Open Letter to Legislators and Others to Support the Rule of Law
[If you are a Wharton faculty member and would like to sign, please click here.]
The economic system of free enterprise and our cherished democratic institutions depend on the certainty, stability, integrity, and legitimacy provided by the rule of law. The signatories to this letter urge legislators and others in public service to act decisively to promote and preserve rule of law values and other ethical principles, especially in these difficult times.
Recent actions taken by the White House threaten to undermine the rule of law in the United States. The President, who often mentions his Wharton School education as evidence of his intelligence and business acumen, appears to demand nothing more or less than blind loyalty to his leadership.
This kind of loyalty is corrosive to the rule of law. History reveals that allegiance to a leader solely for the sake of allegiance can result in an indelible moral stain. We hope that those in public service as well as the private sector will act out of principle, and not only loyalty, to assure that the bedrock values supporting the rule of law are preserved and honored.
There are now more than 95,000 Wharton alumni who take pride in the foundational values of their alma mater. From its inception in 1881, Wharton has integrated professional and moral values in its curriculum, embracing responsibility and accountability in both private and public sectors, and supporting the rule of law in the United States and around the world. These values should not now be lost or forsaken by our leaders, whether they are in corporate boardrooms or at the highest reaches of government.
This letter reflects the individual views of its signatories only and does not represent any official position of the Wharton School or the University of Pennsylvania. The Wharton School takes no political position and does not comment on its students, alumni, or faculty.
[signatures in alphabetical order]
Gad Allon
Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions
Brian Berkey
Assistant Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics
Steven G. Blum
Lecturer in Legal Studies and Business Ethics
Lawrence D. Brown
Miers Busch Professor
Professor of Statistics
Patricia M. Danzon
Celia Moh Professor Emeritus
Professor Emeritus of Health Care Management
Guy David
Gilbert and Shelley Harrison Associate Professor of Health Management
Director of Education, Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics
George Day
Geoffrey T. Boisi Professor Emeritus
Professor Emeritus of Marketing
Neil Doherty
Fredrick H. Ecker Professor Emeritus of Insurance and Risk Management
Professor Emeritus of Business Economics and Public Policy
Gerald R. Faulhaber
Professor Emeritus of Business Economics and Public Policy
Professor Emeritus, University of Pennsylvania Law School
Marshall L. Fisher
UPS Professor
Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions
Dean P. Foster
Marie and Joseph Melone Professor Emeritus
Professor Emeritus of Statistics
Stew Friedman
Practice Professor of Management
Director of the Wharton Work/Life Integration Project
Noah Gans
Anheuser-Busch Professor of Management Science
Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions
Etan Green
Assistant Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions
Joseph E. Harrington, Jr.
Patrick T. Harker Professor
Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy
Witold Henisz
Deloitte & Touche Professor
Professor of Management
John C. Hershey
Anheuser-Busch Professor Emeritus
Professor Emeritus of Operations, Information and Decisions
Professor Emeritus of Health Care Management
Barbara E. Kahn
Patty and Jay H. Baker Professor Professor of Marketing
Director, Jay H. Baker Retailing Center
Stephen J. Kobrin
Professor Emeritus of Management
Howard Kunreuther
James G. Dinan Professor
Co-Director, Risk Management and Decision Processes Center
Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions
William S. Laufer
Julian Aresty Professor
Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics, Sociology, and Criminology
Director, Carol and Lawrence Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research
Leonard M. Lodish
Samuel R. Harrell Professor Emeritus
Professor of Marketing
Leader and Co-Founder, the Global Consulting Practicum
Senior Advisor, Wharton San Francisco
Cade Massey
Practice Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions
Donald F. Morrison
Professor Emeritus of Statistics
Eric W. Orts
Guardsmark Professor
Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics
Director, Initiative for Global Environmental Leadership
Arnold J. Rosoff
Professor Emeritus of Legal Studies and Health Care Management
Maurice Schweitzer
Cecilia Yen Koo Professor
Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions
Amy Sepinwall
James G. Campbell, Jr. Assistant Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics
Paul Shaman
Professor Emeritus of Statistics
Joseph Simmons
Associate Professor of Operations, Information, and Decisions
Kenneth L. Shropshire
David W. Hauck Professor
Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics
Director, Wharton Sports Business Initiative
Deborah Small
Laura and John J. Pomerantz Professor
Professor of Marketing
Professor of Psychology
Dylan S. Small
Class of 1965 Wharton Professor
Professor of Statistics
Hummy Song
Assistant Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions
J. Michael Steele
Professor of Statistics
Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions
Alan Strudler
Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics
Karl T. Ulrich
CIBC Endowed Professor
Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions
Michael Useem
Professor of Management
Kevin Werbach
Associate Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics
Jerry (Yoram) Wind
Lauder Professor
Professor of Marketing
Academic Director, The Wharton Fellows Program
Director, SEI Center for Advanced Studies in Management