University of Denver Spring 2025

ACADEMICS

Where Profit Meets Principle The Business Ethics and Legal Studies minor has surged in popularity, setting business-minded students on a path to ‘not only do well but do good.’

B y Connor Mokrzycki (BA ’22)

“Business can be a force for good,” says Bruce Klaw, chair of the Department of Business Ethics and Legal Studies in the Daniels College of Business. “But in order for that to happen, students have to be aware that there are opportunities to not only do well but do good at the same time.” Since the 2000s, the Business Ethics and Legal Studies (BELS) minor has equipped students across DU with tools to integrate world-class business acumen with ethical decision-making in support of the public good. Over the past two years, the program’s enrollment has jumped by 75%. “It’s been a really solid upward trajectory,” notes Klaw. “I think that speaks to the expansion of available courses and the dedication of the faculty.” And with many students wanting more than just a degree from their college experience, the BELS program equips students to tackle real-life legal and ethical challenges they might face in their careers. Klaw says he sees huge potential for students to move the needle and make a positive impact in the world at large. Curriculum tailored to the future BELS offers 20 classes, from courses in philosophy and ethics, contracts and negotiations, and employment law to forward-thinking courses on ethics and governance of new technologies, climate change and corporate risk management, and international business law. The courses and the cases that students study are tailored to the most pressing issues facing businesses, governments and communities across the country. Students learn not only about the theoretical underpinnings of ethics and legality but also how to apply them to contemporary issues, across a variety of industries. “Students are all going to have to grapple with what new technologies like artificial intelligence are going to mean for their future and for the future of our society,” Klaw says. “These are essential core questions that implicate things like our democracy and what kind of future we want to have.” Beyond the classroom, students put their learning to work in ethics case competitions. These events challenge them to tackle complex ethical dilemmas— from access to industry secrets and conflicts of interest to privacy, discrimination and risk management

across a range of fields. Participants often describe these experiences as transformative, deepening their understanding of how ethical principles can guide practical solutions in business scenarios. A legacy rooted in purpose The emphasis on ethical practices at the Daniels College of Business is part of the legacy of the college’s namesake, Bill Daniels, a pioneer in the cable television industry with a lifelong commitment to ethical business leadership. In 1989, Daniels became one of the first programs in the country to include ethics coursework for all students. The BELS department has expanded on that tradition across multiple

majors. Nearly a third of BELS students come from outside the Daniels College of Business. As Klaw explains, “We show students how things like legal acumen, risk management, sustainability and public policy savvy can all lead to better decisions and outcomes not only for their businesses but for society at large.” For many students, courses leave a lasting impression. “I never would have even considered law as a possible minor or future career, but through taking [Foundations of Business Law], I realized how much I enjoyed it. And the BELS minor does a great job of having a range of topics to choose,” says Aubrey Brashear, a fourth-year hospitality management

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UNIVERSITY OF DENVER MAGAZINE | SPRING 2025