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Cultivating a Collaborative Culture for Ensuring Sustainable Development Goals in Higher Education: An Integrative Case Study

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  • Catherine Wright

    (Collaborative for the Common Good, Department of Religion and Philosophy, Wingate University, Wingate, NC 28174, USA
    Department of Religion & Philosophy, Wingate University, Wingate, NC 28174, USA)

  • Lacey J. Ritter

    (Department of Psychology, Sociology, and Social Work, Mount Mercy University, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402, USA)

  • Caroline Wisse Gonzales

    (Collaborative for the Common Good, Department of Religion and Philosophy, Wingate University, Wingate, NC 28174, USA)

Abstract

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are not insulated from the challenges facing the planet and have been tasked as key stakeholders in sustainable development (SD). The preliminary data presented in this paper demonstrate that, over the last five decades, there has been a shift toward the categories of SD work that necessitate a collaborative culture that is not traditionally inherent in HEIs. It is offered that when HEIs align their institutional capacities with worldwide efforts to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030 and foster an intentionally collaborative culture, they will become better equipped to face their own unique challenges: becoming “changemaker” universities; collaborating with each other in the knowledge economy; placing students at the center of the teaching and learning process; and fulfilling their “third mission” to partner with external stakeholders and society. This paper will outline the conceptual frameworks used to direct the construction of Wingate University’s Collaborative for the Common Good (CCG). The preliminary data from this case study at Wingate University show promise; tracked impact reports show that an intentionally collaborative infrastructure that is designed to contribute to achieving SDGs provided a unique opportunity for this university to meet the needs of the campus and community despite their many social, economic, and cultural challenges that were exacerbated by COVID-19.

Suggested Citation

  • Catherine Wright & Lacey J. Ritter & Caroline Wisse Gonzales, 2022. "Cultivating a Collaborative Culture for Ensuring Sustainable Development Goals in Higher Education: An Integrative Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-18, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:3:p:1273-:d:731735
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    4. Adrianna Kezar, 2006. "Redesigning for Collaboration in Learning Initiatives: An Examination of Four Highly Collaborative Campuses," The Journal of Higher Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 77(5), pages 804-838, September.
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