University of New England

The Paul D. Merrill
Business Ethics Lecture

The annual Paul D. Merrill Business Ethics Lecture honors Paul D. (P.D.) Merrill, Portland-area business leader and long-time UNE trustee, supporter and friend, who died unexpectedly in 2007.

The lecture series, sponsored by the Department of Business and Communications, creates an opportunity for future business leaders from UNE and the broader community to learn about and reflect upon the important role that ethical considerations play in our daily choices, and the impact these choices have on our communities.

In recent years, business ethics has increasingly taken center stage due to an array of challenges facing society, such as accounting practices in corporate boardrooms, rapidly advancing technological and scientific breakthroughs in medicine, and the effects of economic growth, making this series a vital part of the education of future business leaders.

The lecture series serves as a reminder of P.D. Merrill's lifelong vision of the role that good business practices play in the health of the community.

Lectures

Thursday, March 27, 2008
Chris Argyris, Ph.D.,
James Bryant Conant Professor of Education and Organizational Behavior at the Graduate School of Business, Harvard University

"I-Traps, Leadership, Culture"
Lecture: 4:00 pm., Eleanor deWolfe Ludcke ’26 Auditorium, Westbrook College Campus
Reception: at 5:15 p.m., Art Gallery

Chris Argyris, Ph.D., is the James Bryant Conant Professor of Education and Organizational Behavior (emeritus) at the Graduate School of Business, Harvard University. Dr. Argyris is most noted for his work in studying and creating new forms of organizational learning and change, especially those that are transformational in nature. Argyris has focused his scholarly research on several themes: the challenge of integrating human beings with organizations in ways that strengthen human actualization and organizational effectiveness, the challenge of designing new organizational structures and policies to enhance this integration, and the use of intervention methods to change the status quo.

He is the recipient of 10 honorary doctorates, and he has received numerous other academic awards. He is the author of 31 books and more than 400 articles. Among his recent books are Reasons and Rationalizations (Oxford University Press 2004), Flawed Advice and the Management Trap:  How Managers Can Know When They’re Getting Good Advice and When They’re Not  (New York , Oxford University Press 2000); On Organizational Learning, 2nd ed., (Oxford. England:  Blackwell 1999).

Paul D. Merrill

P.D. Merrill was chair of Merrill Industries and a prominent business leader in the Portland community. He also chaired the Maine Chamber and Business Alliance from 1998-1999 and was active in the Maine Economic Research Institute, the International Forest Products Transportation Association and the Industrial Advisory Board of the Loeb Sullivan School of International Business and Logistics at the Maine Maritime Academy. He joined UNE's Board of Trustees in 1984, serving as chair of the Board of Trustees from 1995-2000, and was involved in a wide variety of other philanthropic endeavors throughout the state. Merrill's business approach fused idealism with practical business practices, resulting in the kind-hearted no nonsense approach that became his reputation.

"P.D. Merrill not only was a successful businessman, but demonstrated a highly ethical standard of business operations while giving back to his community," said UNE President Danielle Ripich, Ph.D. "He served for many years on our Board and treasured his long-time support of the University of New England," she added. "He also exhibited a strong desire to serve those less fortunate - an aspiration stemming from his youth, when he and his sister saw Dr. Martin Luther King deliver his 'I Have a Dream' speech in D.C," Ripich said.

Among Merrill's many philanthropic efforts, he helped create a non-profit organization to help preserve Camp Agawam in Raymond when it faced a doubtful future. He was also actively involved in fundraising for making possible the renovations of Portland's Merrill Auditorium, one of the premier concert halls in New England, named in honor of his parents, Paul E. and Virginia Sweetser Merrill.