2025 PRME Education Award

The University of Sydney Business School has embedded the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) at the heart of its strategy, recognising them as fundamental to our mission of developing responsible leaders who contribute to sustainable and inclusive organisations. Reflecting this commitment, in 2023, the Dean established a dedicated PRME team, appointing an Academic Director, a Strategic Lead, and a full-time Project Officer (my role) to strengthen and coordinate the School’s PRME efforts.

A PRME Committee was also established to support governance and cross-school engagement, bringing representatives from all academic disciplines, professional staff, and students together. Its purpose is to help fulfil the School’s commitment to transforming education, research, engagement, and operations to advance responsible management and support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the internationally recognised benchmarks for measuring progress in sustainable development.

In the ‘Community’ stream, we have adopted a model of multi-stakeholder collaboration to develop meaningful student initiatives. By partnering with other areas of the School, we leverage their expertise in student engagement to broaden our reach and impact. Central to this approach is our emphasis on positioning students not merely as beneficiaries but as co-creators in the design, delivery, and evaluation of initiatives.

We engage the student community at multiple levels—from raising awareness and building knowledge to enabling active collaboration in responsible management education.

For example, we launched an annual Sustainability in Business event to connect students with real-world applications of responsible management. The inaugural 2024 event, delivered in partnership with the Careers & Employability Office, focused on sustainability careers in business. It featured expert panellists discussing essential sustainability capabilities and their relevance to the future of work. The event received an overwhelmingly positive response, highlighting strong student interest in exploring the role of sustainability in business practice.

In collaboration with the Business Co-Design team, the PRME team has launched the student Canvas site, Sustainability in Business Studies. This initiative creates a dynamic ‘third space’ for students—a digital platform that enables them to:

• Explore the role of responsible management and sustainable development in their future careers.

• Deepen their understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

• Learn about the Business School’s PRME initiatives across curriculum, research, community engagement, and operations.

• Identify units aligned with the SDGs to guide their academic journey.

• Engage with programs and opportunities that foster personal and professional growth as responsible leaders.

Co-designed with students, the Canvas site features videos sharing student perspectives on responsible management and showcases Business School units that integrate the SDGs into teaching and learning.

These and other initiatives directly support SDG 4, particularly Target 4.7, which emphasises the role of education in advancing sustainable development. They also contribute to all other SDGs by raising awareness of the Goals and promoting responsible management as a guiding lens throughout students’ educational journey—encouraging the development of mindsets, and competencies needed to drive positive change and contribute to a sustainable future.

Our work with students is guided by a vision of extending learning beyond the classroom. Through targeted communications, curated resources, co-curricular projects, and events, we create opportunities for students to reflect on and apply the skills and competencies they develop in their formal studies. This approach helps bridge theory and practice, supporting their engagement with responsible management and the SDGs beyond the classroom—so they can reflect and envision how these fit into their future careers.

A key pillar of our approach is fostering student leadership through active participation in the PRME Committee. What began with two student representatives has now grown to five, reflecting our commitment to student voice and leadership. Through their involvement, students develop advocacy and communication skills and the ability to engage others with their ideas. They learn to effectively represent their perspectives while leading initiatives that benefit the broader student community. Their contributions are central to advancing responsible management within the Business School, and we recognise them as key partners in this work.

While we support students in leading their own initiatives, we also collaborate with them on co-designed projects such as the Sustainability in Business Studies Canvas site and student-led video content. Open calls for participation invite students to shape these resources' direction and content. These collaborations provide valuable experience in teamwork, creative problem-solving, and co-creating shared visions—skills necessary to challenge existing practices and address sustainability challenges.

We also offer thought-provoking opportunities through events such as the Sustainability in Business panel and the Club & Society Symposium. These discussions encourage students to critically engage with the complex, real-world challenges of responsible leadership. In parallel, our Canvas site provides a reflective space where students can explore the personal and professional relevance of responsible management and the SDGs.

Overall, our work promotes skill development in a holistic and inclusive way. Each initiative fosters different capabilities—from critical thinking, advocacy, and leadership to collaboration and communication—offered at varying levels of depth to meet students where they are in their learning journey. By providing diverse and meaningful opportunities for engagement, we aim to empower students to grow as responsible leaders equipped to navigate and shape the future of business.

Our approach offers a model for institutions seeking to engage students beyond the classroom. Central to this model is a governance structure that includes students as active members of the PRME Committee. Rather than being passive recipients of initiatives, students are invited into decision-making spaces where their perspectives help shape priorities and actions. This ensures our work remains grounded in the student experience.

Another key aspect of our model is the emphasis on collaboration across departments. By partnering with teams such as the Careers and Employability Office, Student Life and the Business Co-Design team, we can amplify the reach and relevance of our initiatives. These partnerships enhance our capacity to deliver co-curricular offerings—such as the Sustainability in Business event, PRME Welcome Week event and the Canvas site—that align academic, professional, and personal development goals.

Perhaps most importantly, we position students as key actors in advancing responsible management. Whether they are leading their initiatives, shaping communications, or co-creating projects, students are recognised as learners and contributors to impact. This model builds a culture of shared ownership and fosters deeper, more authentic engagement with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while also promoting continuous learning and reflection within our team as we adapt and grow alongside our students.