DePaul University’s Institute for Business & Professional Ethics (IBPE) will present a panel discussion exploring the meaning and value of diversity in the corporate workplace from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 29 in Room 241 of the Lewis Center, 25 E. Jackson Blvd.

Titled “The Workplace Melting Pot,” the free, public program will feature four panelists: Patricia Harris, vice president of diversity initiatives, McDonald’s Corp.; Bob Janega, deputy corporation counsel, legislative & intergovernmental affairs division, and chairman, hiring committee, City of Chicago; Elizabeth F. Ortiz, senior executive for institutional diversity at DePaul; and Gloria Woods, vice president of diversity, human resources, CNA Insurance.

“We chose to explore this topic because enhancing diversity is a major issue facing corporations nationwide but also because DePaul’s mission has long supported diversity,” said Pat Werhane, DePaul’s Wicklander Chair in Ethics and IBPE director.

Formed in 1985 and guided by a board drawn from Chicago’s corporate community, the IBPE fosters educational programs and public forums that explore and promote ethical practices in organizations. The IBPE sponsors ethics-related panel discussions and lecture series for students, faculty and business professionals. Among these programs is an annual rotating ethics conference with DePaul, St. John’s and Niagara universities on business ethics teaching and training. Board members and faculty associated with the center also serve as resources on ethics issues to DePaul’s business education programs and the corporate community. For more information about the panel discussion, call Michele Hoffman at the IBPE: 312/362-8786.