FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Feb. 6, 2007

Kathleen McPartland
530-898-4260
Shirley Hopkins,
College of Business
530-898-6215

'Corporate Crooks' Author To Speak in Chico on Feb. 20

The Ethics Initiative of the College of Business, California State University, Chico is sponsoring a presentation by USA Today investigative journalist and author of "Corporate Crooks," Greg Farrell. The presentation will be Tuesday, Feb. 20, at 5 p.m. in PAC 144, the Harlen Adams Theatre. The event is free and open to the public.

Farrell, who writes for the Money section of USA Today, specializes in white-collar crime, legal affairs and the regulation of corporate behavior. He is the 1996 winner of the American Business Press's Jesse Neal Award for investigative reporting and a 1996 recipient of the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship for business journalism.

In "Corporate Crooks," released in 2006, Farrell looks behind the headlines to reveal an insider's view of corporate fraud. He delves into the role government legislation has played in facilitating some of the fraud in companies such as Enron, WorldCom and HealthSouth.

"Corporate Crooks" shows how the most notorious accounting scandals flourished and includes Farrell's observations of the trial of former Enron chief Ken Lay in Houston.

"We are fortunate to have a speaker of Mr. Farrell's caliber coming to Chico State to speak to our students," said Shirley Hopkins, coordinator of the Ethics Initiative. "It is evident to me that our students will benefit greatly from his presentation. His book presents the role that both corporate executives and the government play in contributing to the white-collar crimes that we read about daily in the media."

Hopkins especially encourages students to attend Farrell's presentation because, she said, "Students will quite soon face a myriad of ethical minefields so prevalent in today's corporate environment."

The Ethics Initiative within the College of Business is dedicated to providing business students with opportunities and events to prepare them to be ethical leaders in the corporations of tomorrow. Farrell is the second speaker sponsored by the initiative. The event is funded by the donations of College of Business alumni.

For more information, please call Hopkins at 530-898-6215.

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