School of Human Resources and Global Business Takes the Lead on Seneca Business Commitments to PRME | Academic Newsletter | Seneca Polytechnic

by Shahrzad Farzinpak, School of Human Resources and Global Business

in the March 2021 issue

Seneca Business has joined the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) to raise the profile of sustainability and develop business leaders that are needed for the future.

Seneca Business is the first business school among Ontario colleges to join the signatories of PRME, which includes over 800 signatories worldwide.

PRME is a United Nations-supported initiative founded in 2007. “Working through Six Principles, PRME engages business and management schools to ensure they provide future leaders with the skills needed to balance economic and sustainability goals, while drawing attention to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and aligning academic institutions with the work of the UN Global Compact” (from www.unprme.org/about).

This global learning community of thought leaders, academics, businesses, students, and leadership experts provides the signatories with the opportunity to engage with a variety of platforms and projects that will allow them to scale up their commitment to transforming business and management education.

In addition, PRME functions as a convener of networks that support the implementation of its Principles and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at global, regional, and thematic levels. Signatories are encouraged to take part in PRME's networks to expand their engagement with peers and partners, and to scale up accomplishments in the areas of sustainability and responsible management education.

As the first step, under the School of Human Resources and Global Business, Seneca Business created a working group encompassing a diverse group of faculty members from different disciplines. Professors Stephen Phoon, Samin Shaaban, and Marko Jovanovic teamed up to act as champions and help in the adoption and implementation of PRME Six Principles to transform the operations, curriculum, and research within the Faculty.

“Committing to sustainability through the framework of the UN’s PRME reporting will enable Seneca to transform business in five areas: curricula, research, educational frameworks, sustainability-based partnerships, and thought leadership,” said Mary Vaughan, Dean of Seneca Business, noting the alignment of this initiative with a number of Seneca Strategic Objectives, including Great Teaching and Learning, Great Student Experiences, and Great Foundations.

The working group started by conducting a literature review, identifying the best practices for each principle in institutions around the world, and creating a template mapping tool to assess the current alignment of programs and courses with SDGs. As well, we are strategizing the next step to promote and implement the integration of universal values into curriculum development and research to be ready for our first Sharing Information on Progress (SIP) report in 2023.

View the March 2021 issue of the Academic Newsletter.