The Integration of Competencies
for Sustainable Development: A Case
of Study Programmes in a Non-elite
University
Egl˙ e Staniškien˙ e and Živil˙ e Stankeviˇ ci ¯
ut˙ e
Abstract Recently, an increasing number of universities have embraced the sustainable development and convey their commitment by signing dozens of declarations
and incorporating sustainability to a varying extent into their research, education,
management, and administration. There is a general agreement that integration of
competencies for sustainable development in study programmes can be treated as a
relevant step towards sustainability. However, the distinction between the intentions
and actual behaviour of leaders of study programmes as regards the competency
integration is obvious in the number of universities. Moreover, the wording and
meaning of the proposed competencies may not coincide. Considering the mentioned assumptions, there is a lack of evidence on the way the competencies for
sustainable development are introduced in different study programmes, particularly
in non-elite universities. The paper aims at closing the gap by revealing the extent
to which the competencies are already integrated in study programmes in a nonelite university. Interviews were conducted with 15 heads of study programmes.
Human resource management, Accounting, Economics and other study programmes
were chosen. The results revealed that the relevance of competencies for sustainable development is still underestimated in the majority of study programmes. The
analysis indicated that competencies for sustainable development related to critical
thinking and collaboration are widely integrated, while competencies related to selfawareness or anticipatory and normative aspects are mostly absent. The paper calls
for deeper and explicit integration of competencies for sustainable development in
study programmes in non-elite universities.
Keywords Education for sustainable development · Competencies for sustainable
development · Higher education · Non-elite university
E. Staniškien˙ e · Ž. Stankeviˇ ci¯ ut˙ e (B)
Kaunas University of Technology, Gedimino st. 50, Kaunas, Lithuania
e-mail: zivile.stankeviciute@ktu.lt
E. Staniškien˙ e
e-mail: egle.staniskiene@ktu.lt
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
W. Leal Filho et al. (eds.), Universities as Living Labs for Sustainable Development,
World Sustainability Series, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15604-6_36
589
for Sustainable Development: A Case
of Study Programmes in a Non-elite
University
Egl˙ e Staniškien˙ e and Živil˙ e Stankeviˇ ci ¯
ut˙ e
Abstract Recently, an increasing number of universities have embraced the sustainable development and convey their commitment by signing dozens of declarations
and incorporating sustainability to a varying extent into their research, education,
management, and administration. There is a general agreement that integration of
competencies for sustainable development in study programmes can be treated as a
relevant step towards sustainability. However, the distinction between the intentions
and actual behaviour of leaders of study programmes as regards the competency
integration is obvious in the number of universities. Moreover, the wording and
meaning of the proposed competencies may not coincide. Considering the mentioned assumptions, there is a lack of evidence on the way the competencies for
sustainable development are introduced in different study programmes, particularly
in non-elite universities. The paper aims at closing the gap by revealing the extent
to which the competencies are already integrated in study programmes in a nonelite university. Interviews were conducted with 15 heads of study programmes.
Human resource management, Accounting, Economics and other study programmes
were chosen. The results revealed that the relevance of competencies for sustainable development is still underestimated in the majority of study programmes. The
analysis indicated that competencies for sustainable development related to critical
thinking and collaboration are widely integrated, while competencies related to selfawareness or anticipatory and normative aspects are mostly absent. The paper calls
for deeper and explicit integration of competencies for sustainable development in
study programmes in non-elite universities.
Keywords Education for sustainable development · Competencies for sustainable
development · Higher education · Non-elite university
E. Staniškien˙ e · Ž. Stankeviˇ ci¯ ut˙ e (B)
Kaunas University of Technology, Gedimino st. 50, Kaunas, Lithuania
e-mail: zivile.stankeviciute@ktu.lt
E. Staniškien˙ e
e-mail: egle.staniskiene@ktu.lt
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
W. Leal Filho et al. (eds.), Universities as Living Labs for Sustainable Development,
World Sustainability Series, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15604-6_36
589