Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility welcomes Princeton Theological Seminary

The PC(USA)-related seminary is the first to become a faith-based member of ICCR

by Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility | Special to Presbyterian News Service

Photo by Sean Pollock via Unsplash

The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, a coalition of more than 300 faith and values-based institutional investors practicing sustainable investing and shareholder engagement, announced Tuesday that Princeton Theological Seminary has joined as a faith-based member.

The seminary was established in 1812, the first seminary founded by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church. According to its mission statement, “Princeton Theological Seminary prepares women and men to serve Jesus Christ in ministries marked by faith, integrity, scholarship, competence, compassion, and joy, equipping them for leadership worldwide in congregations and the larger church, in classrooms and the academy, and in the public arena.”

The Rev. Dr. Jonathan Lee Walton

“With our rich tradition of educating Christian leaders in service of the church and broader society, we have an obligation to ensure that our holistic operations align with our pedagogical mission,” said Princeton Seminary’s president, the Rev. Dr. Jonathan Lee Walton. “Joining the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility gives us the unique opportunity to connect with other institutions who are similarly committed to fostering a culture of fiscal responsibility and mission-aligned stewardship.”

Rob Fohr

“As a representative from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), I am delighted that Princeton Theological Seminary, one of our PC(USA)-related seminaries, is the first theological education institution to become a faith-based member of ICCR,” said ICCR’s board chair, Rob Fohr of the Presbyterian Foundation and New Covenant Trust Company. “I am grateful for Princeton Seminary’s visionary leadership in joining the ICCR community as the organization can help them provide educational opportunities for their students as well as more effectively leverage their invested assets in alignment with their institutional values.”

As institutional investors with diversified portfolios, ICCR members engage hundreds of companies across all sectors as shareholders to call for increased accountability for corporate environmental and social impacts. ICCR priority programs include work to mitigate the GHG emissions contributing to the climate crisis, engagements to advance worker justice, advocacy for equity in healthcare and work to foster more equitable global supply chains.

“Due to their congregational connections and their commitment to social justice, faith-based investors have a unique moral perspective that can resonate strongly with boards and management,” said Josh Zinner, ICCR’s CEO. “We look forward to helping Princeton Theological Seminary achieve its goals by providing its students with the education and tools in sustainable investing and shareholder engagement that will help them put their faith into action.”

About the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility
The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility is a broad coalition of more than 300 institutional investors collectively representing over $4 trillion in invested capital. ICCR members, a cross-section of faith-based investors, asset managers, pension funds, foundations, and other long-term institutional investors, have more than 50 years of experience engaging with companies on environmental, social, and governance issues that are critical to long-term value creation. ICCR members engage hundreds of corporations annually to foster greater corporate accountability. Visit ICCR’s website and follow ICCR on LinkedIn and Facebook.