Universities that recycle resources, limit energy consumption and use more environment friendly biodegradable resources are sustainable models. These are also called “Green Universities”.

QS World University Rankings 2011/12, placed Cambridge with 1st rank not just in the UK, but in the world. According to another ranking, Cambridge is at number 68 – just in the UK.

For further reading

http://www.topuniversities.com/student-info/choosing-university/green-universities

A good proposal for discussion. I remember a teacher of mine who said, "the movements in a University should always be secular". I'd venture to say that a university that is not sustainable will not be able to establish itself as a university.

This sustainable character will relate to meeting the demands of students and society, clearly, but must be related to the social project in which the University intends to be inserted.

Universities that recycle resources, limit energy consumption and use more environment friendly biodegradable resources are sustainable models. These are also called “Green Universities”.

QS World University Rankings 2011/12, placed Cambridge with 1st rank not just in the UK, but in the world. According to another ranking, Cambridge is at number 68 – just in the UK.

For further reading

http://www.topuniversities.com/student-info/choosing-university/green-universities

Here we have two main views:

1)the clear economistic one, where we concern that a university is an economic unit with total cost, total revenue and we can adopt the perfect competition model, thus the competitive equilibrium of Neoclassical Synthesis. Then we have to watch every cent of our cost, to be able to attract more students who are willing to pay higher fees and generally to act as a big Corporate.

2)the interconnected with the society view: Since Knowledge is a public good (is there anybody here who disagree with this?), then we cannot leave it to the business only. We have to find a better mixture between the old soviet type university (like the Greek universities) and the totally private model of UK universities.

What kind and what percentage is a big issue...

Hi,

I think that improving continuously both a/ the productivity and innovation (linked to both research and industrial issues) and b/ the international reputation (that should be as attractive as possible) represent the two key factors needed to ensure University sustainability. This would be in fact the responsibility of students, Researchers, Professors, Deans, Rectors, and all other University components. In this context, I think the top 10 or 20 (at least) Universities in the World might be regarded as the most sustainable ones.

Regards

Dear Ljubomir

The concept of sustainability , the university encompasses the various internal and external communities of institutions of higher education: teachers and researchers , Rectory , managers , staff and students , which constitute the primary objective of the Academy .

Treating the insertion of environmental preservation, beyond the limits of the university and at the same time , it raises awareness to take their social and environmental responsibility as the impact of the professional practices of the major undergraduate courses on society and the environment

The university must train people trained to think for themselves - provided a thought itself , or as the result of that training will be expanded from the time that those students gain awareness of the implications of environmental and liability approach and risk factors that will take in their future professional activity. Individual responsibility of the graduate professional future - assuming that was inserted in the course of environmental issues - is multiplied by the environmental responsibility that he can come to print in the organization which were to exercise its technical , technological function , leadership , either as an investor or entrepreneur , manager , government official or political career .

And as such , sustainable - The environmentally responsible university should be based on a new concept that links the individual to the environmental surroundings within which lives and breathes and it is a part.

There is a need to explore all possible options of greening the university and integrate them into a coherent whole , and actual results for planetary sustainability event : not only the results for technocracy , but the flowering of a new culture focused on sustainability

source:

First International Congress on Environmental Education of Lusophone countries and Galicia - 2007 - Santiago de Compostela

Da Silva , ADV ; Marcomin FE

Dear All,

Before building our virtual notion on the question of Ljubomir we should be in agreement on the aim and function of higher education?

I think all kind of University (private and public) can be complementary.

And I think that the public cannot let down. (It's very important a good public system to find and help excellence. A good society cannot waste the best values of it, and they grow in every place).

You can think in the competence of your country, or in the competence of your family. I prefer to play with all my country.

I really agree with Demetries

The only means to sustainability for a university is quality research output!

Period!

Dear Ljubomir,

Being non-member of the sciencedirect site, I was unable to read the full article. Notwithstanding, I presume I can take the liberty of offering my comments. In my opinion, sustainability of any university will depend on the following factors:

1. Curriculum offered and its relevance to the society (factors like employability after the course in the university are important, since more than 80% of students look to education as a means to a job)

2. Quality of teachers - good universities get good teachers. This may appear little blunt but the fact is today, good academics cost you dearly. Not that money alone matters, but a good package ensures that the turn over of teachers is minimum.

3 Facilities for research - universities are not just colleges where we can take a few classes, conduct 'practicals' in standard labs and award paper degrees. They are places that facilitate higher thinking in an appropriate environment. Research and facilities for research therefore, are important.

4. Patronage - it is important to get political patronage for the university. What I am saying may appear crude, but political patronage will ensure that we get funds too. In a case that I came across in the North Eastern part of India, the local political brass were happy to note that the university also generated 'x' number of employment for locals (all non-academic support staff). The politician could brag to his constituency that he got so many employed and garnered votes in elections!!

5. The last point actually is - finance. Government support as well as industry support is extremely important. Depending on the system prevalent in the country, the university authorities need to go on a drive/super drive/hyper drive to get financial support. Private companies and industry can do a lot by sponsoring research. A lot of PR is required in this regard.

Sustaining a university is more challenging than bringing up a child. When the child grows, we can expect a little affection in return. When the driving force that established a university retires, there may not be much in the form of gratitude or remembrance. The team or individuals who therefore, undertake to establish and sustain a university, need to have absolute dedication and the poise to know that other than their salaries, there may be no further rewards. It is a contribution, a service that is done to the society. This satisfaction perhaps is their biggest reward.

Best wishes to you. Have a great day!

Very interesting question. My understanding of sustainable university is that it can support itself without compromising professors, administrators salary and without discouraging students due to high tuition fees. I see two possibilities of such universities. Government supported like in Finland and Sweden. They are tuition free universities. Those universities has a guarantee income from government which shows that it care about its citizenry. Also those universities are open to anyone regardless his/hers financial status.

Another option which do no exists, it is the ability to live off from patents that universities make (say 50% by student or professor, and 50% by institution he or she work for). This way it encourages students to use their knowledge they have learned and their creativity; it gives institution incentive to support creative people and improve teaching and research method.

Multidisciplinary approaches help institutions to secure more finances from different sources. Collaborative researches are another good approach. Public utility of the knowledge produced by the universities attract more funds.

I believe that Universities should be a public service to ensure indepent higher education and the generation of knowledge, as unrestricted as possible. So in my opinion, suficient public funding should be devoted to keep them running at an acceptable level.

Of course, that that does not mean that they should be allowed to be wasteful, inefficient or non-accountable. They should be "productive" in the wide sense of the term: not just number of papers and high impact factor, but making sure that they are dong what they are supposed to, goood teaching and innovative research, regardless).

In realtion to that, the public administrations should also ensure that "green" policies to reduce energy comsuption and garbage, proper waste disposal and recycling are enforced and provide the means to easily do it.

Private investment and donations: most welcome, But under public regulations and control and to serve public interest goals -and not the other way around!

Good teaching and good learning is a good and rentable inversion in a good country.

A good professor always justufy the effort.

Good professors and economic system is a good invesion (long term). (economic: lower spending and possibility of being helped by industry and real world, with interaction with private sector too).

Sin siembra no hay cosecha. (art)

Here is the scheme of sustainable University!

@Prof Ljubomir, when the teaching is excellent, and the research culture grips the staff, the production of the colleges/universities is likely to improve and increase. If only right priorities are put in place, and the staff is recruited based on merit and attitude and character...

Yes, it's about the same in my country. So higher education consumes a big budget. Research projects that get the most funding are the like IRPA.

But some of us teaching in some colleges do not get a grant at all. We use our own money most of the time. But my college paid my fees for the last conference when I presented 2 papers, in Penang.

http://www.utm.my/research/long-term-research-irpa-grant/

@Martin, congrats for being a great generous supervisor. You student is very fortunate :) I hope that all supervisors find it in their heart to say:

'At the moment, my smart PhD student has more funds for conferences and other scientific activities than myself, but in fact, I don't feel it as being bad. I wish it to her completely, she really needs to travel a lot for her beginnings and for development. '

Big knowledge without support can be a problem in social integration in the future, but the remedy is more knowledge in more people. And with internet and an easy communication with others can help in this integration now.

The problem (or not) is that in future you can have more virtual life than real life.

Dear Ana Maria, thanks for your views. Yes, we must be careful about real life, interaction with our family members. So I limit myself to RG, and limit the time I can afford to spend as well. (As Prof Ljubomir is away, please help me keep this thread active. He will get a good surprise when he returns to RG :))

My time is 2125 h. Good evening.

Excellence in the primary jobs of a university - research and/or teaching!

Period!

Thanks Tobias Ntuli. Great minds think alike :)

I said about the same above:

'@Prof Ljubomir, when the teaching is excellent, and the research culture grips the staff, the production of the colleges/universities is likely to improve and increase. If only right priorities are put in place, and the staff is recruited based on merit and attitude and character...'

Many thanks, Doctor Miranda Yeoh!

I really agree with Demetis

Great teaching, giving all.

My dear colleagues, I am back after 15 days of absence and I see many fine answers! Thanks a lot for keeping thread alive! :)

Well Come back, @Ljubomir...

I feel a festival mood! :)

However today I am on leave!

Cheers!

Dear Ljubomir

In order to have a sustainable university, the concepts of sustainability need to be assimilated by all the faculty, students and staff. Use those principles in everyday work of the university.

In addition it is necessary to incorporate the sustainability principles in all courses that are being taught to the students. Develop examples of sustainability in each of the course where students can have some activity such as report, experiment or analysis to make the understanding of sustainability a way of life. That way students would have understood sustainability in a much better fashion.

Thanks for fine response dear @Nageswara. I do agree, the sustainability should be adopted as a way of life!

Universities, have lately been faced with a very turbulent external environment, with fierce competition in the market, with an internal environment subject to increasing pressures, and with requirements of increasingly superior results of its educational services.

It is increasingly clear that a university must have in place a visionary and proactive strategic management, a solid organizational culture, and an independence of action that enables it to be flexible. Building a reputable brand, and gaining access to solid resources needed to support its operations will add to its prospects for sustainability.

A university, the more financially independent, the more it can adopt a higher institutional standard in providing a superior quality of its services.

http://www.rmci.ase.ro/no11vol5/07.pdf

RG is a big university, or not?

We note that while certain trends in the evolution of technology are apparent, it is difficult to assess their impact on social institutions such as universities with any accuracy. Still, we must try to project, and allow for significant variation in what we can and cannot directly affect, as best we can.

For more information read:

Good question, dear Ljubomir!

In my view, a sustainable university should develop from a systematic perspective, perceiving the campus as a learning lab, so to speak, with particular focus on sustainability including: Research, teaching, community service, administration and technical operations.

Universities should have a substantial function in making further advances in its academic and operational sphere’s of influence and also in enabling students and future graduates to possess the skills and knowledge to produce a positive sustainable change. To accomplish this, one should ensure that sustainability is applied as the driver that delivers the economy and wider strategic goals whilst enabling companies to prosper and to protect natural systems that serve to gather the needs into perpetuity. This can be done by ensuring continuous improvement by establishing processes and associated sustainability performance objectives that are brushed up and externally reported annually.

Careful planning and having trust on ourselves can bring us out from this problem. We can gradutae good students as well can excel in research

University, either public or private, has to be economically sustainable, otherwise it produces just one more caste of well funded and social indifferent 'professors'. The way that this goal can be achieved is different for the two classes. In public one, the state has to give funds, while in the private case a well organized sponsoring scheme must be established. But, in public case we have to connect university with real life problems and not to satisfy only our scientific curiosity.

1. To improve teaching methodology.

2. Prepare the students for requirement of

the Industry.

3. Invite new ideas from student sides.

4. Revised teaching methods.

5. Improve faculties.

6. Invite compatible faculty from around the word.

7. Improve research.

I fully agree with the views of Ana Maria.

Following points must be taken for a sustainable University:

1. Satisfaction of teachers,

2. Retention of good teachers,

3. Caring for students and other stakeholders,

4. Maintaining and effective use of infrastructure,

5. Unique and inimitable academic practices,

6. Develop research culture,

7. Ensure better placement of students,

8. Updated syllabi,

9. Generating trust among stakeholders, and

10. Inclusive and positive work culture.

Dear @Brenda Jacono send me her answer by mail. Here it is : "Why can't a well funded university produce a cast of well funded and socially indifferent professors. I think it depends very much on the culture (not referring to an ethnic group here) of the particular university whether its professors are socially indifferent."

Our colleague Viktor Vladimir Chistyakov did send his answer by mail :"Economical crisis and great competition is now 'a festival which is always with you". First It should be done a qualitative change in university staff in favor of successful and talent people only capable to win in the competition. Second.. let it be."

I don't like competition, I like sustainable collaboration

To ensure that the sustainable university model is connected to the real world of those who will later have to implement and enjoy sustainability, findings on this dissertation are not derived from general concepts, but rather elicited from empirical data raised from eighty higher education institutions around the world.

Early experiences on campuses have demonstrated many opportunities, but also many problems to the successful implementation of sustainability programs. For that reason, this doctoral dissertation also focuses on the issues that are preventing sustainability in higher education institutions.

http://www.aashe.org/resources/student-research/sustainable-universities-around-world-model-fostering-sustainable-univers

Implementing the sustainable university model is a process of continual improvement in environmental, social, and economic performance that should be made through incremental steps.

Environmental dimension includes Materials,Energy,Water,Biodiversity,Emissions, effluents, and waste Suppliers, etc

For the social dimension, the emphasis is being given to the indicators in the labour practices and decent work category. More explicit emphasis could be given to reporting explicitly the efforts and activities contributing to the human rights and society

categories.

For economic dimension, the emphasis is on customers and suppliers

Lozano, R. (2011). The state of sustainability reporting in universities. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 12(1), 67-78.

Velazquez, L., Munguia, N., Platt, A., & Taddei, J. (2006). Sustainable university: what can be the matter?. Journal of Cleaner Production, 14(9), 810-819.

http://www.esd.leeds.ac.uk/fileadmin/documents/esd/14._Lozano._2011._The_state_of_sustainability_reporting_in_universities.pdf

http://www.esd.leeds.ac.uk/fileadmin/documents/esd/10._Sustainable_University__What_Can_be_the_Matter.Velazquez-2.pdf

Sustainability at Harvard

Harvard is not only committed to reducing its environmental impact, but also to creating a sustainable and resilient community focused on health and well-being, educating students about global environmental challenges through on-campus experiences, and developing innovative solutions that can be replicated inside and outside Harvard.

Sustainability at Harvard has resulted in an unprecedented level of “One Harvard” collaboration among our decentralized and diverse community. This website is managed by the Harvard Office for Sustainability (OFS) and was created to serve as a university-wide resource for the Harvard community and external visitors interested in integrating sustainability into their department, institution, organization or private business.

OFS manages a wide range of outreach and education programs, in addition to convening and managing the University-wide committees and working groups that represent hundreds of stakeholders from across the University focused on implementing and continually improving our goals and standards

http://green.harvard.edu/about

A sustainable university is one which attracts & appoints the most capable persons around in management, teaching, and research. When there are the best brains at the campus & when they can speak, suggest, and criticize freely, then this will have a positive impact upon its performance. When there is real good performance, the “product” will be of high quality. The product is obviously the graduating students and these may either give a good or a bad impression. If the students demonstrate efficiency & honesty, after graduation, the university will ensure sustainability. If not, a day will come in which it just falls down & closes its doors. A university, with a system of justice, will have vibrant employees but a university, with a system of fear, is bound to collapse.

Dear Ljubomir,

Apart from all named requirements for the university in order to reach the sustainability model, my opinion is that  thanks to the enthusiasm and engagement of its teaching staff, the Faculty will succeed to be sustainable in the difficult conditions. The teaching staff should give significant contribution to the success of the University  through their engagement at the Faculty and within various necessary development of innovative solutions. Expert teams should participated in the preparation of the projects, as well in the creative work of numerous scientific and professional action.  

Dear @Amir, some international efforts is happening around us toward this goal: Towards Sustainable & Equitable Financing of Higher Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia!

http://www.finhed.org/about

Our colleague @Adam Szewczyk have sent his valuable response by message. I am free to post it here : "Sustainable university is a system that can endure regardless of conditions brought by external stimuli like politics, economics and competition. It does not mean it has to excel. Its task is to survive easily without excessive effort. It is a difficult question indeed. I am thinking of it by using analogy to a stock investment. Diversify the sources of income. Germany has many public free universities and yet they can be very innovative in technology if you look and compare their cars to U.S, Japanese or Koreans. Even their way of producing cars is innovative as well. It shows that easily accessible education to general public do pay off to German society. Therefore government supported education is a must I would say because the money is actually not government's but the public's. However, that will be not enough to make some expensive research or breakthroughs. That's where private and business sector can contribute. Another contribution and the last I can think of is to encourage creative thinking by students and researchers by allowing patenting of students and researcher's work and ideas and develop on it if there is a potential. The best way is to make it 50-50 share of the patent with university and individual. University can contribute by making an easy administrative process of admitting the patent and make it affordable. It patent works out, everybody is a winner including future generation of young students.. So, sustainable university has a base line income from the public, extra income from business and private sector and bonuses from their own successful work." 

Dear Ljubomir,

The attached file might be helpful.

Nicely said dear Kamal,

You are absolutely right.

Hi Ljubomir!

This is important topic and great thread of information. I agree with almost all that was written here. There is more to sustainability of the university than just list of environmental and energy concerns listed in Table 10 of the attached paper.

HRM: As noted before, sustainable Uni. will have procedures, values, organisational culture and climate that will promote best individuals and visionaries as leaders and help everybody at the university to reach their highest levels of achievement and realise their full potential (students, professors, scientists and administration included). So the first pillar of sustainability is human resources management because almost everything depends on the quality of human resources. Humans matter the most!

EDUCATIONAL CHANGE: Another pillar of sustainability is understanding and envisioning the educational changes in the society. What are the directions that formal education is going to take, how it will be changed and how the universities will adapt? In my view, Universities need to jump the wagon of non formal / informal education providing opportunities for students to develop in much less formal education environment that transcendents classical study programs, elective and compulsory subjects formats that are dominant in most universities. Competence based outcomes are just one step forward but they need to be further flexibilized and much more generic and less specific because nobody can predict competences needed in few years when students will get their degrees. Such levels of flexibility in education is needed that one might put under question the basic Idea of formal and structured education. Students need to get in and move out much more flexibility and relate their learning with what they feel they need to acquire as a knowledge, values and skills. They need to discover the relevance of some learning subjects and topics rather the other way around when teacher is convincing them that something is important for them.

ICT: That level of flexibility can be achieved only through intensive use of the advanced ICT in education. Universities must embrace e- and distant/hybrid learning together with the MOOC concept or they will become irelevant for the contemporary learner. They need to become hubs for quality information and services and take the role of education accreditation bodies because of high number of experts that they have and that can do the job.

OPEN: Another pillar of sustainability is embracing open-access/content/source philosophy. All used software must relay on the open source and local IT workforce must be employed to provide support for implementation, education and support for open source software. That is economically logical for the local community. Not to forget that open source software is the most stable, durable and long-living option currently with lowest level of risks (not just viruses - if somebody stops developing some software anybody can pick up and continue).

ECONOMY: Great ideas are already in this thread on the topic of the economically sustainable university. I just want to say that using open infrastructure universities can still create and protect inventions and finance themselves from intellectual properties and rights. As long as we have money based economy it is unsound to force universities not to use intellectual property rights as a self-financing tool. They can be selective what to put under intellectual property protection. Great advances to all humankind should be available to all. Smaller stuff like making something faster or more comfortable could be great source of income and support all big research with open goals of benefit for all.

All these pillars will support future universities or kill them (those that do not adapt).

Finally, I think that there is much confusion between sustainable universities and education for sustainable development. Sustainable universities can always offer courses on sustainable development (or informations, accreditations of informal learning..., deliberately not mentioning study programs) but this is not a fundamental pillar of university sustainable development, as suggested in some papers.

Thanks @Darko for your valuable comments. It will enrich the discussion under this thread!

A sustainable university

• should adopt sustainability as a major guiding principle, 
• should have a sustainability strategy or approved sustainability policies;
• has dedicated faculty or staff time for campus sustainability, including a campus sustainability office
• conducts regular audits and regularly publishes the results in a sustainability report; 
• dedicates student fees to sustainability; 
• has at least one sustainability-related research center or institute; 
• offers undergraduate, graduate and/or doctoral studies in sustainability, 

The University’s Sustainable Development Strategy (USDS) comprises the action plans, set at the university, to deliver the interactions between the human resources and the three SD capitals; natural, human & social, and built capital, in favor of sustainable consumption and production, zero - waste, minimizing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), social equity and promoting innovation capacity. Different USDS models have already been suggested worldwide by several universities, reflecting the desires and needs of each university in promoting its ambitions and developmental trajectories

https://pure.ltu.se/portal/files/95433025/CE_2014041016152360.pdf

Through the Green Rehab project, an interdisciplinary team of researchers and students is tackling the problem of sustainable building renovation. Coming from the the School of Engineering & Applied Science, the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts and Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, project members are working to find the most efficient way to renovate 1920s and ‘30s-era apartment buildings owned by Quadrangle Housing to become more environmentally friendly and to make better use of the space.

http://sustainability.wustl.edu/outreach/green-rehab-project/

What a great link @Umachandran. Thanks.

'The apartments in the six-family buildings were originally built for families, but now serve primarily undergraduate and graduate students.'  (Sounds like a successful recycling!)

'Lu, an expert in wireless sensor networks, will develop and install a wireless real-time monitoring and control system for heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems as well as household appliances throughout one of the buildings. Using algorithms formulated by Nehorai, a Smartphone app will notify residents of the building how they could use their appliances more efficiently.

In addition, the team will evaluate the potential benefits from using renewable energy, such as rooftop wind turbines and solar panels, and calculate any energy savings from changing to those sources from electricity during peak times.

Students living in the apartments are encouraged to initiate research projects of their own based on the system, Nehorai says.'

Dear @Karin Rheeder has sent the following response: " I have found that most universities are very slow to adapt - this is because of historic place of universities in society - status and prestige. In today's world where information is freely available universities need to change their role in education."

Major Sources of Funds to an Institution, Sustainable Financing of Higher Education in Nigeria - Funding Models Pp 10.

http://trustafrica.org/en/publications-trust/workshops-and-convenings?download=275:higher-education-convening-nigeria-sustainable-financing-of-higher-education-in-nigeria-funding-models

It is not possible for Governments to finance all universities and even not funding sufficiently. Better to resort to Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.

I do agree with @Subhash claim that model of private-public partnership at Universities could resolve many existing problems and contribute to the sustainability of Universities.

Sustainable Practice Initiatives @ Griffith

Our initiatives focus on biodiversity, sustainable buildings, energy efficiencies, information technology, recycling, purchasing, transport and water conservation.

Biodiversity

Biodiversity has been an important focus for Griffith from its inception. The first Nathan campus master plan prioritised preservation of environmental integrity and retaining the bushland setting as far as possible.

Buildings

Griffith applies environmentally sustainable design to all new buildings and refurbishments.

Energy

Griffith University is focused on energy saving measures.

Building audits are being carried out to identify energy saving opportunities.

Efficient internal and external lighting is progressively being installed.

Energy management via a Building Management System.

Information Technology

Ninety-five per cent of Griffith’s PCs are EPEAT Gold rated.

Computers automatically shut down in student computer laboratories.

University-wide, multi-function devices such as printers are energy efficient and go into sleep mode at the end of each day.

A new video telephone system enables video conferencing to take place on a desk phone, desktop computer and laptop.

Purchasing

Griffith is committed to raising awareness of sustainable purchasing. Our objective is to encourage the procurement of goods and services that over their life-cycle, offer a reduced environmental impact.

Recycling and Waste

Recycling includes paper, cardboard, polystyrene, comingled (glass, plastics, cans), fluorescent tubes, books, e-waste, furniture, metal, printer cartridges, mobile phones and some batteries.

Griffith has a long standing Green Partnership with Ricoh for toner cartridge takeback.

Transport

Initiatives include a car pooling system for staff and students, end of trip facilities for cyclists and an intercampus bus. All university fleet vehicles are four cylinders, unless operational requirements dictate otherwise.

Water

Water efficient fixtures, rainwater tanks and water efficient sprinkler systems ensure we conserve water.

There are two issues here:

1. Sustainability and

2. University as such.

For Sustainability  many colleagues have already post nice views. I would like to add, that for Universities sustainability  have also the dimension of being  always up to date, meaning that there should be a permanent committee responsible to absorb all new developments.  

For universities as such, I think there should be two types: "Centers of excellence" which have the best professors, and the best students, and Universities for the general public.   

From economic point of view universities should have appropriate budgets and of course, accountability. Universities as corporations are out of the question!

I was not aware of this day which has already passed, 

Sustainable University Day! 

"The Sustainable University Day 2015 addressed the issue of responsible leadership in the context of the unversities' contribution to sustainable development. It looked for options of more effectively integrating the topic into academic education and asked about expectations from the private industry.

As a hub for current research and education projects as well as for student initiatives, the Sustainable University Day fosters networks between universities as well as developing and implementing their innovative ideas."

http://sd-universities.ch/sustainable_university_day/2015/

Here is the fine example of sustainability in Higher Education.

"Colorado State University has been named the most sustainable university in the nation.

BestColleges.com named CSU the greenest university in a review of more than 240 universities across the nation, adding to the university’s list of recognitions for sustainability efforts."

http://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2015/07/21/colorado-state-university-named-sustainable/30487365/

Another problem is sustainability of departments of fundamental science in the world.

43% of colleges and Universities spend more than they can afford.

http://www.thesustainableuniversity.com/

Inputs from International Conference of Business Sustainability, KL-Day2, 23 April 2015

Sustainable Development at the University - Are We Ready for an Interdisciplinary Journey into the Future?

"It is expected that education will not only enable students to develop their critical and innovative thinking but also give them an opportunity to improve their self reflextion skills. The integration of the concept of sustainability into the syllabi at all educational levels is a complex process. It is not only about “adding” content ABOUTsustainable development into curricula; as most authors contend today, it requires systemic restructuring of individual subjects and relations among them, from the perspective of education FOR sustainable development, which entails development of critical thinking, responsibility and an urge to act, rather than passing pure knowledge. In this respect, instead of traditional divisions and disciplinary specializations, a cross-disciplinary approach is considered to be the most fitting model of learning and, hence, also teaching..."

http://www.cirsd.org/news/article/sustainable-development-at-the-university-are-we-ready-for-an-interdisciplinary-journey-into-the-future-

Dear Ljubomir,

Please see the attached file (Summary of the PhD Thesis CONTRIBUTIONS REGARDING SUSTAINABILITY IN UNIVERSITIES)

Here is an excrept:

The nature of sustainability and the prospect of unsustainability require a change of lifestyle and therefore of education. Changes are necessary in curricula, pedagogy, policy and institutional structures.

Teachers should be encouraged to reinterpret their disciplines in light of a sustainable development agenda. Hence, a teacher development priority must be the generation of means whereby teachers can begin to engage with ideas which will very likely lie beyond their experiences of working within their disciplines (Stables and Scott, 2002).

In the XXI-st century we inherit industrial and technological growth systems that destroy or deplete simultaneously natural resources and threaten human and nonhuman species, while providing the highest standard of material living and the highest rate of consumption that mankind has ever known.

These modern industrial and technological development systems must be re-imagined and re-created in ways that are no longer based on non-renewable natural resources, on the use of natural resources at unsustainable rates, or which cause damage to people or the natural world, in the present or future (Tuli,2009).

http://doctorate.ulbsibiu.ro/obj/documents/Summary_EN.pdf

The sustainable university model presents a systematic procedure for how people responsible for sustainability initiatives within academic institutions may obtain their initial momentum to get started and to continue to advanced steps in the process of becoming sustainable. However, it is important to understand that currently, in most universities, there is a dearth of adequate conditions for the establishment and compliance of all the phases of the model.

For that reason, it is not intended to be a rigid and complex structure. On the contrary, the model is designed to be used by the academic community

members as a framework for developing and implementing sustainability missions, policies, strategies, procedures and indicators that can be used in their organisations.

 Implementing the sustainable university model is a process of continual improvement in environmental, social, and economic performance that should be made through incremental steps. This is also supported by Lozano, who states that sustainability in universities should be performed in small steps [26].

The implementation of the sustainable university model requires major efforts by key members of the university community. Additional funds and resources must be allocated for sustainability initiatives

http://educacionysustentabilidad.tecsuma.cl/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/2-Sustainable-university-by-Velazquez-2006-in-J-Cleaner-Prod.pdf

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652606000199

Universities in the Western Balkan Region

Sustainability Strategy is to:

• Help partners to reflect on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in relation to the project objectives and expected outputs;

• Identify the major stakeholders and key allies and their information needs to guarantee continued project support;

• Identify key factors that support or hinder sustainability, identify risks and consider possible contingency measures; and,

• Develop an action plan with sustainability measures.

http://www.wbc-inno.kg.ac.rs/pub/download/14429891386212_wbcinno_sustainability_strategies___public___final.pdf

Thanks for bringing the attention to this document dear @Krishnan. I do remember that project which has involved Universities from Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Sustainability Monitoring Indicators are crucial for University's sustainability.

Money is always the problem. Improve Energy Utilization!

" Large university optimize its heating and cooling systems and improve energy utilization. Through the power of analytics, it can detect performance issues much faster for reduced downtime and additionally, drive better use of energy..."

It is fine case study, watch the video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lRQuPJeMh4

Wonderful discussion ahead. And a pertinent question asked by Professor. I believe that Universities can be role models for sustainability. You may go through the link added here. 

http://www.eua.be/Libraries/eua-annual-conf-2012-warwick/FINAL_Pam_Fredman.pdf?sfvrsn=0

https://etouches-appfiles.s3.amazonaws.com/html_file_uploads/dc6cd8785aaf374adc7fa07c0e1699b6_PamFredman_161102-IAUBangkoknov2016UA.pdf?response-content-disposition=inline%3Bfilename%3D%22Fredman2%22&response-content-type=application%2Fpdf&AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJC6CRYNXDRDHQCUQ&Expires=1483703623&Signature=KKrQUaIu6F0EQWkjtVkLssBX9Ns%3D

Dear @Yogesh, you have forgotten to attach links that you had mentioned.

Thnks Professor for the gentle reminder. It has been added. There is an interesting keynote presentation that you may like to go through. Added below

https://www.kuleuven.be/duurzaamheid/keynote-eddi-en-ullika

Help partners to reflect on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats!!!

Your university’s teaching, research and community outreach, as assessed by its global league ranking, is now seen as a major instrument of your country’s innovation and knowledge production system, and you play a major role in this. Some governments understand the importance of higher education and support it with additional resources. Some governments see its importance, but expect additional outcomes to occur without providing additional support. And some governments do not see that the country’s future depends on knowledge production. The recent global financial crisis, on top of changes in the way governments use “new public management” of their universities to improve social, economic, and environmental outcomes, means that you are playing a key role in a challenging environment...