Sustainable development (SD) as a concept and principle aims to find solutions to balance the needs of people worldwide with the resources and limits of the Earth’s ecosystems. Given their social responsibility in educating future generations, higher education institutions (HEIs) are increasingly expected to foster SD. This results in an emerging body of literature addressing the implementation efforts of HEIs in their core competencies of research and education, but also within their institutional structures and support functions. Against this backdrop, two major renowned European HEIs, the Universities of Goettingen (Germany) and Uppsala (Sweden), have also committed to driving sustainability. This exploratory case study therefore critically examines the universities’ path toward becoming more sustainable, contributing to an area of research that is still limited. Using qualitative tools like content analysis, different data in three main areas are analyzed to assess the status quo of measures to drive sustainability: institutional framework and governance, campus operations, and student initiatives. The research yields mixed results. While both universities are doing advanced work in some areas, improvement is possible and needed in many others. Uppsala University appears to have a more strategic approach to promoting SD overall, however, the university’s efforts currently appear to be leveling off. At the University of Goettingen, on the other hand, the issue has not yet been systematically addressed, making the achievement of the HEI’s climate targets and timely improvement unlikely if the current practice is maintained. In addition, the study reveals that the documentation and presentation of concrete measures and agendas at both universities could be enhanced, as the availability, accessibility and timeliness of the necessary data is often lacking. While different recommendations can be made for the two universities, the thesis concludes that university leadership should address sustainability more effectively through a strategic approach and the continuous involvement of various stakeholder groups should be envisioned.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-453967 |
| Date | January 2021 |
| Creators | Quilitz, Lea Marie |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Teologiska institutionen |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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