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Universities as Potential Actors for Sustainable Development

Author

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  • Michael Von Hauff

    (Economics, esp. Economic Policy and International Economic Relations, Technische Universität Kaiserslautern, Building 42, P.O. Box 3049, 66753 Kaiserslautern, Germany)

  • Thuan Nguyen

    (Economics, esp. Economic Policy and International Economic Relations, Technische Universität Kaiserslautern, Building 42, P.O. Box 3049, 66753 Kaiserslautern, Germany)

Abstract

Universities can contribute to the solutions of major challenges of the 21st century such as increasing environmental and socio-economic crises, inequalities of income and wealth and political instabilities by integrating the concept of sustainable development (SD) in research, organization, and by educating future decision makers. For instance, by integrating sustainability into the organization, universities can lead by example. Furthermore, through the curriculum, future decision makers can learn the competences needed to solve ecological, social, and economic problems in societies. However, despite their possible importance, universities in Germany fall behind internationally in implementing sustainable strategies. Therefore this paper presents/introduces an approach to how universities can implement the holistic concept of SD that considers all three dimensions (economic, ecological, and social) relating to their main functions of research and education in addition to their organization. Additionally this paper analyzes the current state of implementing sustainability strategies at universities, and how the success of these implementation efforts can be evaluated and be fostered further. We find that assessment systems enable universities to systematically use their potential for action for SD by initiating, evaluating, and accelerating the sustainability process. This also applies in the case of German universities, where the implementation of SD is still in the early stages.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Von Hauff & Thuan Nguyen, 2014. "Universities as Potential Actors for Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(5), pages 1-21, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:6:y:2014:i:5:p:3043-3063:d:36196
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Lambrechts, Wim & Ceulemans, Kim, 2011. "Sustainability in Higher Education: Experiences using the Auditing Instrument for Sustainability in Higher Education (AISHE)," Working Papers 2011/11, Hogeschool-Universiteit Brussel, Faculteit Economie en Management.
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    Cited by:

    1. Olof Sivertsson & Joakim Tell, 2015. "Barriers to Business Model Innovation in Swedish Agriculture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(2), pages 1-13, February.
    2. Fathi Abunasser & Rommel AlAli & Mohammed Al-Qahtani, 2022. "KSA Universities’ Role in Promoting the Sustainability of Food Security: Faculty Opinions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-20, August.
    3. Hye Yeon Park & Carlos V. Licon & Ole Russell Sleipness, 2022. "Teaching Sustainability in Planning and Design Education: A Systematic Review of Pedagogical Approaches," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-17, August.
    4. Primiano Di Nauta & Enrica Iannuzzi & Michele Milone & Claudio Nigro, 2020. "The Impact of the Sustainability Principles on the Strategic Planning and Reporting of Universities. An Exploratory Study on a Qualified Italian Sample," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-21, September.
    5. Jasmina Saric & Thomas Breu & Gilbert Fokou & Salome‐Joëlle Gass & Boniface Kiteme & Honorati Masanja & Jürg Utzinger & Gete Zeleke & Fabian Käser, 2023. "Research−implementation organisations and their role for sustainable development," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(3), pages 1401-1416, June.
    6. Rami Alawneh & Ismael Jannoud & Hesham Rabayah & Hikmat Ali, 2021. "Developing a Novel Index for Assessing and Managing the Contribution of Sustainable Campuses to Achieve UN SDGs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-16, October.
    7. Manuel Muñoz-Suárez & Natividad Guadalajara & José M. Osca, 2020. "A Comparative Analysis between Global University Rankings and Environmental Sustainability of Universities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-19, July.
    8. Anna Oberrauch & Helga Mayr & Ivan Nikitin & Tanja Bügler & Thorsten Kosler & Christian Vollmer, 2021. "“I Wanted a Profession That Makes a Difference”—An Online Survey of First-Year Students’ Study Choice Motives and Sustainability-Related Attributes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-28, July.
    9. Paul Burger & Jan T. Frecè & Yvonne M. Scherrer & Claus-Heinrich Daub, 2014. "Strategies for Sustainability: Institutional and Organisational Challenges," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(11), pages 1-6, November.
    10. Kim Ceulemans & Rodrigo Lozano & María Del Mar Alonso-Almeida, 2015. "Sustainability Reporting in Higher Education: Interconnecting the Reporting Process and Organisational Change Management for Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(7), pages 1-23, July.

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