SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: NEW VISION OR NEW MISSION FOR THE UNIVERSITY?

Jaana Puukka, OECD Programme on Institutional Management in Higher Education (IMHE)

ABSTRACT

Following decades of expansion in higher education, policy attention in OECD countries has begun to focus on the outcomes of higher education, its quality, relevance and impact. Consequently, there is also a greater interest in how universities and other higher education institutions contribute to sustainable development. With the processes of globalisation and localisation, the economic, environmental and social performance of universities is becoming increasingly important. This presentation looks into sustainable development of higher education institutions: it highlights what the Triple Bottom Line means for universities, the challenges and benefits of adopting a systematic approach to sustainable development and argues that sustainable development can best be mobilised in the context of regions.