SASB and Fordham University Announce Collaboration

The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) has announced an innovative, collaborative relationship with Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business to advance the emerging field of sustainability accounting through education, research, and public events. The collaboration will educate the next generation of business leaders and embed sustainability accounting that is ultimately focused on financial performance into best practices at companies and investment organizations alike.

Fordham University will provide a permanent venue for SASB Standards Board meetings, beginning with SASB’s next Standards Board meeting at Fordham tomorrow. New York City’s central location enables the SASB to establish a more prominent presence in the world’s largest capital market, thereby promoting greater transparency while facilitating access and engagement among key stakeholders.

“I am thrilled with this collaborative relationship between SASB and Fordham,” said Jean Rogers, SASB Founder and Chair of the SASB Standards Board. “We are excited to have a consistent home for the SASB Standards Board meetings and to kick off the SASB speaker series. We look forward to collaborating with the faculty and students of Fordham.”

SASB and Fordham share complementary goals. Fordham is positioned to contribute its thought leadership and to guide academic research to advance the field of sustainability accounting, promoting cross-disciplinary and cross-departmental collaboration toward meaningful and innovative outcomes. SASB can provide Fordham and its students with a deep understanding of the SASB Standards, underlying research, and key market perspectives, giving them practical tools, confidence with the issues, and a competitive advantage in the workforce.

“This collaboration with SASB is about embracing ideas that are mutually beneficial to the global business world and to society,” said Barbara Porco, Director for The Center for Professional Accounting Practices at Fordham University Gabelli School of Business. “And a big part of this partnership is about training the next generation of sustainability leaders in business. The natural synergies between Fordham and SASB are fantastic.”

In addition to hosting Standards Board meetings at Fordham, SASB and Fordham will work together on a variety of other activities and joint objectives, including:

Promoting thought leadership on sustainable accounting issues, including SASB’s annual conference hosted at Fordham and an innovative speaker series launching soon
Expanding SASB’s research efforts by engaging Fordham to conduct academic research into current and emerging topics relating to financially material sustainability issues
Developing and testing education materials for students, enabling students to appreciate the potential significance of sustainability issues on their future employers and careers

In addition, SASB and Fordham will continue to collaborate on ways to demonstrate and communicate the impact of a market standard on measuring, managing, and improving performance on critical sustainability issues.

Accounting