TY - JOUR
T1 - Conceptualization of sustainable higher education institutions, roles, barriers, and challenges for sustainability
T2 - an exploratory study in Portugal
AU - Aleixo, Ana Marta
AU - Leal, Susana
AU - Azeiteiro, Ulisses Miranda
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was partly funded by the Biogas 2020 project in the EU-Interreg ÖKS programme. The authors thank the anonymous reviewers for their helpful advice and comments that greatly contributed to the improvement of the paper.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2018/1/20
Y1 - 2018/1/20
N2 - Higher Education Institutions play an important role in the promotion of sustainability and an increasing number of stakeholders expect them to be sustainable organizations. However, this can only be achieved when barriers are faced and challenges overcome. This exploratory study aims to investigate how the main stakeholders (leaders, faculty, staff, students, and external stakeholders) of Portuguese Public Higher Education Institutions perceive: the concepts of sustainability and sustainable higher education institutions, the role of higher education for sustainable development, and the barriers, challenges and obstacles to implementing sustainable initiatives in Portuguese Public Higher Education Institutions. Through a qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews and content analysis procedures, this article explore the perspectives of twenty stakeholders from four Portuguese Public Higher Education Institutions. The results suggest that, although aware of the concept of sustainability, the different stakeholders are not familiar with the concept of sustainable higher education institutions. The lack of financial resources due to the decline in funding for higher education and falling numbers of Portuguese university students is perceived as the main barrier to sustainable development in higher education (i.e. practices are still associated with spending financial resources). This research highlights the importance of a conceptual and organizational change in higher education institutions, notably through identifying new sources of financing, more flexible organizational forms, more comprehensive mission statements, more tailored educational offers, life-long learning and commitment to internationalization, and more strategic human resource management. The paper contributes to the literature by reflecting on how higher education institutions can promote sustainability, how higher education for sustainable development is understood and can be improved in Portuguese Higher Education Institutions.
AB - Higher Education Institutions play an important role in the promotion of sustainability and an increasing number of stakeholders expect them to be sustainable organizations. However, this can only be achieved when barriers are faced and challenges overcome. This exploratory study aims to investigate how the main stakeholders (leaders, faculty, staff, students, and external stakeholders) of Portuguese Public Higher Education Institutions perceive: the concepts of sustainability and sustainable higher education institutions, the role of higher education for sustainable development, and the barriers, challenges and obstacles to implementing sustainable initiatives in Portuguese Public Higher Education Institutions. Through a qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews and content analysis procedures, this article explore the perspectives of twenty stakeholders from four Portuguese Public Higher Education Institutions. The results suggest that, although aware of the concept of sustainability, the different stakeholders are not familiar with the concept of sustainable higher education institutions. The lack of financial resources due to the decline in funding for higher education and falling numbers of Portuguese university students is perceived as the main barrier to sustainable development in higher education (i.e. practices are still associated with spending financial resources). This research highlights the importance of a conceptual and organizational change in higher education institutions, notably through identifying new sources of financing, more flexible organizational forms, more comprehensive mission statements, more tailored educational offers, life-long learning and commitment to internationalization, and more strategic human resource management. The paper contributes to the literature by reflecting on how higher education institutions can promote sustainability, how higher education for sustainable development is understood and can be improved in Portuguese Higher Education Institutions.
KW - Barriers
KW - Challenges
KW - Higher education
KW - Higher education for sustainability development
KW - Portugal
KW - Sustainability
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85038819222&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.11.010
DO - 10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.11.010
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85038819222
SN - 0959-6526
VL - 172
SP - 1664
EP - 1673
JO - Journal of Cleaner Production
JF - Journal of Cleaner Production
ER -