AIUB Completes Responsible Futures International Audit, Highlighting Student Leadership and Institutional Commitment to Sustainability

The American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB), through its Institutional Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), successfully completed its Responsible Futures International Audit on 26–27 October 2026, marking an important milestone in the university's ongoing commitment to embedding sustainability across its institutional practices, academic activities and student experience.

Responsible Futures is a whole-institution sustainability program delivered by Students Organising for Sustainability UK (SOS-UK) in partnership with the International Association of Universities (IAU). AIUB joined the international program in October 2024. The program promotes the integration of sustainability into the formal, informal and hidden curriculum of universities, covering environmental sustainability, social inclusion, wellbeing, ethical practices, community engagement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A distinctive feature is its student-led audit, through which students assess institutional commitments and practices and provide feedback on the student experience.

Over the past two years, AIUB has undertaken several activities under the program, including the Student Experience and Sustainability Skills Survey, curriculum mapping, staff engagement, interactive training sessions with SOS-UK and sustainability workshops, the SDG Teach-In, and AIUB Sustainable Futures 2026. These activities have complemented the university's broader sustainability initiatives, including sustainability as a strategic pillar in its Academic Strategic Plan 2023-2033.

The Responsible Futures initiative at AIUB, is an initiative of the Institutional Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), which leads the institutional coordination and implementation of the program. The initiative is guided by a coordination team comprising Prof. Dr. Carmen Z. Lamagna as Chair, Prof. Dr. Manzur H. Khan as Student Engagement Lead, and Prof. Dr. Farheen Hassan as Project Team Lead.

Student leadership has been central to the program through the AIUB Sustainability Changemakers initiative. Selected and trained by AIUB IQAC, ten students served as student auditors during the audit:

1. Md Navid Aunjum Shoccho

2. Mysha Rahman

3. Md. Shamin Yeasar

4. Md. Thahamid All Mahabub Khan Alin

5. Nafeesa Binte Basher

6. Nowrin Akther Tuba

7. Jubair Ahmed

8. A.B.M Abdullah Al Mamun

9. Iftekhar Ahmed

10. Prova Rahman Rini

The first day of the audit focused on student auditor training and evidence review, facilitated by Oliver Yu Hurst, Project Manager (Education), SOS-UK, who trained and guided the AIUB Changemakers on the audit framework, assessment of evidence and interview preparation. AIUB submitted 51 reports covering the Responsible Futures criteria, presenting evidence of its institutional commitments and activities across leadership and strategy, policy, partnerships, teaching and learning, student engagement, community outreach, research, campus operations and sustainability outcomes.

On the second day, the trained student auditors conducted interviews with university management, faculty members and students to explore how sustainability commitments are reflected in institutional decision-making and everyday university practices. The management interview involved Prof. Dr. Carmen Z. Lamagna, Member of the Board of Trustees and Former Vice Chancellor, and Prof. Dr. Md. Abdur Rahman, Pro-Vice Chancellor. The discussion addressed the university's leadership commitment, strategic direction and institutional support for advancing sustainability.

The academic interview included Dr. Md Saef Ullah Miah, Director, Faculty of Science and Technology; Dr. Faria Sultana, Associate Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; Mr. Mehzab H. Nahid, Head, Department of MIS and Business Analytics; and Ms. Susmita Ghosh, Associate Professor, Faculty of Engineering. They shared examples of sustainability integration in academic programs, teaching, research, assignments and student learning.

The student group interview involved Jarin Salsabil Orpa, Md. Istiak Hossain, Faysal Ahmed, Tasmin Rubaiyat Porshi and Asif Aman Jihad. The discussion explored students' participation in sustainability initiatives, extracurricular activities, community engagement and their experiences of sustainability at AIUB.

Following the audit, SOS-UK will share an initial review report early next year. AIUB will then have the opportunity to consider the feedback and participate in further review processes before the final outcome is announced. The university expects to receive the final Responsible Futures audit result by the middle of 2027.

The completion of the audit marks an important step in AIUB's sustainability journey, providing an opportunity to recognize progress, identify areas for improvement and further strengthen a whole-institution approach to sustainability, with meaningful student participation at its core.