IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v9y2017i2p161-d88699.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Strategic Planning for Sustainability in Canadian Higher Education

Author

Listed:
  • Andrew Bieler

    (Department of Communication Studies & Multimedia, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L9, Canada)

  • Marcia McKenzie

    (Sustainability Education Research Institute, College of Education, University of Saskatchewan, 28 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 0X1, Canada)

Abstract

This paper reviews representations of sustainability in the strategic plans of Canadian higher education institutions (HEIs). A content analysis of the strategic plans of 50 HEIs was undertaken to determine the extent to which sustainability is included as a significant policy priority in the plans, including across the five domains of governance, education, campus operations, research, and community outreach. We found 41 strategic plans with some discussion of sustainability, and identified three characteristic types of response: (i) accommodative responses that include sustainability as one of many policy priorities and address only one or two sustainability domains; (ii) reformative responses that involve some alignment of policy priorities with sustainability values in at least a few domains; and (iii) progressive responses that make connections across four or five domains and offer a more detailed discussion of sustainability and sustainability-specific policies. Accommodative responses were dominant. More progressive responses were typically from institutions participating in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. The paper concludes with consideration of the political and economic contexts contributing to this relative prevalence of accommodative responses to sustainability.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrew Bieler & Marcia McKenzie, 2017. "Strategic Planning for Sustainability in Canadian Higher Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-22, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:9:y:2017:i:2:p:161-:d:88699
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/2/161/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/2/161/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sneddon, Chris & Howarth, Richard B. & Norgaard, Richard B., 2006. "Sustainable development in a post-Brundtland world," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(2), pages 253-268, May.
    2. Shu-Kun Lin, 2013. "Economies and Sustainability," Economies, MDPI, vol. 1(1), pages 1-2, January.
    3. Yonghua Zou & Wanxia Zhao & Robert Mason & Meizhen Li, 2015. "Comparing Sustainable Universities between the United States and China: Cases of Indiana University and Tsinghua University," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(9), pages 1-19, August.
    4. Paul Sylvestre & Tarah Wright & Kate Sherren, 2014. "A Tale of Two (or More) Sustainabilities: A Q Methodology Study of University Professors’ Perspectives on Sustainable Universities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(3), pages 1-23, March.
    5. Philip Vaughter & Tarah Wright & Marcia McKenzie & Lauri Lidstone, 2013. "Greening the Ivory Tower: A Review of Educational Research on Sustainability in Post-Secondary Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(5), pages 1-20, May.
    6. Lauri Lidstone & Tarah Wright & Kate Sherren, 2015. "Canadian STARS-Rated Campus Sustainability Plans: Priorities, Plan Creation and Design," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(1), pages 1-22, January.
    7. Amy Scott Metcalfe, 2010. "Revisiting Academic Capitalism in Canada: No Longer the Exception," The Journal of Higher Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 81(4), pages 489-514, July.
    8. Krishnadas N & R. Radhakrishna Pillai, 2013. "Green IT at Wipro: A Sustainable Solution?," Working papers 138, Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode.
    9. Bandana Dey & Alex Hankey & Sony kumari, 2013. "Listening To Bhajans Improves Sustained Attention," Working papers 2013-9-7, Voice of Research.
    10. anonymous, 2013. "Can the U.S. achieve long-run fiscal sustainability?," Central Banker, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, issue Summer.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Sarah Cummings & Anastasia‐Alithia Seferiadis & Leah de Haan, 2020. "Getting down to business? Critical discourse analysis of perspectives on the private sector in sustainable development," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(4), pages 759-771, July.
    2. Xian Jing & Rongxin Zhu & Jieqiong Lin & Baojun Yu & Mingming Lu, 2022. "Education Sustainability for Intelligent Manufacturing in the Context of the New Generation of Artificial Intelligence," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-14, October.
    3. Remmer Sassen & Leyla Azizi, 2018. "Voluntary disclosure of sustainability reports by Canadian universities," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 88(1), pages 97-137, January.
    4. Yuan Ma & Jingzhi Men & Wei Cui, 2020. "Does Environmental Education Matter? Evidence from Provincial Higher Education Institutions in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-13, August.
    5. Rashad Brugmann & Nicolas Côté & Nathan Postma & Emily A. Shaw & Danielle Pal & John B. Robinson, 2019. "Expanding Student Engagement in Sustainability: Using SDG- and CEL-Focused Inventories to Transform Curriculum at the University of Toronto," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-20, January.
    6. Said Yousef Dwikat & Darwina Arshad & Mohd Noor Mohd Shariff, 2022. "The Influence of Systematic Strategic Planning and Strategic Business Innovation on the Sustainable Performance of Manufacturing SMEs: The Case of Palestine," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-26, October.
    7. Ismaila Rimi Abubakar & Yusuf A. Aina & Habib M. Alshuwaikhat, 2020. "Sustainable Development at Saudi Arabian Universities: An Overview of Institutional Frameworks," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-15, September.
    8. Nicolas Roos, 2019. "A Matter of Responsible Management from Higher Education Institutions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(22), pages 1-17, November.
    9. Amila Omazic & Bernd Markus Zunk, 2021. "Semi-Systematic Literature Review on Sustainability and Sustainable Development in Higher Education Institutions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-45, July.
    10. Rosa María Brito & Columba Rodríguez & José Luis Aparicio, 2018. "Sustainability in Teaching: An Evaluation of University Teachers and Students," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-16, February.
    11. Isam Y. Al-Filali & Reda M. S. Abdulaal & Ammar A. Melaibari, 2023. "A Novel Green Ocean Strategy for Financial Sustainability (GOSFS) in Higher Education Institutions: King Abdulaziz University as a Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-17, April.
    12. Asma Fahim & Qingmei Tan & Bushra Naz & Qurat ul Ain & Sibghat Ullah Bazai, 2021. "Sustainable Higher Education Reform Quality Assessment Using SWOT Analysis with Integration of AHP and Entropy Models: A Case Study of Morocco," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-19, April.
    13. Vasiliki Kioupi & Acquilina Wafula Nawire & Sally Musungu & Felister Nzuve & George Giannopoulos, 2023. "Policy and Practice on Inclusive Higher Education in the UK and Kenya: A Theoretical Framework and Recommendations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-22, September.
    14. Ana Tur-Porcar & Alicia Mas-Tur & Elisabeth Malonda Vidal, 2017. "Long-Term Educational Sustainability: Educational Innovation in Social Vulnerability Contexts," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-11, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Adams, Carol A. & Potter, Brad & Singh, Prakash J. & York, Jodi, 2016. "Exploring the implications of integrated reporting for social investment (disclosures)," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(3), pages 283-296.
    2. Lauri Lidstone & Tarah Wright & Kate Sherren, 2015. "Canadian STARS-Rated Campus Sustainability Plans: Priorities, Plan Creation and Design," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(1), pages 1-22, January.
    3. Boudghene Stambouli, A. & Khiat, Z. & Flazi, S. & Tanemoto, H. & Nakajima, M. & Isoda, H. & Yokoyama, F. & Hannachi, S. & Kurokawa, K. & Shimizu, M. & Koinuma, H. & Yassaa, N., 2014. "Trends and challenges of sustainable energy and water research in North Africa: Sahara solar breeder concerns at the intersection of energy/water," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 912-922.
    4. Asgari, Nasrin & Hassani, Ashkan & Jones, Dylan & Nguye, Huy Hoang, 2015. "Sustainability ranking of the UK major ports: Methodology and case study," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 19-39.
    5. Mariusz J. Ligarski & Tomasz Owczarek, 2024. "Preparing Quality of Life Surveys Versus Using Information for Sustainable Development: The Example of Polish Cities," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 173(3), pages 765-782, July.
    6. Li, Mengxu & Liu, Jianghua & Chen, Yang & Yang, Zhijiu, 2023. "Can sustainable development strategy reduce income inequality in resource-based regions? A natural resource dependence perspective," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    7. Davies-Colley, Christian & Smith, Willie, 2012. "Implementing environmental technologies in development situations: The example of ecological toilets," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 1-8.
    8. Andrew Bieler & Randolph Haluza-Delay & Ann Dale & Marcia Mckenzie, 2017. "A National Overview of Climate Change Education Policy: Policy Coherence between Subnational Climate and Education Policies in Canada (K-12)," Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, , vol. 11(2), pages 63-85, September.
    9. Natalia Drop & Aleksandra Chełstowska, 2024. "Emerging Trends in Eco-Logistics: A Review of Sustainable Practices in Szczecin (Poland) from the Residents’ Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-14, November.
    10. Griewald, Yuliana & Rauschmayer, Felix, 2013. "Exploring a nature-related conflict from a capability perspective," UFZ Discussion Papers 7/2013, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Division of Social Sciences (ÖKUS).
    11. Umar Abdullahi Ahmed & Most Asikha Aktar & Md Mahmudul Alam, 2021. "Racial Discrimination and Poverty Reduction for Sustainable Development," Post-Print hal-03520071, HAL.
    12. Wiśniewska Anna Maria, 2021. "Sustainable development and management of medical tourism companies in Poland," International Journal of Management and Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, Collegium of World Economy, vol. 57(2), pages 151-160, June.
    13. Daniela M. Salvioni & Simona Franzoni & Raffaella Cassano, 2017. "Sustainability in the Higher Education System: An Opportunity to Improve Quality and Image," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-27, May.
    14. Frame, Bob & Brown, Judy, 2008. "Developing post-normal technologies for sustainability," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(2), pages 225-241, April.
    15. Farrell, Katharine N., 2011. "Framing the Valuation of Ecosystem Services: A Theoretical Discussion of the Challenges and Opportunities Associated with Articulating Values that Reflect the Economic Contributions of Ecological Phen," 2011 International Congress, August 30-September 2, 2011, Zurich, Switzerland 114362, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    16. Czap, Natalia V. & Czap, Hans J., 2010. "An experimental investigation of revealed environmental concern," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(10), pages 2033-2041, August.
    17. Simona-Roxana Ulman & Costica Mihai & Cristina Cautisanu, 2020. "Peculiarities of the Relation between Human and Environmental Wellbeing in Different Stages of National Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-26, October.
    18. Manuel Muñoz-Suárez & Natividad Guadalajara & José M. Osca, 2020. "A Comparative Analysis between Global University Rankings and Environmental Sustainability of Universities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-19, July.
    19. Ana-Maria Comandaru (Andrei) & Adriana Paduraru (Horaicu), 2021. "Harmonization Of Environmental Management Accounting - Tool For Managing Economic Reconfiguration," Annals - Economy Series, Constantin Brancusi University, Faculty of Economics, vol. 5, pages 181-200, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:9:y:2017:i:2:p:161-:d:88699. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.