Grady Students Attend National Conference on Ethics in America

Four Grady College students had the distinct privilege to attend the National Conference on Ethics in America (NCEA) at West Point on Oct. 16-17.

The conference is designed to provide a platform for students from around the nation to gather and have meaningful discussions about ethics and ethical leadership.

Kristen Adaway, Nicolette Brown, Maddie Ray and Alex Soderstrom were the Grady students selected to attend. They were nominated by journalism faculty. This is the second consecutive year Grady students have been invited to attend the conference.

“Invitations to NCEA are very exclusive,” said Ann Hollifield, Thomas C. Dowden Professor of Media Research. “It is yet another measure of Grady College’s respected profile in journalism.”

The four Grady College students were among 53 students from 21 institutions who joined 98 West Point cadets, 15 students from other service academies and 52 ROTC cadets to comprise the total 218 students voicing ethical discussions at NCEA.

“The conference this year focused on grit, working hard and sticking to your morals no matter what comes your way,” said Nicolette Brown, a fourth-year journalism student.

Erica Kenner (ABJ ’08), Conference Event Coordinator for the United States Military Academy, says it is important to connect journalism students and West Point cadets through ethical discourse.

“Grady College of Journalism at the University of Georgia has a distinguished reputation as one of the top journalism schools in the country,” Kenner said. “As with all of the institutions we invite to NCEA, we look to forge strong relationships between West Point cadets, our future Army leaders and civilian students from top programs, who will continue to become leaders in our nation in other capacities.

One of the NCEA speakers was Grady College alumna Charlayne Hunter-Gault (ABJ ’63), decorated journalist and the first female African-American student to enroll at UGA.

“As an African-American female student at the University of Georgia, hearing about her [Charlayne Hunter-Gault] experiences in 1961 deeply impacted me,” said Kristen Adaway, a fourth-year journalism student. “Due to her bravery and courage, I was able to enroll at UGA and pursue a career in journalism.”

This was the 34^th annual NCEA. The theme was: ‘Grit: the unyielding determination to prevail.”

“In the current environment as it relates to journalism, politics and citizenship, for our students to participate in a national discussion on ethics is critically important,” Hollifield said.

The student journalists experienced an inside look at how the United States Military Academy develops leaders of character.