Community Service
Professor Anja Matwijkiw’s community service has focused attention on her participation in a major push for ethics in local government in Northwest Indiana. She was among the pioneers who assisted in the historical first effort to draft ethics pledges and ordinances, to introduce ethics training for all levels of local government, and to engage in outreach activities to increase awareness of the transformative role of ethics for a community. Professor Matwijkiw did this in collaboration with key stakeholders from municipalities and townships in the region, and across the political spectrum. Her community service also led to a number of appointments, including Vice President of the Shared Ethics Advisory Commission (SEAC).
Below, some of her main contributions are listed:
The Ethics in Government Task Force, IN (2004-2005).
- Co-Drafter of ethics pledges and ordinances, which were adopted by local governments: The Lake County Ethics Pledge for Public Officials, IN (2004), The Lake County Ethics Pledge for Employees of Governmental Entities, IN (2004), and The Municipal Code of Ethics and Values, Crown Point, Highland and Munster, IN, (2005). The relevant ethics ordinances were designed under the auspices of the Ethics in Government Task Force, founded as a sub-committee under the Lake County Community Development Committee (LCCDC).
- Outreach activities to recruit townships and municipalities to promote ethics in Northwest Indiana governments.
The Shared Ethics Advisory Commission (SEAC), IN (2006-2010).
- Service as Vice President of SEAC (elected on January 18, 2007, re-elected on January 24, 2008); Ethics Advisor (elected March 15, 2007); and before this time, a Member at Large (2006).
- Note that the service extended until December 31, 2010, according to Highland’s government resolution No. 2006-115 of December 2006, which authorizes and approves appointments to the Shared Ethics Advisory Commission (SEAC). Note also that SEAC is established under the aegis of an inter-local cooperation agreement between Highland, Munster and Crown Point. The main objective of SEAC is to secure ethics training for all levels of local government (cf. implementation of ethics pledges and ordinances) and to engage in outreach activities to recruit more municipalities and townships from the region, and to sensitize politicians in Northwest Indiana to the idea of utilizing moral standards as a measurement for successful resource allocation and decision-making.
- Facilitated and contributed to the introduction of ethics training components for all levels of local government (monthly meetings in Munster’s City Hall) (2006-2010).
- Assessed ethics training sessions by the Director of Ethics and Advocacy, the International City/County Management Association (2007-2009).
- Collaborated with the editorial staff at The Times as a part of SEAC’s outreach activities to recruit townships, municipalities and other entities for the effort to promote ethics in government (meetings at the newspaper’s headquarters in Crown Point and at Teibel’s Restaurant in Schererville (co-sponsored by the Life Quality Council of Northwest Indiana)) (2007).
- Designed and delivered mandatory ethics training program for councilmen, senior executive and second-in-command level of the local governments of Crown Point, Highland and Munster, Wicker Park Social Center, Highland, IN, April 27, 2007 (65 out of 100 public officials showed).
The event Our Way: Ethics & Democracy, was covered by the press.
Media Coverage of Professor Matwijkiw’s Community Service:
Region Has Entered Ethics Era, in The (Northwest Indiana) Times, Dec. 9, 2007, at Sunday Forum, G2. (Guest Commentary).
IUN Educators Earn Recognition and Awards, in Post-Tribune, May 11, 2007, at E2.
Council Members Don’t Show for Ethics Training, The Times, Apr. 28, 2007, at A7.
Three Towns Are Moving Forward on Ethics Initiative, in The Times, Mar. 26, 2007, at A8.
Carrie Frank & Dinna Jaber, Conference Brings Ethics Closer, in Northwest News, Jan. Issue, 2007, at 4-5, available at <http://www.iun.edu/~marcom/nwnews/pdf_archives/
nwnews_0701.pdf>.
Highland Reappoints Ethics Panelists, in The Times, Dec. 30, 2006, at News Desk Online.
The Art of Ethics, in Northwest Phoenix, Dec. 6, 2006, at front page, 9.
Ethics Overhaul a Hard Sell in Region: Curbing Corruption by Government Officials May Not Convert Many, in (West Lake) Post-Tribune, Nov. 14, 2006, at A5.
Professor Helping Give NWI a Lesson in Ethics, in The Times (Hammond and Ridge Edition), Nov. 13, 2006, at A7.
Conference Looks at Public Ethics in NWI, in (Crown-Point/Lowell) Post-Tribune, Nov. 10, 2006, at B2.
Bill Dolan, Ethical Leadership: It’s Easier Said than Done in the Region, in The (Northwest Indiana) Times, Dec. 11, 2005, Sunday Forum, at front page.
Bill Dolan, Local Push Toward Ethics Could Inspire New Group of Leaders, in The Northwest Indiana Times.Com, Dec. 11, 2005.
Community Service with an International Component:
Professor Anja Matwijkiw’s community service also has international components. For example, she used her ethics expertise to conduct an internal training session for the Roma Information and Knowledge Centre (RIKC), Malmö Municipality, Sweden. Her training session, which was entitled[Free] Market Philosophy: What Are the Stakes? took place on March 4, 2020. Its main objective was to discuss possible free market challenges for a municipal minority program (for Roma people).
See <https://malmo.se/Sa-arbetar-vi-med.../Nationella-minoriteter/Romskt-informations--och-kunskapscenter/In-English.html>.
Professor Anja Matwijkiw often combines her community service with teaching activities. In particular, she has often been engaged in Guest Speaker recruitment from a variety of local and regional organizations to give students the opportunity to discuss issues that affect the Northwest Indiana community (e.g. Life Line Stem Cell; Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network; the Indiana Lions Eye & Tissue Transplant Bank; the Aliveness Project of Northwest Indiana, Inc.; Compassion & Choices; the United Steelworkers USW District 7; Alliance for American Manufacturing; ArcelorMittal; and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters).
