Driving Responsible Management Education: Insights from the PRME North America Chapter Biennial Meeting

From May 30th to June 1st, 2024, Interim Dean Marylou Shockley, Kelly O’Brien, Director of the Responsible Business Innovation Lab, and Paige Viren, Executive Director of the Sustainable Hospitality & Tourism Management program, attended the 7th Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) North America Chapter Biennial Meeting. The event was held at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada, and brought together a diverse group of faculty, administrators, and students united by a commitment to advancing sustainability in business and management education through the Seven Principles, which emphasize societal service and environmental preservation. Here are the seven principles:

1. Purpose: To develop the capabilities of students to be future generators of sustainable value for business and society at large and to work for an inclusive and sustainable global economy.
2. Values: To incorporate into our academic activities and curricula the values of global social responsibility as portrayed in international initiatives such as the United Nations Global Compact.
3. Method: To create educational frameworks, materials, processes and environments that enable effective learning experiences for responsible leadership.
4. Research: To engage in conceptual and empirical research that advances our understanding about the role, dynamics, and impact of corporations in the creation of sustainable social, environmental and economic value.
5. Partnership: To interact with managers of business corporations to extend our knowledge of their challenges in meeting social and environmental responsibilities and to explore jointly effective approaches to meeting these challenges.
6. Dialogue: To facilitate and support dialogue and debate among educators, business, government, consumers, media, civil society organizations and other interested groups and stakeholders on critical issues related to global social responsibility and sustainability.
7. Change: To contribute to the development of the inclusive and sustainable global economy.

In May of 2023, the College of Business became a PRME Signatory, joining over 800 leading business and management schools across 90 countries in their commitment to building a more sustainable future by implementing the Six Principles and supporting the achievement of the SDGs. The conference began with an enriching Learning Journey, offering firsthand experiences of the Principles in action. Attendees explored the transformative work at the Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture, a remarkable initiative on WSANEC Lands Trust that has repurposed a former racetrack into a hub for regenerative, community-focused agriculture. They also visited SeaCider, a farm-based cidery and event space dedicated to regenerative practices and education, where they enjoyed a lunch and cider tasting amidst apple trees and a scenic lake view. These experiences highlighted the interconnectedness between agriculture and tourism, emphasizing their mutual influence and interdependence.