News

FARMER SCHOOL BIDS FAREWELL TO AN UNWAVERING SUPPORTER AND CHAMPION OF ETHICS


January 2016

Michael G. Oxley, ’66, lost a decade-long battle with cancer on January 1. For many, Oxley was best known for his roll in creating the landmark Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. To others, it was his 33 years in elected service, including stints as a Special Agent of the FBI, member of the Ohio General Assembly or Congressman in the United States House of Representatives. To Miamians, he is best remembered as an alumnus who worked diligently to protect the rights of investors and ensure corporate accountability.

Michael never sought the limelight. In fact, the 2006 establishment of the Michael G. Oxley Fund, the primary funding source for the Farmer School’s Center for Business Excellence, is one of the few things that bear his name.

As Oxley quipped, “I don’t lend my name lightly. In fact, before Sarbanes­Oxley, I think the only thing my name was on, was my mailbox. But I am very excited about what the Michael G. Oxley Fund at Miami University can accomplish. What’s especially important to me is that we reach today’s generation of students because they will be the corporate leaders of tomorrow. They need business skills. But they also need to know how to make good judgments in real­-life conditions, and they need to learn how to keep their ethical compass.”

Michael Oxley