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Sustainability
Special Issues
The Role of Higher Education Institutions for Sustainability
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Special Issue "The Role of Higher Education Institutions for Sustainability"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Education and Approaches".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Maki Ikegami
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Town Gown Preparatory Office, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 739-8511, Japan
Interests: Education; Sustainable Campus; Higher Education Institutions
Mr. Iain Patton
E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Chief Executive, EAUC The alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education, University of Gloucestershire, The Park, Cheltenham, GL50 2RH, UK
Interests: Higher education and sustainability

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

This is a call for a Special Issue addressing the role of higher education institutions in sustainability.

Higher education institutions and their campuses are transforming to become important places of leadership, research and the realisation of a sustainable society. Diverse learning programs in sustainability consolidate the knowledge of faculty members, the ideas and demands of students, and the needs of stakeholders to provide solutions for society beyond educational purposes. The transformation of higher education institutions from ivory towers to societal change is essential for our sustainable future.

The development of a systematic approach to sustainability research and curricula, environmental management, sustainability promotion on campus, social engagement at regional, national and global levels, is nowadays commonly recognized as a social and ecological responsibility of higher education institutions. A higher education institution taking this responsibility is currently referred to as a concept termed the “sustainable university” or “sustainable campus” (campus sustainability).

Research articles, reviews, communications and concept papers pertaining to “sustainable universities” or “sustainable campuses” (campus sustainability) will be included in this Special Issue. We welcome submissions based on diverse case studies at any scale: on campus, multi-institutional, regional, national, international, etc.

Examples of topics are:

  • Philosophy and implementation of campus sustainability
  • University sustainability strategy
  • Social engagement and value of a higher education institution
  • Partnership between a higher education institution and other sectors
  • Sustainability research and curriculum development
  • Student engagement for campus sustainability
  • Student co-creation of a sustainable university
  • Environmentally efficient operations
  • Role and value of a university within a society
  • Campus planning for sustainability
  • Function of a university campus as an experimental model
  • Climate targeting, mitigation and adaptation
  • Sustainability auditing and reporting

Dr. Maki Ikegami
Mr. Iain Patton
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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Article
On the Celebration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science: Assessment of the Factors Mediating Women’s Empowerment in Scientific Research in Saudi Arabia
by
Saud E. Al shammary
,
Rafat Zrieq
,
Usama M. Ibrahem
,
Ahmed B. Altamimi
and
Hanan M. Diab
Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 2385; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13042385 - 23 Feb 2021
Viewed by 428
Abstract
We present this study as a contribution to celebrate “the International Day of Women and Girls in Science”. Women’s empowerment in scientific research is a crucial issue in the United Nations “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. This study aimed to investigate the obstacles [...] Read more.
We present this study as a contribution to celebrate “the International Day of Women and Girls in Science”. Women’s empowerment in scientific research is a crucial issue in the United Nations “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. This study aimed to investigate the obstacles facing women researchers in scientific research in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional survey was used to assess women researchers’ perceptions towards the roles of universities, donors and women researchers. Descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analysis were used for data analysis. Findings showed that the overall assessment of women’s empowerment in scientific research is moderate and faces a mixture of obstacles mainly due to dissatisfaction with the role of donors. Moreover, the role of universities has not yet reached a satisfactory level, while the role of women researchers was satisfactory. The results demonstrated that the role of the university enhances the role of the donor institutions, while the role of researchers has a significant positive influence on the role of the university. No significant association between the role of the researchers and donors was achieved. In conclusion, despite the great achievement by women researchers in empowering themselves as scientific researchers, they still need more support from the university and donors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Higher Education Institutions for Sustainability)
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Article
Communication of Socially-Responsible Activities by Higher Education Institutions
by
Libena Tetrevova
,
Jan Vavra
and
Simona Munzarova
Sustainability 2021, 13(2), 483; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020483 - 06 Jan 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 769
Abstract
Higher education institutions play a fundamental role in the scientific, economic, social, and cultural development of each and every society. In view of new challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of their social responsibility and ability to effectively communicate the socially–responsible [...] Read more.
Higher education institutions play a fundamental role in the scientific, economic, social, and cultural development of each and every society. In view of new challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of their social responsibility and ability to effectively communicate the socially–responsible activities which are performed is growing. The aim of this article is to analyze and evaluate the scope and structure of socially-responsible activities communicated on the websites of public higher education institutions operating in a small post-communist country where education plays a traditional role—the Czech Republic, and to formulate recommendations for improvement of the level of communication of social responsibility by higher education institutions. Primary data was obtained using latent analysis of the content of the websites of all public higher education institutions operating in the Czech Republic. The CE3SPA method was applied. The survey which was performed shows that the level of communication of social responsibility by higher education institutions in the Czech Republic is low. Activities in the field of economic and social responsibility are communicated in the greatest scope. On the contrary, activities in the field of environmental responsibility are communicated the least. Public higher education institutions in the Czech Republic should therefore apply the measures proposed in the article, these also being transferrable to practice in other countries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Higher Education Institutions for Sustainability)
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Article
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Assessing the Contribution of Higher Education Programmes
by
Vasiliki Kioupi
and
Nikolaos Voulvoulis
Sustainability 2020, 12(17), 6701; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12176701 - 19 Aug 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1622
Abstract
Universities are engines of societal transformation and can nurture future citizens and navigate them towards sustainability through their educational programmes. Here, we developed an assessment framework for educational institutions to evaluate the contribution of their educational programmes to sustainability by reviewing the alignment [...] Read more.
Universities are engines of societal transformation and can nurture future citizens and navigate them towards sustainability through their educational programmes. Here, we developed an assessment framework for educational institutions to evaluate the contribution of their educational programmes to sustainability by reviewing the alignment of their intended learning outcomes to the enabling conditions for a vision of sustainability based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The tool is based on a systemic grouping of the SDGs into eight sustainability attributes, namely, Safe Operating Space, Just Operating Space, Resilient Sustainable Behaviours, Alternative Economic Models, Health and Wellbeing, Collaboration, Diversity and Inclusion, and Transparency and Governance, and uses a word code developed specifically for each sustainability attribute to assess the coverage of the SDGs in master’s programmes’ learning outcomes. The tool uses multi-criteria analysis to compare and rank programmes according to the alignment of their learning outcomes to the sustainability attributes and their contribution to sustainability. It was first tested using data from a University’s eighteen master’s programmes on a range of subjects and subsequently applied to compare forty UK and European master’s programmes focusing on environment and sustainability. Findings demonstrate that even environmental programmes face some important gaps related to health, wellbeing, diversity, inclusion, and collaboration, amongst others, and reinforce the need for all universities to understand the contribution of their programmes to sustainability. The application of the tool can generate empirical evidence on the effectiveness of university programmes and establish a strong argument regarding the potential of education as a tool for achieving the SDGs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Higher Education Institutions for Sustainability)
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