With integrity surfacing as one of today's most important issues in business and society, Deloitte & Touche USA LLP and United Way for Southeastern Michigan have launched a scholarship program celebrating ethics.

The Ethical Athlete Award will present a $5,000 higher education grant to a high school senior athlete showing exemplary behavior in facing issues of moral, ethical or legal consequence. 

The program runs Dec. 15, 2005 through Jan. 20, 2005 and culminates with an awards ceremony at an official Super Bowl event, the 2006 Why Not Sports, Inc., Sports Career Expo Feb. 2 at Cass Tech High School. 

Understanding that you can't have a great community or be a successful, fulfilled person without ethics - it's the building block upon which everything else fits - this program not only gives a wonderful gift to deserving students, but reminds us that ethics counts in school and life. Recent business scandals such as Enron and their devastating impact on innocent people serve as a wakeup call to the importance of ethics. 

A 2005 survey by the Deloitte U.S. Firms and JA Worldwide (Junior Achievement) suggests the problem has crept from the boardroom to the classroom.  The survey found that the number of teenagers saying they would act unethically to get ahead if there was no chance of getting caught had dropped to 22 percent from 33 percent in 2003.  That's encouraging, but many may not keep their conviction under pressure.  More than 40 percent admitted they might act unethically if instructed by their boss and more than a third would likely lie to their boss to cover up a mistake.

"When students tell us they can be swayed, it's a call for help," said Tom Dekar, vice chairman and regional managing principal of Deloitte & Touche USA LLP's North Central region.  "School-based programs are needed to strengthen a culture of integrity, one that expects ethical behavior." In addition to its support of the Ethical Athlete Award, the Deloitte U.S. Firms are partnering with Junior Achievement in providing an "Excellence through Ethics" curriculum that teaches business ethics in grades 4-12 across the country.