New York, New York, Dec. 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A dynamic collaboration between Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business and the Value Reporting Foundation now grants students exclusive access to resources that enable them to pursue the foremost professional credential in the field of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting.

The Gabelli School’s Sustainability Disclosures and SASB Standards course was launched in fall 2021 and is the first of its kind. Taught by Barbara Porco, PhD, and Tim Hedley, PhD, the class blends SASB materials such as case studies, powerful data sets and other resources with impressive guest speakers including sustainability experts from the Value Reporting Foundation and Big Four accounting firms to prepare students for the Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting (FSA) Level 1 certification.

As more companies around the world issue standardized sustainability disclosure, demand for professionals who can prepare and use financial and material sustainability information has never been higher.

The course – and the FSA credential itself – is configured to emphasize the connection between financial sustainability reporting and a business’ ability to drive value. Currently, over 20 graduate and undergraduate students are gaining new knowledge of how sustainability issues impact enterprise value, and how to better integrate ESG data into reporting, corporate strategy, and investment analysis.

Speaking about further implications for students, Timothy Hedley, PhD, adjunct professor and senior advisor at K2 Integrity said, “There is a huge demand for skillsets in the [ESG] area, and I believe our students are going to be uniquely qualified when they get to the marketplace, because they have been so deeply engaged with these standards.”

The Sustainability Disclosures and SASB Standards course accompanies an already robust range of credit-bearing options for Gabelli School students to study sustainability literacy. A sustainability accounting track is available for accounting majors and a sustainability concentration is open to all undergraduates. Additionally, all Gabelli School students are introduced to sustainability content embedded into their curricular and co-curricular programming.

“There are many skills needed to lead businesses in a responsible way, but one key aspect is sustainability reporting,” said Barbara Porco, PhD. “This new pathway toward the FSA Credential further enables the Gabelli School to offer unparalleled sustainability education opportunities for students.”

According to the Value Reporting Foundation, 80% of Fortune 500 CEOs have FSA Level 1 certification. To date, more than 3,000 candidates, representing more than 50 countries around the world, have participated in the FSA Credential, with more than 1,900 passing FSA Level I and more than 900 earning the full credential by passing Level I and Level II.

Founded in 1920, the mission of the Gabelli School of Business is to inspire and empower positive global change, developing students into compassionate business leaders and supporting faculty and students in the ongoing generation of new knowledge. The Gabelli School’s vision is to become a world leader in social innovation by inspiring and equipping its graduates to be business leaders who understand the challenges in sustainability facing businesses and the potential of harnessing the power of social responsibility for both financial success and societal impact.

For more information, visit: https://www.valuereportingfoundation.org/, https://fsa.sasb.org/,

and https://www.fordham.edu/business/.

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CONTACT: Jenna Gambino Fordham University Gabelli School of Business 212-636-7773 Jgambino4@fordham.edu