Virginia Wesleyan is the First Liberal Arts College to Embrace “PRME”
The College’s Business Department participates in the United Nations Global Compact, preparing students to become global citizens.
By Kelly Brennan ’13 | October 30, 2009
Megan Z. Shearin
At the urging of the faculty of the Business Department, Virginia Wesleyan is the first liberal arts college in the world to sign on to PRME (Principles of Responsible Management Education).
The Principles, inspired by the United Nations Global Compact, provide a framework for academic institutions to advance corporate social responsibility through the incorporation of universal values into curricula and research.
Virginia Wesleyan’s participation in PRME exposes students to new courses, cases, field experiences, as well as scholarly speakers. These experiences will help students develop problem solving and critical thinking skills, and manage the complex challenges faced by business and society in the 21st century.
Business is the number one declared major at the College. “We’re not your everyday business program,” said Professor of Management, Business and Economics Mr. David Garraty. “We want our students to focus on a broader perspective than just ‘how do I make money? Through PRME, they will have an ethical and social understanding in an international business world.”
Since joining the initiative last spring, the department has been investigating curriculum changes and re-evaluating how they can teach students professional integrity, sustainable business practices, social responsibility, globalization and social entrepreneurship.
“Students seeking a business major are now required to take an environmental science course to highlight the importance of sustainability and global responsibility in the world of business”, said Professor of Management, Business and Economics and Director of Strategic Planning Linda Ferguson. “In addition to the general studies requirement of a values course, our majors are required to take an additional Managerial Ethics course.”
Under the United Nations Global Compact, businesses publicly commit to honorable goals such as human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. More than 3,000 corporations have officially agreed to the Principles of the Global Compact such as Nike, eBay, HP and Microsoft.
“Virginia Wesleyan students have many paths to follow, but we want them to travel those paths with solid grounding in socially responsible behavior and thought,” said Ferguson.