Fisher Senior Honored by Elevate Rochester

Senior Madeline Woods ’23 was named the 2022 recipient of the Martin Palumbos Rochester Area Business Ethics Foundation (RABEF) Scholarship during the annual ETHIE Awards celebration, an Elevate Rochester event that recognizes ethical business practices among companies, nonprofit organizations, and professional firms in the Rochester community.

Elevate Rochester is an organization with a focus on celebrating corporate ethics. Through work with companies, nonprofit organizations, and professional firms, it distributes the ETHIE Award to highlight companies and individuals with a high standard for business ethics. Modeled after the American Business Ethics Award, the ETHIE has grown to be one of the most prestigious awards in the Rochester region. As a founding partner, St. John Fisher University is committed to upholding strong ethical business standards and works to prepare students with that in mind.

“As a mission-driven, values-based institution, Fisher remains committed to improving the individual lives of our students, preparing ethical global business leaders, and to working with other institutions and organizations to help solve the problems that continue to vex this wonderful community,” shared Dr. Kevin Railey, provost and vice president for academic affairs.

In its focus on encouraging the application of ethical business decision-making, Elevate Rochester offers its Martin Palumbos Rochester Area Business Ethics Foundation (RABEF) Scholarship at the annual ETHIES event. Recipients must be a business student who demonstrates exceptional integrity and ethics as it pertains to business education. In previous years, Fisher has nominated students from the School of Business to submit an essay on business ethics and what it means to them.

Previous scholarship recipients include Eric Green ’20, an accounting major, and Nicole Smith ’23, a marketing major with a media and communication minor.

Woods, the 2022 recipient, is a human resources management major with an ethics minor. “It truly is an honor to accept such a prestigious award. My success could not have been possible without St. John Fisher University establishing the values of the Fisher Creed: Respect, Open-Mindedness, Integrity, Diversity, Responsibility, Education, Leadership, and Growth. Integrity stands out to me the most as it reminds me to be true to myself and honest in all that I am doing within the campus community as well as the overall community as a whole.”

In addition to her hard work in the classroom, Woods is an executive intern for the Student Affairs Division, chief marketing officer for the American Marketing Association, and a member of two business organizations on campus, Delta Sigma Pi and the Dean’s Student Advisory Council for the School of Business.

After she graduates in May, Woods plans to enter a career in recruiting and obtain her SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) certification.

Woods was formally recognized at the School of Business MBA Holiday Mixer on Monday, Dec. 5, and at the Cleary Family Auditorium on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at Elevate Rochester’s Annual ETHIE Awards Ceremony Reception.