Abstract
Higher education plays a vital role in providing intellectual and community leadership in addressing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To achieve these goals at the institutional levels, universities need to define and articulate their strategic priorities for a wide range of stakeholders. University strategy documents form a key documentary source for investigating strategic positioning, including how institutional values, functions, and stakeholders are involved in shaping the institutional strategic priorities. In this contribution, I explore the framing of sustainability priorities in relation to the complex functions of higher education institutions—by analyzing eight institution-level SDGs-aligned strategies published by universities in different parts of the world. The analysis shows that there is generally a dichotomy between the strategic priorities in core university functions (i.e., research, education, and engagement) and those associated with campus operations. Based on the findings, I conclude that inclusive and diverse partnerships will help enhance the shaping of institutional sustainability priorities, thereby making universities truly resilient institutions to advance sustainability for the communities they serve.
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Tong, V.C.H. (2022). Shaping Sustainability Priorities for Higher Education Institutions. In: Shimizu, M. (eds) A Resilience Approach to Acceleration of Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-4345-4_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-4345-4_8
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