KIE was founded in 1986, in memory of Charles W. Kegley, first chair of the CSUB Philosophy and Religious Studies Department. Dr. Kegley believed philosophical and ethical explorations found richest development via connection with real people and real problems, and the Kegley Institute has carried forward his spirit and work to this day.

KIE is committed to serving our campus and community through ethics education, research, and practice. To this end, we host a bi-annual speaker series on timely ethical issues - ranging from human trafficking and poverty to free speech and social justice (among many other topics) - as well as several ethics discussion panels each year for our faculty, students, and community members. In addition, we provide ethics education resources and training for local K-12 school teachers, ethics consulting for local hospitals and community organizations, and training and funding support for CSUB faculty members engaging in ethics-related research and teaching.