The New York state attorney general will share his views on corporate responsibility during a lecture today.

Eliot Spitzer will discuss issues related to public trust in big business during a speech titled “Corporate Responsibility and the Public Interest” in Textor 102 at 12:15 p.m. Spitzer’s speech is the first in a series about corporate responsibility. The speeches are being sponsored by the Department of Business Administration.

Spitzer, a Democrat, was elected in 1998 as the New York state attorney general. He has pushed issues such as environmental protection, public safety, consumer affairs and civil rights. His recent activity has focused on research analysts who misled investors into purchasing insecure stocks, the sales of which would benefit major Wall Street firms.

Prior to serving as attorney general, Spitzer was the assistant district attorney in Manhattan where he prosecuted organized crime and political corruption cases.

Scott Erickson, associate professor of business administration, said he hopes the attorney general’s speech will give students a larger perspective on social responsibility.

“We just want to give them a broader view of what social responsibility is, especially for corporations,” Erickson said. “In order to be a good corporate citizen, you have to go far beyond just following the law.”

Future speakers in the series include Anke Wessels, executive director of the Center for Religion, Ethics and Social Policy at Cornell University; and Ron Blackwell, corporate affairs director for the AFL-CIO.