President Nan Keohane announced late last week that Elizabeth Kiss, an assistant professor of politics at Princeton University, will serve as the first director of the Kenan Program in Ethics starting Jan. 1, 1997.
Kiss, a former Rhodes Scholar, will head the University-wide program established last September with a $250,000 grant from the William R. Kenan Charitable Trust. The interdisciplinary program is designed to emphasize not only the involvement of ethics in both teaching and research at the University, but also the practical application of ethical thinking in ordinary life outside of the academic community.
In a memorandum to deans and administrators, Keohane expressed her confidence in Kiss (pronounced "keesh"), who was unanimously recommended to Keohane and Provost John Strohbehn for the position by a search committee made up of graduate students, faculty and administrators.
"The search committee was impressed by her thoughtful approach to the exciting possibilities of this new program, her sure grasp of the challenges it will face and her varied experience in both scholarship and human rights activities," Keohane wrote. "We are convinced that Professor Kiss is the right person to establish the Kenan program in its early years, and to provide the leadership in both reflection and action that is the hallmark of this new venture."
When Kiss was invited to apply for the position by the search committee, she said that she was excited immediately by the opportunity because it seemed to mesh with her studies and values.
"I've increasingly come to believe that it is important to bring moral theory and practice closer together," Kiss said. "The [Kenan] program squares with the things that I'm deeply committed to."
Kiss, who has taught politics and philosophy at Princeton since 1988, said that while she will miss her colleagues and friends at Princeton, "this is a one-in-a-million opportunity and I'm excited about making new friends at Duke."
Amy Gutmann, dean of the faculty and Rockefeller University professor of politics at Princeton, has worked with Kiss for more than six years and said that she will definitely be missed.
"She has a wonderful open-mindedness that she combines with the ability to provide real insights into contemporary issues," Gutmann said.
Gutmann added that Kiss is well-suited to run a program dedicated to the study and application of ethics.
"She cares about the interconnection between academics and real life and she's an incredible teacher," Gutmann said. "She represents exactly the kind of person you'd want to lead an ethics program."
When she arrives at the University in January, Kiss said her first challenge will be to get to know the people here who are already involved in the study and teaching of ethics. Once she gets settled, Kiss said she wants to begin work on the establishment of an ethics component in the University Writing Program and the creation of a conference that focuses on moral education.
Kiss received her B.A. in philosophy from Davidson College in 1983. She went on to earn a secondary degree in philosophy at Oxford in 1985 and her Ph.D. in 1990. Kiss was named the William G. Bowen Presidential Preceptor at Princeton in 1994.
Kiss is now working at the National Humanities Center in Research Triangle Park on a book concerning human rights. She is scheduled to finish her research-funded by a grant from the American Council of Learned Societies-in time to take over her new post at the University.
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