request.

“For a university, we have a variety of stakeholders,” said Hogan. “Defining and establishing civil behavior is a collaborative process. But the leadership team must lead.”

Hogan went on to explain how civility in the workplace goes beyond a company’s focus on serving the needs of its customers, but begins with exciting and engaging employees.

“We have to demonstrate what expected behavior looks like,” Hogan said. “We want to excite our clients and our customers. Well first, we must excite our employees.”

President Barron spoke about how, in today’s digital environment, negativity is prevalent and civility is diminishing, perhaps because of the user’s growing ability to speak anonymously.

Hogan suggested that social media is not the cause of increasing acts of incivility, but rather an enabler to voice negativity and changing morals more freely. “Prior to the internet we had things like bullying, character assassination, gossiping going on,” he said. “It’s the people behind the technology, the users, that should be held accountable.”

The monthly program welcomes guests from Penn State leadership and the community to discuss issues in higher education. It airs on WPSU as well as PBS affiliates in Harrisburg and Erie.

 

Professor Hogan Appears with President Barron on WPSU to Discuss Civility