Black and white and shades of gray: A portrait of the ethical professor.

A survey of University of Montana faculty (N = 147; 50 women, 97 men) was conducted in Spring 1997 to develop a snapshot of perceptions of ethical and unethical conduct on a university campus. A portrait of the ethical professor was developed by analysis of percentage ratings of 64 items. Chi-square tests were used to distinguish gender differences and differences between faculty members who identified ethics as a teaching area versus those who did not. Respondents agreed on basic characteristics of the ethical professor as one who exhibits equity and fairness, does not ignore evidence of cheating, and does not misuse power. Professors who identified themselves as teaching an ethics course differed significantly from the rest of the professor sample on 7 of the 64 survey items. Female professors differed significantly from male professors on 3 items