The principal aim of the Values Institute, which is directed by Lawrence M. Hinman, is to provide a place where people can come together for the thoughtful discussion of difficult moral issues. We seek to provide such a place for members of our own immediate university community (students, faculty, administration, and alumni), for members of our own local San Diego community, and for the larger national and international communities of students and scholars. We seek to do this through courses, lectures, seminars, workshops, and conferences, both on-campus and on the World Wide Web.

The Values Institute has been supporting the development of ethics-related initiatives at the University of San Diego since 1986. It has participated in the sponsorship of two national conferences in ethics, one on virtues and vices and the other on the theory and practice of teaching ethics. It has also sponsored a number of on-campus ethics lectures by visiting scholars, including lectures by Rita Manning and John Kekes.