Higher education leaders who traveled from as far as Penn State came to ASU on Tuesday to discuss how human rights can be better taught at colleges and universities.
University presidents from across the nation discussed the Global Sullivan Principles of Social Responsibility that were developed by the late Rev. Leon Sullivan.
The principles are a code of corporate and institutional conduct that defines a fundamental platform of human rights for all workers in all industries of all nations.
It requires equal opportunity for all workers and prohibits employee abuse. It also calls for the collaboration of businesses with governments and communities to promote educational, cultural, economic and social well being.
ASU President Lattie Coor said the development of these principles was one of the greatest triumphs of the 20th century.
"The notion is pretty straight forward," Coor said. "The major institutions in society have to understand these principles and not only adopt them, but internalize them."
This is the first time in three years that ASU has held the conference. The conference has previously been held at Ohio State University and New York City's Fordham University.
Thomas Wyly, national director of the Global Sullivan Principles' Higher Education Human Rights Campaign, said many universities across the United States take the issue of teaching human rights seriously, but a majority have yet to truly integrate the concept in their classroom curriculum.
"The third meeting of academic presidents is designed to help presidents of universities think about what colleges and universities should be doing differently in their teaching missions, faculty research and scholarship and in student development and engagement of human rights," Wyly said.
Through his dedication, Sullivan helped to end apartheid and advance human rights in South Africa.
Hope Sullivan, daughter of the late Leon Sullivan, said higher education leaders were furthering her father's work.
"His dream was to help sensitize people to the benefit - not just spiritual - but the economic benefit of teaching these principles," Sullivan said.
With Tuesday's meeting, she said they were discussing how violation of human rights affect businesses and communities and how it can be better incorporated into the university-level curriculum.
The design of the principles was to be adopted and followed on a voluntary basis by corporations, governments, educational institutions and other civic and not-for-profit organizations around the world.
Coor said that the meeting will give light to the way universities teach.
"If we could establish these principles for the future and make them a living part of societies and others around the world, we could indeed establish a better world for the future." Coor said.
Reach the reporter at tony.ku@asu.edu.
