Co-author of Sarbanes-Oxley Act to speak on ethics

Paul Sarbanes

Former U.S. senator Paul Sarbanes, who co-authored what has been called one of “the most far-reaching reforms of American business practices since the time of Franklin Delano Roosevelt,” will be the featured speaker in the spring 2008 installment of the Purdue Series on Corporate Citizenship and Ethics.

The talk is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on April 17 in Stewart Center’s Fowler Hall. It is free and open to the public.

A five-term senator from Maryland, Sarbanes held a series of hearings in response to the failure of Enron in 2001, resulting in the passage of the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act. The law is now known as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, named for Sarbanes and his co-sponsor in the House, Michael Oxley.

Designed to reform the accounting industry and restore investor confidence, the act created a strong independent oversight board to oversee the auditors of public companies, set accounting standards, and investigate and discipline accountants.

Now entering its fifth year, the Purdue Series on Corporate Citizenship and Ethics is hosted by the Krannert School and Purdue’s College of Education and sponsored by Purdue Employees Federal Credit Union and CSX Transportation. Barry Salzberg, CEO of Deloitte & Touche USA LLP, leads off this season’s roster in November.