News Releases

Ray Anderson visit honors students, inspires environmental business leaders

Friday, April 25, 2008

On March 26, more than 600 people filled Woodruff Auditorium to hear Ray Anderson, Chairman of Interface, deliver "Sustainability in Action;" the 2008 Walter S. Sutton Lecture presented by the KU School of Business and the KU International Center for Ethics in Business.

To open the lecture, business professor Douglas May presented six KU students with the RESPECT Positive Code of Conduct Award. This year's recipients are Mark R. Best, Kimberly L. Elliott, Jake Messersmith, Rachel Sanner, Kirk Smith and David Wise. The award honors top students who follow the principles of the code: responsibility, enthusiasm, self-esteem, professional integrity, equity, compassion and teamwork.

In conjunction with the lecture, the School arranged for Ray Anderson to visit Topeka to discuss sustainability issues with Governor Kathleen Sebelius and Lt. Governor Mark Parkinson. Anderson also met with sustainability leaders from the KU community, including representatives from the business, architecture, engineering, journalism and fine arts schools.