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Francis Schweigert

  • Emeriti

Biography

Francis J. Schweigert has been appointed professor in the Department of Philosophy in the College of Liberal Arts, effective August 17, 2020, after completing four years as the Inaugural Dean of the College of Community Studies and Public Affairs. Prior to his appointment as dean, Schweigert served as professor in the College of Management and director of master's programs in Public and Nonprofit Administration, Nonprofit Leadership and Management, and Public Administration. His primary areas of teaching are practical philosophy, philosophy and spirituality, public ethics, and business ethics.

Before coming to Metropolitan State University in 2006, Schweigert worked at the Northwest Area Foundation as a community liaison to regional economic development projects and as the lead for research and program evaluation. He is active as a volunteer mediator and circle keeper in dispute resolution and restorative justice and consults with nonprofit leaders in strategic visioning and planning.

Schweigert has published numerous articles and chapters on business ethics, public ethics, evaluation, leadership, and restorative justice. His current research focuses on public ethics and business ethics education, especially business contributions to the public good as a matter of justice. Recent publications include "The Restorative Ideal of Justice" (2019) and Business Ethics Education and the Pragmatic Pursuit of the Good (Springer International, 2016).

Schweigert earned his PhD in Educational Policy and Administration from the University of Minnesota in 1997, focusing on the social and philosophical foundations of education. His dissertation was entitled, Learning the Common Good: Social and Philosophical Foundations of Community-Based Moral Education in the Theory and Practice of Restorative Justice, based on research comparing four different approaches to restorative justice in the State of Minnesota.

2019 “The Restorative Ideal of Justice,” in S. Grigoletto and G. Grandi (Eds.), Philosophical Insights for a Theory of Restorative Justice (pp. 17-41). Padua, Italy: Verifiche: Associazione di studi Filosofici, University of Padua. Available at: http://www.verificheonline.net/riviste/philosophical-insights-for-a-theory-of-restorative-justice/

2016 Business Ethics Education and the Pragmatic Pursuit of the Good. Series: Advances in Business Ethics Research. Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, division of Springer Nature. Available at: https://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319334004

2016 “Social Responsibility as a Matter of Justice: A Proposal to Expand Business Ethics Education,” in M. C. Coutinho de Arruda and B. Rok (Eds.), Understanding Ethics and Responsibilities in a Globalizing World (pp. 229-246). Switzerland: Springer International Publishing.

2014 “Dialogue: A Pragmatic Tool to Actualize an Ethics of Cooperation,” in Le Pouvoir D'Innover des Coopératives (L. H. Ketilson & M-P. R. Villettaz, Eds.), Québec, Québec: International Summit of Cooperatives. With Yoseline Leunens, HEC Montréal, Canada and Martha Sanudo, ITESM campus Monterrey, Mexico. Available at: http://www.geonewsletter.org/story/dialogue-pragmatic-tool-actualize-ethics-cooperation

2014 “The Pragmatic Pursuit of the Good,” in V. Byczkiewicz (Ed.), Democracy & Education: Collected Perspectives 2014 (pp. 35-82). Los Angeles, CA: Trébol Press.

2011, Winter “Predicament and Promise: The Internal Evaluator as Ethical Leader,” in B. B. Volkov & M. E. Baron (Eds.), Internal Evaluation in the 21st Century. New Directions for Evaluation, No. 132, 43-56.

2010, March “Strengthening Citizenship through Deliberative Polling,” Journal of Community Practice, Vol. 18: 1, 19-39.

2009, June “The Door Has Opened: New Form 990 Creates Strategic Opportunities and Risks for Nonprofit Organizations,” Guidestar Newsletter, at: http://www.guidestar.com News: Articles.

2007, Nov. “The Priority of Justice: A Framework Approach to Ethics in Program Evaluation,” Evaluation and Program Planning, 30: 4, pp. 394-399.

2007, Sum “Learning to Lead: Strengthening the Practice of Community Leadership,” Leadership, Vol.3: 3, pp. 325-342.

2006, Dec. “The Meaning of Effectiveness in Assessing Community Initiatives,” American Journal of Evaluation, Vol. 27: 4, pp. 416-436.

2002, Spring “Solidarity and Subsidiarity: Complementary Principles of Community Development,” Journal of Social Philosophy, Vol. 33: 1, pp. 33-44.

2002 “Moral and Philosophical Foundations of Restorative Justice,” in Repairing Communities through Restorative Justice (J. Perry, Ed.), pp. 19-37. Lanham, MD: American Correctional Association.

2000, Winter “Mending the Moralnet: Moral Education in Strengthening Personal and Family Networks,” Journal of Research and Development in Education, Vol. 33: 2, pp. 74-84.

1999, Sum/F “Moral Education in Victim Offender Conferencing,” Criminal Justice Ethics, Vol. 18: 2, pp. 29-40.

1999, Sum/F “Undoing Violence: Restorative Justice versus Punitive Justice,” Chicago Studies, Vol. 38: 2, pp. 207-227.

1999, June “Learning the Common Good: Principles of Community-Based Moral Education in Restorative Justice,” Journal of Moral Education, Vol. 28:2, pp. 163-183.

1999, Spring “Underlying Principles: The Spirituality of the Circle,” Full Circle, Vol. 3: 2, pp. 2-4.

1993, Winter “Faith Formation Futures,” The Living Light, Vol. 30: 2, pp. 27-32.

Publications