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During his historic trip to Africa in April 2026, Pope Leo XIV toured the archaeological ruins of Annaba, Algeria, capping what he referred to as a “special” journey to the country. Annaba, where the ancient city of Hippo Regius once stood, is not far from where Saint Augustine—patron of the Augustinian order to which the Pope belongs—was ordained, made bishop and crafted his most influential theological works. Walking in his footsteps, Pope Leo—who referred to himself as a “Son of Augustine” upon his election to the papacy—toured the ruins with other members of the Order and his traveling party. It was a personal and symbolic moment, but for those paying close attention to his early pontificate, it represented only the most recent of many tributes he has paid to Augustine and his teachings. “In reading through Pope Leo’s addresses and his homilies, his messages and his video recordings, there is barely one that goes by without him referencing Augustine in some way,” said Paul A. Camacho, PhD, associate director of The Augustinian Institute at Villanova University, and scholar of Augustine’s teachings. When the Pontiff accepted the Saint Augustine Medal from the Augustinian Province of St. Thomas of Villanova in August 2025, he made it clear why. “As Augustinians, we strive every day to live up to the spiritual example of our spiritual father, Saint Augustine,” he said to the Province. “To be recognized as an Augustinian, it’s an honor held dearly. So much of who I am, I owe to the spirit and teachings of Saint Augustine and I am grateful to all of you for all the many ways your lives exhibit a deep commitment to the values of Veritas, Unitas and Caritas.” Veritas Examples abound related to all three values and how Pope Leo has invoked Augustine in speaking about them. Dr. Camacho cites a handful he found particularly noteworthy. For example, Veritas first appeared in an especially prominent way during an early address for the June Solemnity of the Holy Trinity and Jubilee of Sport. Then, Pope Leo said, “This combination of Trinity and Sport is somewhat unusual, yet the juxtaposition is not inappropriate. Every good worthwhile human activity is in some way a reflection of God’s infinite beauty, and sport is certainly one of these.” “For Saint Augustine, the Trinity and wisdom are intimately connected,” Dr. Camacho said, also mentioning that Augustine authored an entire book on the subject titled “On the Trinity.” “Divine wisdom is revealed in the Most Holy Trinity and wisdom always leads us to Veritas—the truth," he said. “What Pope Leo goes on to do is say that the life of God, the Trinity, is a life of play…It’s a dance, and dance is a sport, and our own way of participating in that kind of activity is a participation in life of God.” When Pope Leo later spoke to the International Foundation of Catholic Universities—an occasion for which the motto was “Choreographers of Knowledge”—he referenced that dance again. “Pope Leo invites us to think of our relationship to Veritas not as something to master,” Dr. Camacho said. “But rather as a light that draws us out of ourselves towards it, in a dance of relationship with it and one another.” Unitas During a September Mass for the General Chapter of the Order of Saint Augustine, Pope Leo prayed that those in attendance be given “the gift to listen, the gift to be humble and the gift to promote unity within the Augustinian Order, and throughout the Order, throughout the Church and the world.” Earlier in the summer, he touched on unity during the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents and the Elderly, commenting on the Gospel of John, in which “Christ prays that we may all be one.” “This being one is the greatest good we can desire, for this universal union brings about among his creatures the eternal communion of love that is God himself: the Father who gives life, the Son who received it and the Spirit who shares it… the Lord does not want us in this unity to be a nameless and faceless crowd,” Pope Leo said. “What Pope Leo expresses here is that unity is not conformity, but rather community—the kind of community in which each one of us becomes more of who it is that we are the more we love and work for what is good in common,” explained Dr. Camacho. “This is a deeply Augustinian insight.” In one general audience with members of various religious groups, Pope Leo relayed “Unity has always been a constant concern of mine, as witnessed by the motto I chose for my episcopal ministry.” He was referencing, Dr. Camacho says, the Latin phrase In illo uno unum, displayed on his coat of arms. “That phrase—‘in the one [Christ] we are one’—comes from Saint Augustine’s commentary on the Psalms. Pope Leo comes back again to this idea that when we love and follow the truth that is Christ, we simultaneously become more uniquely individual, and our unity becomes genuine community, and not mass conformity.” Caritas In his Opening Homily for the Beginning of the Pontificate, Pope Leo followed his salutations with these words: “I greet you all with a heart full of gratitude at the beginning of the ministry that has been entrusted to me. Saint Augustine wrote: ‘Lord, you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” According to Dr. Camacho, Augustine taught that the solution to the restless heart is Caritas, or rightly ordered love that finds its rest in God. Augustine’s thinking about love is developed in a social dimension when he distinguishes between two different kinds of political communities, which he calls the “Earthly City” (in which pride and self-love dominate), and the “City of God” (in which love of God and neighbor form the community). Augustine’s enduring and influential work “De Civitas Dei,” or “City of God,” articulates this distinction between false and true loves. At the 16th Annual Meeting of the International Catholic Legislators Network, Pope Leo suggested that we look to Augustine, citing his own witness of social upheavals in his time, and that we consider Augustine’s reminder that we must attend to these “two orientations of the human heart.” “Ordo amoris—order of love,” explained Dr. Camacho. “This is Augustine’s notion that following Christ is not a matter of private devotion, but rather demands a dilation of our hearts: our loves must move out to embrace the poor, the marginalized, the downtrodden, the forgotten. In Catholic Social Thought, this is the principle of solidarity: while the things that we love begin with what is most intimate to us, we are called to expand our love outward. One of the things Pope Leo is trying to say is that Augustine’s thought remains a living inspiration for how we might organize our societies.” Speaking to the International Interparliamentary Union in late June, Pope Leo intimated that Saint Augustine speaks of “your responsibility to promote and protect, independent of any special interest, the good of the community, the common good, particularly by defending the vulnerable and the marginalized.” “Augustine’s idea was that what makes a community is what its members love in common,” Dr. Camacho said. “In other words, Caritas—love—is fundamental to how we think about how we relate to one another. Not just on a one-to-one, personal level or in terms of a private relationship to my own good, but rather how we relate to our communities, and what we build together for the common good.” “Bringing Augustine Back to the World” One of the great gifts of the Augustinian Order, says Dr. Camacho, is that “because of its charism of community, it draws individuals to become religious from all walks of life, and not just those who have extensively read or studied the work of Augustine.” It is especially noteworthy, he says, just how entrenched Pope Leo’s words and actions are in his long-time study of Augustine. “It is quite clear that Pope Leo loves Augustine, not just as an exemplar, as a patron saint of the Order, or as a doctor of the Church—though he is all of these. Leo loves Augustine as a companion: a man whose life reminds us that discipleship is about fidelity and not about perfection; a thinker who is rich in philosophical and theological insight; and a priest and bishop who cared deeply for his community. “In his pontificate, it is already clear that Pope Leo, this great “Son of Augustine,” is bringing Augustine back to the Church and to the world as a vital source of wisdom and inspiration.”
Energy Shocks, Consumer Pullback, and the Long Road Back
As Americans scale back spending on luxuries and some necessities — from dining out and live entertainment to home and auto maintenance — the ripple effects are being felt across the broader economy. Daniel Burnside, clinical professor of finance at the Simon Business School, says the trend reflects more than just belt-tightening and signals deeper structural pressures tied to energy markets. “Higher energy prices push inflation up and growth down, putting monetary policymakers in a bind,” Burnside says, explaining the current situation as being beyond a typical price spike. “This isn’t just a price shock, it’s a capacity shock,” he says. “You can’t just flip a switch back to normal because a lot of energy infrastructure has been destroyed. That distinction matters. Because energy costs are embedded in nearly every good and service, rising prices squeeze consumers beyond the gas pump. The result is reduced discretionary spending at venues like sporting and live music events, restaurants, and leisure destinations. Looking ahead, Burnside says a rapid rebound in discretionary spending is possible but unlikely. “If, by some miracle, energy prices quickly return to prewar levels, you would see a sharp run-up in discretionary stocks,” he says. “But that’s precisely because expectations are so low.” For now, markets are signaling that a swift return to pre-crisis conditions isn’t on its way, Burnside says. Until energy supply stabilizes, the pressure on both consumers and the businesses that rely on it is likely to persist. Burnside regularly fields inquiries from journalists looking for his insight on personal money matters and investing. Contact him by clicking on his profile.
Ninety-three percent of patients with a new cancer diagnosis were exposed to at least one type of misinformation about cancer treatments, a UF Health Cancer Center study has found. Most patients encountered the misinformation — defined as unproven or disproven cancer treatments and myths or misconceptions — even when they weren’t looking for it. The findings have major implications for cancer treatment decision-making. Specifically, doctors should assume the patient has seen or heard misinformation. “Clinicians should assume when their patients are coming to them for a treatment discussion that they have been exposed to different types of information about cancer treatment, whether or not they went online and looked it up themselves,” said senior author Carma Bylund, Ph.D., a professor and associate chair of education in the UF Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics. “One way or another, people are being exposed to a lot of misinformation.” Working with oncologists, Bylund and study first author Naomi Parker, Ph.D., an assistant scientist in the UF Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics, are piloting an “information prescription” to steer patients to sources of evidence-based information like the American Cancer Society. The study paves the way for other similar strategies. Most notably, the study found the most common way patients were exposed to misinformation was second hand. “Your algorithms pick up on your diagnosis, your friends and family pick up on it, and then you’re on Facebook and you become exposed to this media,” Parker said. “You’re not necessarily seeking out if vitamin C may be a cure for cancer, but you start being fed that content.” And no, vitamin C does not cure cancer. Health misinformation can prevent people from getting treatment that has evidence behind it, negatively affect relationships between patients and physicians, and increase the risk of death, research has shown. People with cancer are particularly vulnerable to misinformation because of the anxiety and fear that comes with a serious diagnosis, not to mention the overwhelming amount of new information they have to suddenly absorb. While past research has studied misinformation by going directly to the source — for instance, studying what percentage of content on a platform like TikTok is nonsense — little research has looked at its prevalence or how it affects people. The team first developed a way to identify the percentage of cancer patients exposed to misinformation. UF researchers collaborated with Skyler Johnson, M.D., at Huntsman Cancer Institute, an internationally known researcher in the field. The survey questions were based on five categories of unproven or disproven cancer treatments — vitamins and minerals, herbs and supplements, special diets, mind-body interventions and miscellaneous treatments — and treatment misconceptions. The myths and misconceptions were adapted from National Cancer Institute materials and included statements like “Will eating sugar make my cancer worse?” The team surveyed 110 UF Health patients diagnosed with prostate, breast, colorectal or lung cancer within the past six months, a time when patients typically make initial treatment decisions. Most had heard of a potential cancer treatment beyond the standard of care, and most reported they had heard of at least one myth or misconception. The most common sources were close friends or family and websites, distant friends/associates or relatives, social media and news media. The findings mark a shift in misinformation research, with major implications for the doctor-patient relationship, said Bylund, a member of the Cancer Control and Population Sciences research program at the UF Health Cancer Center. “I still think media and the internet are the source and why misinformation can spread so rapidly, but it might come to a cancer patient interpersonally, from family or friends,” she said. Most patients rarely discussed the potential cancer treatments they had heard about with an oncologist, the study also found. Next, the researchers plan to survey a wider pool of patients, then study the outcomes of interventions designed to decrease misinformation exposure, like the information prescription.
Artemis II and why repeated missions are essential to lunar success
Getting to the moon wasn’t a one-and-done kind of effort. It took repeated missions, each one teaching scientists and engineers something new, and each one making the next attempt a little smarter and a lot safer. That’s a big reason lunar success eventually became possible: people kept going back, gathering more data, fixing problems, and building confidence step by step. With all eyes on the Artemis II mission's final hours, University of Delaware space professor Bennett Maruca can talk all things space exploration and the race to the moon. Have you ever wondered why Apollo 11 was named Apollo 11? It's because Apollo 1-10 were already taken! And mostly were fact-finding missions, with many barely leaving the ground, says Maruca. Space program launches can cost billions of dollars. In order to ensure that they are successful, trial runs need to take place. Space travel leaves very little room for guesswork, and even small mistakes can have serious consequences. By launching multiple missions, experts could spot weaknesses, improve hardware, and make sure astronauts were better protected before taking on even bigger risks. In a way, each mission was like a rehearsal that made the final performances much more reliable. Maruca can reveal facts like this and more. He has been featured in multiple publications. Click his profile to learn more.
New AI tool matches students with high-impact internships
Finding the right internship can be an important step for students, but it’s not always clear which opportunities will lead to the strongest growth. To help solve that problem, University of Florida researchers have developed an AI-powered tool that helps students identify internships most likely to accelerate their technical and professional development. Unlike traditional recommendation engines, Pro-CaRE not only predicts which opportunities will lead to stronger outcomes, it also explains why each suggestion is a good fit. In testing data collected from the students, Pro-CaRE’s predictions proved highly accurate, accounting for more than 72% of the differences in learning gains among participants. While the pilot is being tested in engineering, the tool could be adopted for other disciplines. “Internships are one of the most critical parts of an engineering education, but students often struggle to know which experiences will actually help them grow,” said Jinnie Shin, assistant professor of research and evaluation methodology in the UF College of Education. “What makes Pro-CaRE unique is that it doesn’t just offer a list of options. It provides personalized recommendations backed by data and it tells students clearly why an opportunity is a good match for them.” Pro-CaRE creates matches by analyzing each student’s coursework, major, background and self-reported interest, confidence and self-efficacy in engineering skills. It then compares that profile with a carefully chosen set of similar peers to refine suggestions. The result is more precise guidance that adapts to students at different stages of their degree programs. “Students shouldn’t have to guess or hope that an internship will be worthwhile,” Shin said. “With Pro-CaRE, they can approach opportunities knowing they’re backed by evidence, whether the role is onsite, hybrid or remote and whether it’s at a startup or a Fortune 500 company.” The system is designed to work across a wide range of companies and contexts, giving students flexibility while ensuring their choices align with their personal and professional goals. Each recommendation comes with a clear “why this?” explanation, so students can make confident decisions and discuss options more effectively with advisors. Pro-CaRE was developed by a cross-disciplinary UF team combining expertise in education and engineering. Alongside Shin, the project’s co-principal investigators include Kent Crippen in the College of Education and Bruce Carroll in the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. The team is exploring external funding opportunities to expand the usage and test the efficacy on a larger scale. “Ultimately, our goal is to empower students to invest their time in experiences that will have the greatest impact,” Shin said. “Pro-CaRE bridges the gap between what students hope to gain and what internships can truly deliver.”
When the Cheque Stops Coming: Canada Post, Seniors, and the Quiet Cost of Modernization
There’s an old line that has saved more awkward conversations than most of us care to admit: “The cheque is in the mail.” It has been used to buy time, soften bad news, and occasionally stretch the definition of truth. But it worked because, deep down, everyone believed the premise. The mail would come. Eventually. Reliably. Without negotiation. That quiet assumption carried a surprising amount of weight — especially for the 79-year-old navigating an icy driveway. Now, it seems, even that assumption is up for review. I understand the economic argument. Big Losses: The official Canada Post 2024 Annual Report shows they have racked up $3.8 billion in losses since 2018. Lower Letter Volumes: The shift to email has hit Canada Post hard. Letter volumes have dropped dramatically. Less in the mailbag equals far less revenue to offset costs. Increasing Costs Factors: The number of Canadian addresses continues to grow. The math is not subtle, and change is clearly required. But this deserves more attention. Modernization is not the problem. Thoughtless modernization is. Cuts to Canada Post Service May Not Land Equally Not all Canadians experience change the same way, and this particular shift will land unevenly if proper consultation isn't done. We're getting older: According to Statistics Canada, nearly one in five Canadians is now over the age of 65, and that proportion continues to rise. A meaningful share of those older Canadians also live outside major urban centers. We're spread out geographically: Depending on how you measure it, we're also far apart compared to most other countries. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada & the Vanier Institute of the Family, roughly one-quarter to one-third of seniors live in rural or small communities, where services are more dispersed, and distances are longer. Rural Canada is also aging faster than urban Canada. In other words, the places most likely to lose convenient access are often the places with the highest concentration of people who rely on it. This is not a niche issue. It is a structural one. The Real Issue Isn’t the Mailbox. It’s the Journey. Policy discussions tend to reduce this to a simple question of location. Move the mailbox, problem solved. But the issue is not where the mailbox is. The issue is whether someone can get to it safely, consistently, and without turning a routine task into a risk calculation. I am thinking of a client. She is 79, sharp, organized, and fully in charge of her life. Her bills are paid on time, her paperwork is immaculate, and she has no interest in becoming dependent on anyone. In the summer, she walks daily without a second thought. In the winter, she studies the ground before every step. Ice changes everything. A short walk becomes a decision. A slightly longer one becomes a concern. For her, a community mailbox is not a mild inconvenience. It is a variable she now has to manage. That is the difference between designing for the ideal user and designing for the real one. Mail Still Matters More Than We Pretend There is a quiet assumption that everything important has already moved online. That assumption works well for people who are comfortable navigating digital systems. It does not work for everyone. For many seniors, mail remains the backbone of how they manage their lives. Pension statements, government notices, insurance documents, tax slips, prescription information, and replacement banking cards still arrive in envelopes, not inboxes. And yes, occasionally, an actual cheque. The phrase “the cheque is in the mail” may be fading, but the need behind it has not disappeared. For some Canadians, that envelope still represents income, security, and peace of mind. Digital systems are efficient when they work. When they do not, they can be frustrating and, at times, risky. One expired password or one convincing phishing email can turn a simple task into an afternoon of confusion. It is easy to underestimate the value of paper systems when you no longer rely on them. It is harder to replace them when you still do. Efficiency Has a Way of Moving Downward There is a pattern in modern service design worth naming. Call it effort laundering: the practice of shifting work from institutions to individuals in the name of efficiency. We see it in banking, where branches quietly disappear. We see it in healthcare systems that assume patients are comfortable online. We see it in customer service models built around apps and automated menus. And now we may see it in mail delivery. Where the service moves from your front door to a location you must reach yourself. For many Canadians, this is manageable. For others, it is not. When the burden of efficiency lands on those least able to absorb it, the system may be efficient on paper but inequitable in practice. If Change Is Necessary, It Should Be Smarter I understand that change is necessary. The cost differences between door-to-door delivery and centralized delivery are real, and the financial pressures on Canada Post are not going away. But the choice is not between doing nothing and eliminating access. There is a middle path, and other countries have already explored it. In Norway, proposed postal reforms included reducing delivery frequency to once per week. Following public consultation, the government stepped back earlier this year from that plan and maintained more frequent delivery, recognizing the impact on certain populations (Norwegian Ministry of Transport, 2026). In the United Kingdom, the regulator Ofcom has examined reducing delivery to 5 or even 3 days per week as a way to manage costs while preserving universal service (Ofcom, 2025). Research from Sweden and New Zealand shows that older adults rely more heavily on traditional mail systems than the general population, particularly for official and financial communication (Crew & Kleindorfer, 2012; New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, 2021). These examples point to a practical conclusion. Reducing frequency can achieve savings without removing access. Eliminating access altogether is a different decision with different consequences. Canada Is Not Denmark Denmark has gone further than most, effectively ending traditional letter delivery after a dramatic decline in mail volumes of roughly 90 percent since 2000. The move is often cited as a model of modernization. It should be considered with caution. Denmark operates within a context of high digital adoption, a compact geography, and milder weather conditions. Notably, Canada’s digital divide among seniors is more pronounced than Denmark’s, meaning the proportion of older Canadians who cannot easily go online is higher to begin with. Even so, a significant number of Danish residents have been classified as "digitally exempt" and continue to rely on alternative arrangements to receive essential communications (PostNord, 2025). Canada is not Denmark. Our geography is larger, our winters are harsher, and our population is more dispersed. Also, we play better hockey. If Home Delivery Changes, People Will Adapt Canadians are remarkably adaptable, and seniors are often the most resourceful of all. If home delivery is reduced, practical solutions will emerge. Neighbours will organize. Families will build mail pickup into regular visits, turning a logistical task into a reason to connect. Some seniors will finally set up paperless billing, one account at a time. These are workable adjustments. But they should be supported by thoughtful policy, not forced by avoidable design choices. The Problem With Accommodation Accommodation programs will likely exist, but their effectiveness depends on how easy they are to access. Systems that require people to search, apply, document their needs, and follow up repeatedly tend to favour those with the time and persistence to navigate them. The seniors who most need support are often the least inclined to engage in that process. The real test is not whether accommodation exists. It is whether it is simple, visible, and available before a problem becomes a crisis. This Is About More Than Mail At its core, this debate is not really about mail. It is about independence. It is about whether people can continue to manage their own lives without unnecessary friction. It is about whether public systems are designed for real users rather than ideal ones. The ideal user is mobile, tech-savvy, and well-supported. The real user may be older, living alone, and quietly determined to remain independent. That determination deserves to be supported, not complicated. Modernization, With a Memory Home delivery is not just a legacy feature. For many seniors, it remains a small but meaningful part of how life stays organized and manageable. When that support disappears, the burden does not disappear with it. It shifts to individuals, to families, and to systems that will eventually feel the impact. If the greatest disruption falls on those least able to absorb it, the design needs a second look. And About That Cheque... We may be moving toward a world where fewer things arrive by mail. That is probably inevitable. But before we retire the idea entirely, it is worth remembering why that old line worked in the first place. “The cheque is in the mail” was believable because the system behind it was dependable. It showed up. It connected people. It did its job quietly and consistently. Modernization should aim for the same thing. Not nostalgia. Not resistance to change. Just reliability that works for everyone. Because if the day comes when the cheque is no longer in the mail, we should at least be able to say that whatever replaces it works just as well for the people who need it most. Ideally, without requiring ice cleats, a flashlight, and a willingness to sign a waiver. Sue Don’t Retire…ReWire! My Book is Now Available for Pre-Order I hope you will consider pre-ordering a copy of Your Retirement Reset for you, a friend or loved one. It's available September 8, 2026 - You can now order on the ECW Press site here. And if you love supporting Canadian booksellers, please also check with your local independent bookstore. Most can easily order it for you.
The Impacts of Stronger El Niño Conditions on LI
Jase Bernhardt, Hofstra University associate professor of geology, environment, and sustainability and director of meteorology, spoke to Newsday to explain how strong El Niño weather conditions could impact the region. “It often leads to the earth’s atmosphere warming,” said Dr. Bernhardt. “It could be expected that this year could be the warmest on record, if El Niño pans out.” He added that El Niño also “plants the seeds for more coastal storms in the late fall and winter.”
Using AI tools empowers and burdens users in online Q&A communities
Whether you’ve searched for cooking tips on Reddit, troubleshooted tech problems on community forums or asked questions on platforms like Quora, you’ve benefited from online help communities. These digital spaces rely on people across the world to contribute their knowledge for free, and have become an essential tool for solving problems and learning new skills. New research reveals that generative artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT are creating a double-edge effect on users in these communities, simultaneously making them more helpful while potentially overwhelming them to the point of decreasing their responses. “On the positive side, AI helps users learn to write more organized and readable answers, leading to a noticeable increase in the number of responses,” explained Liangfei Qiu, Ph.D., study coauthor and PricewaterhouseCoopers Professor at the University of Florida Warrington College of Business. “However, when users rely too heavily on AI, the mental effort required to process and refine AI outputs can actually reduce participation. In other words, AI both empowers and burdens contributors: it enables more engagement and better readability, but too much reliance can slow people down.” The study examined Stack Overflow, one of the world’s largest question-and-answer coding platforms for computer programmers, to investigate the impact of generative AI on both the quality and quantity of user contributions. Qiu and his coauthor Guohou Shan of Northeastern University’s D’Amore-McKim School of Business measured the impact of AI on users’ number of answers generated per day, answer length and readability. Specifically, they found that users who used AI tools to generate their responses contributed almost 17% more answers per day compared to those who didn’t use AI. The answers generated with AI were both shorter by about 23% and easier to read. However, when people relied too heavily on AI tools, their participation decreased. Qiu and Shan noted that the additional cognitive burden associated with heavier AI usage negatively affected the impact on a user’s answer quality. For online help communities grappling with AI policies, this research provides valuable insight into how these policies can be updated in the current AI environment. While some communities, like Stack Overflow, have banned AI tools, this research suggests that a more nuanced approach could be a better solution. Instead of banning AI entirely, the researchers suggest striking a balance between allowing AI usage while promoting responsible and moderated use. This approach, they argue, would enable users to benefit from efficiency and learning opportunities, while not compromising quality content and user cognition. “For platform leaders, the takeaway is clear: AI can boost participation if thoughtfully integrated, but its cognitive demands must be managed to sustain long-term user contributions,” Qiu said.
CEOs 5 times more likely to survive fraud than a personal scandal
If the CEO of Astronomer had overseen tax fraud instead of being caught on a kiss cam cuddling his HR chief in an extramarital affair, he might still have a job. That’s because, according to a new study, CEOs are five times more likely to be fired for personal misconduct than for overseeing financial fraud. “For financial fraud, the CEO can easily say, ‘Hey, it wasn’t me,’” said Aaron Hill, Ph.D., an associate professor in the University of Florida Warrington College of Business who led the study. “With personal misconduct, there’s no excuse.” The research, forthcoming in Strategic Organization, examined 59 cases of personal misconduct and compared them with more than 300 financial scandals at publicly traded companies between 1997 and 2020. The personal cases included inappropriate relationships, drug or alcohol incidents, domestic violence, falsifying credentials and derogatory speech. Hill and his colleagues found that boards move decisively when a CEO’s private behavior becomes public. By contrast, financial misconduct — such as accounting restatements that can wipe out billions in shareholder value — often leaves room for a chief executive to deflect blame onto others in the organization. Recent company performance influenced how boards responded, to a point. A CEO whose company was thriving could often survive a financial scandal because directors had both plausible deniability and a strong incentive not to disrupt success. But good numbers offered little protection when the problem was personal behavior. For example, McDonald’s ousted Steve Easterbrook in 2019 over a consensual relationship with a subordinate, even though the company’s stock price had doubled under his leadership. Hewlett-Packard similarly dismissed CEO Mark Hurd after harassment allegations despite his reputation for turning the firm around. “Even strong performance can’t erase certain kinds of misconduct,” Hill said. “There are some things you just can’t excuse.” The study also uncovered how scandals influenced succession decisions. When personal misconduct led to a firing, boards were more likely to promote an insider, signaling that the problem lay with one person rather than the culture of the company. Financial scandals, on the other hand, often prompted boards to recruit outsiders as a way of reassuring markets that the firm was serious about change. “It’s a signaling move,” Hill said. “Bring in an outsider after fraud, and the market reacts positively. Stick with an insider after a personal scandal, and it says the organization itself is sound.” The researchers argue that these choices reveal how boards balance their fiduciary duty with the reputational risks of scandal. While dismissing a CEO can serve as a public relations reset, Hill emphasized that it is almost always a financially motivated calculation. “Boards are supposed to look out for the company and its shareholders,” he said. “But when they decide to keep a CEO after misconduct, I think it sends the wrong message — to employees, to investors and to the public.”
Robotics help solve deep Sea Mysteries
UD's College of Earth, Ocean and Environment uses robotics currently operated by the National Deep Submergence Facility (NDSF) to study the depths of the ocean. These expeditions ranged from the East Pacific Rise to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The vehicles include the Human Occupied Vehicle (HOV) Alvin, the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Jason and the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Sentry. What it is: A CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth) instrument is a key oceanography tool that collects deep-water samples using remotely triggered Niskin bottles at specific depths. How it helps: These measurements help scientists understand ocean processes, including carbon cycling and life systems, which are essential to understanding Earth’s overall functioning. To find out more or to speak with speak associate professor Andrew Wozniak about this deep-sea technology, reach out to MediaRelations@udel.edu.