Joint Meeting of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Regions

How Can Accounting Educators Integrate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Topics into the Classroom?

• In Event: Integrating ESG into Your Classroom

Abstract

Since many Fortune 500 companies offer voluntary reports on a combination of environmental, social, and governance topics (ESG), ESG disclosures have become increasingly important within the accounting profession. Last year, the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) merged to create the Value Reporting Foundation (VRF) in hopes of creating a unified framework for ESG disclosures. Similarly, the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) was created in November of 2021 in hopes of obtaining the same outcome. This year’s planned transition between SASB’s standards to the ISSB further highlights the combined and comprehensive focus on this important industry topic. Finally, the SEC’s recent proposal to require public registrants to include certain climate-related disclosures has made ESG a critically important topic for today’s accounting professionals.

Due to the increased importance regarding ESG frameworks and disclosures, many accounting educators have been integrating ESG-focused topics within their accounting courses by adopting new textbooks, integrating ESG related cases, projects, podcasts, and articles/additional readings, bringing in outside speakers, and having students complete ESG-related certificate programs. Previous academic research has emphasized an accounting student’s willingness to learn about sustainability and ESG. This presentation will share knowledge on the various ways accounting educators can integrate ESG related topics into their classroom.

Authors

• Ashley Stampone, University of Scranton

• Christina M Olear, Penn State University - Brandywine

• Veronica Paz, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

• Nicholas Olear, Penn State University