Sustainability in IEM: a Starting Place

Environmental sustainability is a growing concern in international education, and international enrollment management (IEM) is one of the areas of the field with a large carbon footprint. Tasked with recruiting trips abroad and other activities that are dependent on travel, many IEM professionals are looking for ways to make their work more environmentally sustainable.

While it may seem daunting to think about ways to start incorporating sustainability practices into recruitment plans, creating actionable strategies can start with small steps. It’s also important to think broadly across the spectrum of IEM needs.

“There’s a significant impact of what we do in terms of the environment,” says Christopher Johnson, director of international and graduate recruitment and international partners at Arizona State University (ASU). “We have to think about how we minimize or mitigate our impacts in all that we do to be sustainable.”

“We have to think about how we minimize or mitigate our impacts in all that we do to be sustainable.”—Christopher Johnson

Dedication to sustainability is not just a concern for those working at institutions: international (and domestic) students are increasingly drawn to institutions that show a commitment to sustainable development. According to a recent article in ICEF Monitor, “Growing numbers of prospective international students are motivated to study with environmentally conscious institutions and/or in [programs] concerned with sustainability or green energy.”

Small Steps Can Create Measurable Impacts

Johnson admits that he is fortunate. Like some campuses across the United States and the globe, ASU has established an institutional