Stakeholder’s Perception of University’S Role for a Sustainable Development: Reflections From an Italian Case Study

In a time marked by international and domestic political changes, socio-economic crises, environmental emergencies, and evolution of educational systems, the role of universities in the society takes on new contents and relevance. In this debate, some scholars discuss the role the universities could play for a local development that respects the three pillars of sustainability. Focusing on sustainability, we carried on a survey in a small Italian public university, the University of Molise, to investigate the opinion of internal staff and external stakeholders about identity, values, and roles the Institution should have in fostering the local development pattern. Some differences emerged between academics and external stakeholder’s perception about University’s values and role, and about the most important institutional areas involved, the tools and priority actions to be taken. Gathering stakeholder’s opinion is the first step to take along a process of ongoing involvement of universities as well as the many actors of local development. This is extremely meaningful for promoting a sustainable development of the territorial systems, mainly in case of small universities and local context.