Sustainability Concept (Whole-Institution Approach) …
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(whole-institution approach) aims to integrate sustainability and sustainable development in all areas of the university by incorporating and combining aspects such
as teaching practice, operations and organizational cultures, student participation,
management level, ties with the respective city administration and research orientation. An important objective of the higher education institution must be to become a
role model for students and the region (UNESCO 2017). “Universities are institutions
of society and, as the core of the scientific system, are responsible for contributing
to the forward-looking development of society.” (HRK and DUK 2010).
In connection with the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro (1992), a number of charters and declarations (e.g. Copernicus Charter 1994; Thessaloniki Declaration 1997;
Lüneburg Declaration 2001; Lucerne Declaration on Geographical Education for
Sustainable Development 2007) were developed especially for the higher education
sector that additionally underlined and substantiated this responsibility. The Copernicus Charter (1994) set out ten principles of action for a sustainable higher education
development: institutional commitment, environmental ethics, education of university employees, programs in environmental education, interdisciplinary approaches,
dissemination of knowledge, networking, partnerships, life-long learning programs,
and technology transfer (Hemmer and Bagoly-Simó 2016).
Also in Germany, the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) underlined the large
scope of influence and the significance of higher education institutions and universities within the educational landscape and their important role in connection with the
sustainability transformation process (HRK and DUK 2010). With the HRK declaration “Towards a culture of sustainability”, German universities have committed to
act in accordance with the guiding sustainability principle and ensure the implementation of structures for a holistic sustainable development of educational institutions
(HRK 2017). According to Schneidewind (2014), there are two elements that are
of key significance within the intended holistic transformation processes at higher
education institutions: on the one hand, there is the “deliberate orientation of the
research and teaching practice towards central social challenges” and, on the other
hand, the “involvement of social actors in the definition of and work on scientific
questions from the very beginning” (p. 2). The involvement of a large number of
actors is of crucial importance in connection with the successful implementation of
a whole-institution approach at universities (Brinkhurst et al. 2011).
Within the “Bavarian Network for Sustainability in Higher Education”, the project
KriNaHoBay has drafted a scientifically substantiated criteria catalog for a systematic, standardized and whole-institutional evaluation regarding sustainability aspects
at Bavarian universities which is, amongst others, based on the STARS criteria developed by AASHE (2012, 2015). A total of 45 criteria was set down for the categories of understanding sustainability, research, teaching, operations, governance,
transfer and students. The whole-institution approach at universities is especially
supported by structural anchoring of the topic of sustainability within the university, the support provided by the university management and committed groups of
persons (e.g. students) – so-called ‘change agents’. Inhibiting factors for sustainability development at higher education institutions are a lack of understanding for
307
(whole-institution approach) aims to integrate sustainability and sustainable development in all areas of the university by incorporating and combining aspects such
as teaching practice, operations and organizational cultures, student participation,
management level, ties with the respective city administration and research orientation. An important objective of the higher education institution must be to become a
role model for students and the region (UNESCO 2017). “Universities are institutions
of society and, as the core of the scientific system, are responsible for contributing
to the forward-looking development of society.” (HRK and DUK 2010).
In connection with the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro (1992), a number of charters and declarations (e.g. Copernicus Charter 1994; Thessaloniki Declaration 1997;
Lüneburg Declaration 2001; Lucerne Declaration on Geographical Education for
Sustainable Development 2007) were developed especially for the higher education
sector that additionally underlined and substantiated this responsibility. The Copernicus Charter (1994) set out ten principles of action for a sustainable higher education
development: institutional commitment, environmental ethics, education of university employees, programs in environmental education, interdisciplinary approaches,
dissemination of knowledge, networking, partnerships, life-long learning programs,
and technology transfer (Hemmer and Bagoly-Simó 2016).
Also in Germany, the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) underlined the large
scope of influence and the significance of higher education institutions and universities within the educational landscape and their important role in connection with the
sustainability transformation process (HRK and DUK 2010). With the HRK declaration “Towards a culture of sustainability”, German universities have committed to
act in accordance with the guiding sustainability principle and ensure the implementation of structures for a holistic sustainable development of educational institutions
(HRK 2017). According to Schneidewind (2014), there are two elements that are
of key significance within the intended holistic transformation processes at higher
education institutions: on the one hand, there is the “deliberate orientation of the
research and teaching practice towards central social challenges” and, on the other
hand, the “involvement of social actors in the definition of and work on scientific
questions from the very beginning” (p. 2). The involvement of a large number of
actors is of crucial importance in connection with the successful implementation of
a whole-institution approach at universities (Brinkhurst et al. 2011).
Within the “Bavarian Network for Sustainability in Higher Education”, the project
KriNaHoBay has drafted a scientifically substantiated criteria catalog for a systematic, standardized and whole-institutional evaluation regarding sustainability aspects
at Bavarian universities which is, amongst others, based on the STARS criteria developed by AASHE (2012, 2015). A total of 45 criteria was set down for the categories of understanding sustainability, research, teaching, operations, governance,
transfer and students. The whole-institution approach at universities is especially
supported by structural anchoring of the topic of sustainability within the university, the support provided by the university management and committed groups of
persons (e.g. students) – so-called ‘change agents’. Inhibiting factors for sustainability development at higher education institutions are a lack of understanding for