Joining a growing global movement, the Tippie College of Business has officially signed the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), a United Nations-supported initiative to raise the profile of sustainability in universities, and equip business students to become drivers of corporate sustainability.

The college is the first business school at a public university in Iowa to do so and joins over 800 business programs worldwide in ensuring future business leaders have the skills needed to balance economic and sustainability goals.

“Most consumers expect businesses to address social and environmental problems. By joining the PRME, the Tippie College of Business demonstrates its ongoing commitment to sustainability and joins a global movement,” said Bodi Vasi, associate professor of management and entrepreneurship who researches corporate social responsibility.

Part of this agreement involves working with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and aligning with the work of the United Nations Global Compact. The seventeen goals of the SDG are much broader than just environmental sustainability. They also encompass objectives such as reducing poverty and inequality, improving health and well-being, providing decent work and economic growth, and encouraging responsible consumption and production. The college is required to share a progress report with stakeholders at least every twenty-four months.

“The broad scope of goals means that virtually all our faculty and students, regardless of what they are teaching or studying, can work toward the SDGs,” said Sara Rynes, professor and Tippie-Rollins Chair in Excellence in the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship. “As a PRME signatory, we envision a day when all our students will consider people and the planet alongside profit at the front end of every business and personal decision they make.”

Media contact: Tom Snee, tom-snee@uiowa.edu, 319-541-8434