Professor Named to Editorial Board of New Character Education Journal

Contact: Michael Bugeja, (740) 593-2329
Editors: A photo of Bugeja can be downloaded at www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/BUGEJA_MICHAEL.JPG

ATHENS, Ohio (May 18, 2000) -- An Ohio University professor has been named to the editorial board of a new national character-education journal and also is involved in several editorial projects highlighting the university's commitment to ethics and character building.

Michael Bugeja, special assistant to the president and professor of journalism, is a member of the editorial board and a contributing columnist for the Journal of College and Character, to be launched on the Web May 22 at www.collegevalues.org. The electronic publication, which is expected to be announced in the Chronicle of Higher Education and other publications nationwide, is a peer-reviewed journal covering character-education issues affecting college and university campuses throughout the nation.

In his first column, Bugeja defines character education and outlines President Robert Glidden's ethics initiative, including "Your PATH at Ohio." The PATH program encourages personal accountability, trust and honor among students and teaches the importance of social responsibility and service learning. Ohio University was recognized earlier this year as one of the top ethics and character-building institutions in the country by The John Templeton Foundation, a nonprofit organization also helping to finance the new e-journal. Bugeja's column can be viewed on the Web at www.collegevalues.org/practices.cfm

Bugeja hopes the journal, which will include columns from university presidents as well as student- and faculty-written pieces, will promote discussion about higher education's role in character building.

"I believe this e-journal will be an important resource not only in regard to teaching and policy making but also as a forum for ethical issues on campus," said Bugeja, author of the book "Living Ethics: Developing Values in Mass Communication."

Bugeja's ethics work also was featured in the March issue of Editor & Publisher and in the April issue of the journalism magazine Quill. In his Editor & Publisher article and Quill column, Bugeja speaks about online plagiarism and offers tips to track plagiarists. The Ohio University Office of Judiciaries has adopted Bugeja's plagiarism guidelines, which can be viewed online at www.ohiou.edu/judiciaries/plagiarism.htm

The April Quill also published a lead article by Bugeja on his media ethics class in which he explains his philosophy on teaching ethics. Also featured was an article titled "Navigating in a Web of Deceit" by Ohio University journalism graduate student Les Roka, who has studied writing with Bugeja.