PULLMAN, Wash. – A group of more than 60 Washington State University faculty members devoted to fostering ethics is giving special recognition to professor Val E. Limburg of the WSU School of Communication for his contributions to the teaching and practice of ethics.
The Ethics Interest Group honored Limburg with the Special Recognition for Distinguished Contributions to Teaching and the Practice of Ethics at WSU. He retired in May after 35 years of teaching.
During his time on the Pullman campus, Limburg has fostered awareness of ethical considerations among students. He created a course in media ethics and has engaged students out of the classroom as well about the importance of ethics in today’s society. Most recently, he worked with a number of students who developed entry essays for a national competition for the Eli Wiesel Prize in Ethics.
When he discovered that only limited materials existed in the area of electronic media ethics, including advertising and entertainment, he created a textbook, “Electronic Media Ethics,” published by Focal Press in 1994. This book is now used by more than 25 educational institutions and has been translated into Italian.
For Limburg, ethics has not only represented a subject for teaching and research, but a way of life. He has served on the Ethics Committee at Pullman Memorial Hospital since 1998. He also serves the hospital as one of 10 volunteer chaplains.
Created in 1991, The Ethics Interest Group has brought major speakers to campus, helped present a monthly brown bag series on teaching ethics and organized informal gatherings of faculty, staff and students to discuss ethical issues as they impact campus life.
