In a survey of more than 2000 employees across all professions and sectors of the United States economy, researchers found that when academic and/or private sector institutions set the highest ethical standards within a workplace, employees responded with a greater commitment to their work, improved loyalty, and greater enthusiasm for making impactful contributions. Establishing a “Doing the Right Thing” culture within an academic institution – without cutting corners – leads to more ethical and productive behavior on the part of the administration, faculty, students, and staff, while building trust within the organization as a whole.

Since the very beginning of our NSU MD journey, we – administrators, faculty, students and staff, alike – committed to creating an open, respectful, fair, equitable and transparent workplace. We viewed this as the foundation of our triple mission so that our tactics and strategies could be shared, discussed, aligned and implemented openly; and that everyone would have the opportunity – through the faculty council process – to contribute their own perspectives and inputs to our operational platform. When dealing with the complexity of a new medical school, it has always been my philosophy to empower faculty to think for themselves and take responsive ownership for their programs and actions.

Embracing the idea that doing the right thing is always the right thing, knits our faculty together as a community of collegial scholars. Incredible things happen when collaborative teamwork is the coin of the realm. Conversely, self-interest and egotism can be very limiting. It holds us back and does not equate to doing the right thing. Doing the right thing draws people closer to each other; even our opponents, competitors, and critics feel the pull of our commitment to doing the right thing. Sometimes doing the right thing means accepting a temporary setback or loss, not getting what you want, or feeling uncomfortable because of a decision that must be made in the interest of doing the right thing. In NSU MD, we accept, and even embrace, doing the right thing regardless of the consequences.

I am confident that 2020 will be a momentous year for our College, with exciting opportunities, growth, and challenges ahead. By fully integrating all NSU MD faculty, staff, students and administrators as a functionally cohesive team, we are creating a positive feedback loop that spans our missions and expands the scale, scope, and stature of NSU. With our shared vision, values and goals, we will continue NSU MD’s incredible growth and unstoppable momentum!