U.S. Student Leaders Discuss Responsible Education Principles

(New York, 25 January 2008) – Student leaders from 13 American business schools participated in the first meeting between the UN Global Compact’s Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) initiative and Net Impact, a network of more than 10,000 graduate business student and professional members whose mission is to make a positive impact on society.

PRME is an engagement framework for academic institutions to advance corporate social responsibility through the incorporation of universal values into curricula and research.

Hosted by the UN Global Compact in New York on 25 January 2008, the meeting brought together 28 Net Impact chapter presidents and representatives in an effort to discuss the current stage of management education and find new ways for students to advocate PRME in their business schools.

Liz Maw, Net Impact’s Executive Director, stressed the important role that graduate business students can play in encouraging their business schools to integrate PRME into curricula and research. Dr. Manuel Escudero, Head of Academic Initiatives at the UN Global Compact Office, pointed out that implementing PRME can help a business school to stay ahead of the curve and respond to the increasing demand by companies to recruit business school graduates who have a firm understanding of corporate citizenship.

Amy Memon of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) confirmed her organization’s support of PRME and outlined plans to closely work with Net Impact and other co-convening organizations of the PRME initiative.

All meeting participants agreed to consider the creation of a PRME focal point in their business school and develop an action plan to encourage their school to adopt and implement PRME.

The following Net Impact chapters attended the meeting:

• Babson College, F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business
• Boston University, Graduate School of Management
• Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business
• Columbia University, Columbia Business School
• Cornell University, Johnson Graduate School of Management
• George Washington University, School of Business and Public Management
• Marywood University, NEPA
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Business
• New York University, Stern School of Business
• Penn State University, Smeal College of Business
• Simmons College
• Temple University, Fox School of Business and Management
• Yale University, Yale School of Management

Contact:

Dr. Manuel Escudero
Head of Academic Initiatives and Special Projects
UN Global Compact Office
escuderom@un.org

Jonas Haertle
Coordinator of Academic Initiatives
UN Global Compact Office
haertle@un.org

Further Links:

PRME: www.unglobalcompact.com/HowToParticipate/academic_network/index.html

Net Impact: www.netimpact.org