Operating with Purpose
& Responsibility
Corporate Governance
Our Governance Principles guide our board of directors’ cross-functional approach to oversight. A system of committees – each chaired by an independent director – assesses functional areas while providing guidance and direction. Each committee maintains its own charter, which sets forth its purpose, goals, responsibilities and qualifications for membership.
Upholding Shared Sustainability Oversight
Our Senior Leadership Team: Senior leaders set the strategic direction for Adtalem, guide the company on areas related to its sustainability strategy.
Our Sustainability Working Group: A cross-functional working group of Adtalem leaders aids in promoting our ongoing commitment to operating sustainably, maintaining responsible governance standards and supporting our global community.
Our Global Impact Team: Several positions at Adtalem are dedicated to our day-to-day sustainability and impact efforts, including our annual Sustainability Report, ESG data management and analysis; and philanthropic initiatives.
Supporting Global Advocacy and Sustainable Development
With a global presence, Adtalem aims to be an impactful community member through strategic advocacy routes. Our alignment with the UN SDGs , particularly Goals 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and 4 (Quality Education) allows us to focus on addressing critical challenges and opportunities related to sustainable development, healthcare access and economic diversification in the U.S. and Caribbean territories.
Our overall advocacy efforts in these regions are centered on engaging with policymakers on these fundamental issues, demonstrating how we positively impact sustainable development through advanced healthcare education, improving health outcomes, increasing the healthcare workforce and fostering economic diversification.
In the Caribbean, we are recognized as partners in development for our role in advancing One Health initiatives and our efforts to improve food security. We address healthcare workforce shortages by partnering with governments to offer tailored programs that meet the unique workforce development needs of countries.
Government Partnerships Enhance Our Impact
Ethics and Integrity
Our Code of Conduct and Ethics (“the Code”) outlines the ethical standards and expectations we uphold for everyone at Adtalem, including officers, our board of directors, and full- and part-time colleagues and faculty. We review the Code on an annual basis and update it when necessary to account for incidents or situations that may occur outside of its scope.
S&P Business Ethics Percentile Ranking
Adtalem received a 94th percentile ranking (top 6%) for Business Ethics on the 2023 S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment.2
Read more about how Adtalem Sustainability Scores Demonstrate ESG Commitment.
Code of Conduct and Ethics
The Code of Conduct and Ethics includes information on our whistleblower policy and encourages everyone to speak up with questions, concerns or potential violations, and Adtalem maintains a 24-hour hotline that offers anonymity to anyone reporting issues. The Code is maintained by our Integrity and Compliance team who investigates and acts upon all reports while reporting on a quarterly basis to the Audit and Finance Committee of the board.
Human Rights Statement
Our Human Rights Statement outlines our commitment to maintaining the highest level of respect for individuals’ human rights. We act as a trusted member of our global community by upholding human rights both inside and outside our areas of operation. This includes our commitment to preventing underage labor and modern slavery and ensuring compliance with applicable labor laws.
Supplier Code of Conduct
Our suppliers, vendors and other partners represent us in the marketplace. We conduct risk and contract assessments through our Supply Management Office (SMO). We expect all business partners to act in a manner consistent with the principles outlined in our Supplier Code of Conduct.
Ensuring Responsible Recruitment and Enrollment
The pathway toward transformative care and universally accessible education begins when we first connect with prospective students. As such, we commit to appropriate recruitment policies and ensure that our procedures provide prospective students with the information and support they need to help them make informed enrollment decisions.
Responsible Marketing and Communications Statement
Our Responsible Marketing and Communications Statement codifies our commitment to marketing our products and services, and to maintaining our transparency and compliance in all of our advertising messages and promotional communications. We strive to ethically represent the holistic value of an education from Adtalem’s institutions through all of our marketing efforts.
S&P Brand Perception Percentile Ranking
Adtalem received a 91st percentile ranking (top 9%) for Sustainable Marketing and Brand Perception on the 2023 S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment.3
Cybersecurity and Data Privacy
Our responsibilities as an enterprise include safeguarding sensitive information about our students, employees, institutions and operations. Our Cyber Risk Management Framework is designed to strengthen our systems against potential risks or outside threats to foster the trust of our internal and external collaborators and partners.
Approach to Cyber Risk
Adtalem is actively focused on maintaining cybersecurity throughout our organizational structure. The Audit and Finance Committee of the board of directors provides primary oversight (as outlined in the committee’s charter), but the full board is also involved in discussions and decisions related to cybersecurity. The Audit and Finance Committee receives quarterly updates from our chief information security officer, who reports directly to our chief financial officer.
S&P IT and Cybersecurity Percentile Ranking
Adtalem received a 99th percentile ranking (top 1%) for IT and Cybersecurity on the 2023 S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment.4
Enterprise Risk Management
We uphold our responsibility to ensure the highest level of risk management by maintaining a robust enterprise risk management (ERM) framework. The ERM framework identifies, evaluates, mitigates and monitors risks at the enterprise level. The framework’s focus on collaboration among various leaders creates stronger partnerships and synergies for the organization.
Enterprise Safety and Security
To maintain its priorities of shared service and support, our Enterprise Safety and Security team is responsible for identifying and mitigating safety and security risks, as well as global business impacts across our organization.
Ensuring Emergency Preparedness
Located in Barbados, the Global Security Operations Center (GSOC) provides round-the-clock monitoring and support to our campuses and offices around the globe by issuing Global Security Awareness Alerts to partners and contacts impacted colleagues and students who may be in harm’s way. Students and employees can also contact the GSOC team to receive notifications or express concerns related to safety and security.
Footnotes
1Based on national averages from 2019 to 2022.
2,3,4Percentiles in the Diversified Consumer Services Category as of March 15, 2024.