Professor, Department of Relgious Studies
2007
Bio:
Dr. Leonard Weber joined Mercy College of Detroit in 1972 as an Assistant Professor of Religion. He was promoted to Associate Professor and received tenure in 1977 and earned full Professor status in 1982. He has an earned B.A. in Scholastic Philosophy from Josephinum College, Columbus Ohio (1964); a M.A. in Theology from Marquette University, Milwaukee Wisconsin (1967); and a Ph.D. in Religious Sciences from McMaster University, Hamilton Ontario Canada (1974). For both Mercy College of Detroit and University of Detroit Mercy, Dr. Weber taught for over 20 years courses in business ethics at the graduate and undergraduate levels in either the College of Liberal Arts or the College of Business Administration.
Dr. Weber’s contributions to Mercy College of Detroit and University of Detroit Mercy go well beyond a teacher in the classroom. For Mercy College, Dr. Weber served as the Acting Dean of the Division of Arts and Sciences (August 1985-June1986); founder in 1986 and Director (1986-2000) of the Ethics Institute; served on the Space Task Force, Long-Range Planning Committee; Director of the Center for Social Science, Services and Human Studies; Director for the Center for Human Identity and Relationships; and co-chair of Core Curriculum Committee.
For the university, Professor Weber served on the Academic Committee on the Status of Women which assesses UDM’s position on issues related to the employment, retention, promotion and compensation of women in faculty and leadership positions; on the University’s Institutional Review board which oversees all research involving human subjects; on the Conflict of Interest Review Committee; as chair of the search committee for a dean of the School of Law; and chair of the search committee for a dean of the College of Health Science.
Twice Dr. Weber was invited and served as a Visiting Professor of Business Ethics at Gonzaga University, a Jesuit institution in Seattle Washington. In his letter of support the Academic Vice President and Provost, George Lundy, S.J. wrote “Dr. Weber is one of those rare individuals who combines the keen mind and clear pen of the scholar, deep personal empathy and involvement on behalf of the poor, outstanding teaching, leadership which is appreciated by his colleagues, and the ability to collaborate effectively with powerful executives.”
Dr. Weber has been one of the most respected ethics consultant. He was a founding member of the Medical Ethics Resource Network of Michigan (MERN) and served as its president from 1990-1992. He was an active participant in the American Society of Bioethics and Humanities, the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics, the Society for Business Ethics, and the Great Lakes Ethics Network.
Dr. Weber’s focus has been on practical issues in ethics rather than on ethical theory. As the principle author he contributed numerous articles to the “Case Studies in Ethics” column in Clinical Leadership & Management Review formerly the Clinical Laboratory Management Review. Some topics he wrote about include Purchasing Ethics and Confidential Bids, Integrity in Faculty Recruiting, Challenging Disease Patent Holders, Genetic Information and Health Insurance, Changing the Boss’s Mind: Ethics and Tactics, Modifying Physician Behavior, Ethics of Billing Profit or Service, and Consent and Confidentiality in Genetic Research.
By his time of his retirement, Dr. Weber was the author of four books: Profits Before People? Ethical Standards and the Marketing of Prescription Drugs, Business Ethics in Healthcare: Beyond Compliance, Who Shall Live? The Dilemma of Severely Handicapped Children and its Meaning for Other Moral Questions, and Christianity and War: Religious Ideas and Political Consequences.
Further, he has had more than ninety published articles on ethics in journals such as, American Journal of Nursing, Linacre Quarterly, Hospital Progress, Ethical Issues in Nursing, The Encyclopedia of Bioethics, Infanticide, Catholic Rural Life, Crain’s Detroit Business, The Detroiter, Current Issues in Catholic Higher Education, Journal of Legal Studies in Education, Journal of Medical Humanities, Catholic Chronicle, Theology of the Land, Earth Ethics, and Journal of Forestry.
In the nomination letter, Professor and Chair, Department of Religious Studies, James Tubbs, Jr. wrote “While ethics has been Professor Weber’s area of concentration in both his teaching and scholarship, his manner of life has also been dedicated to the address of ethical issues in social, commercial, biomedical, political and environmental contexts. In taking a hands-on approach in the protection of the environment, for example, he participates in the annual Audubobn bird counting project. He and his wife began, and have continued to run, the recycling project at Christ the King parish for two decades, and both are dedicated to “green” construction in all their household projects. In a broader sense, however, Len Weber has been a tireless proponent of justice on very many levels. In everything he has written, taught and done, he has brought a carefully considered ethical perspective that has challenged “business as usual.” He works to keep all eyes focused upon justice, especially for the silenced and marginalized among us. His sensitivity to sexism, racism and economic disparities can make life more complicated, but can also demand and create more justice in our world.”
Dr. Weber’s nomination for Professor Emeritus was approved and conferred by Fr. Gerard L. Stockhausen, S.J., President, University of Detroit Mercy on January 9, 2007.