Lyceum Scholars compete in national business ethics competition

By: Ryan Rogers

In early April, a team of four Lyceum Scholars, Kady Bedard ’25, Nadav Sternheim ’27, Connor Crase ’26 and Nick Carter ’25, along with their faculty mentor, Eric Daniels, assistant director of the Snow Institute for the Study of Capitalism, traveled to Denver, Colorado to compete in the semifinal round of the Daniels Fund National Ethics Case Competition. The team was one of 20 undergraduate and graduate teams selected from a field of 83 to compete in-person in Denver.

Launched in 2012, the Daniels Fund Collegiate Ethics Competition exposes students to a thought-provoking business ethics case similar to a situation that they might face in their professional careers. The competition helps build on the solid principle-based ethical framework central to decision-making in a complex business environment. Ethics demonstrated in the competition will need to convey that principles are a constant foundation and that doing what’s right should prevail over self-interest, even when the two appear to conflict.

Student teams collaboratively analyze, present and respond to questions posed by a panel of judges while competing with teams from other Collegiate Program business schools. The experience challenges students’ ethical reasoning, provides a significant networking opportunity and in the end, raises students’ awareness.

In the past, the Daniels Fund has held regional competitions, but this was their first time hosting a major national collegiate competition. Many of this year’s ethics topics focused on the growing use of AI and its impact on business practices. Speaking about his experience competing, Connor Crase, Lyceum Scholar and economics major said, “It was really great getting to work alongside my teammates in order to come to a consensus on our disagreements about these difficult ethical subjects. We were able to apply principles we learned about and discussed in Lyceum and apply them to our presentation in front of the judges.”

Reflecting on his trip with the Lyceum Scholars, Daniels said, “The Lyceum students did an excellent job in their presentation at the semi-finals, presenting a principled stand for ethical, free-market solutions to the case. I am incredibly proud not only that they reached the top 20 but that their presentation was so polished and well-delivered.”

About the Snow Institute for the Study of Capitalism

The Snow Institute for the Study of Capitalism is dedicated to exploring the moral foundations of capitalism. In pursuit of this mission, the Institute collaborates with students, the academic community and the general public to raise awareness of capitalism’s core principles and institutions. The Lyceum Program, founded in 2014, serves as the flagship initiative and remains the only University program focused on the study of liberty, capitalism, the American founding and moral character.