Sustainable development: New vision or new mission for the University?

2007 Autumn symposium in Veracruz15 Nov 2007

Jaana Puukka, OECD

Contents

• Growth in higher education• Globalisation & Localisation

• What is Sustainable Development?

• What does Sustainable Development mean for universities?

• How to mobilise the potential of universities for sustainable development?

More people are completing tertiary education than ever

before…

…in some countries, growth has been

spectacular…

…while others have fallen behind.

Growth in all tertiary qualificationsThe percentage of persons with a minimum of 2 years of tertiary education born in the

period shown below (2004)

Benefits of Education…

…higher employment rates…

…higher earnings for individuals

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

220

240

260

Male-tertiary Female-tertiary Male-below upper sec Female-below upper sec

Relative average earnings of 30-44 year-olds

Source: OECD (2004) Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators 2004, Table A11.1a, p.175.

Upper secondary and post secondary non-tertiary = 100

Increased productivity…

… and economic growth for countries

Consider South Korea 1960s

Beginning of 21st Century

WealthBelow all South American

countriesAround level of Afghanistan

20th in OECD

Educational expenditure1st in OECD in % of GDP

Educational attainmentcompleting secondary – 24th in

OECDcompleting tertiary – 20th in

OECD

completing secondary – 1st in OECD

completing tertiary – 3rd in OECD

Educational quality4th in reading, 1st in mathematics

1st in science in OECD

Educational equity1st in OECD

Globalisation and population growth

Source: UN 1998 World Population Report

The impact of globalisation for nations

6.2% range

The impact of globalisation for regions

17 % range

…and growing inequalities

What does Sustainable Development mean in the era of globalisation and

localisation?

“Sustainable development is the development

which meets the needs of the present

without compromising the ability of future generations

to meet their own needs. “

Brundtland 1983

Deregulation of

companies and the rise of corporate

power

Rise of Civil Society:

activism in ecological, consumer, citizenship

issues

Corporate and

environmental crises

Globalisation

ICT revolution

Sustainable Development: Drivers

… demands for sustainability, transparency, dialogue and systematic assessment of

economic, social and environmental performance

Organisations should drive for progress on three bottom lines:

the economic, the social and the environmental…

(adapted from Elkington, 2001)

…fit for purpose……fit for people……fit for planet…

An increasingly complex environment: Challenges for universities

Demands for transparency and accountability

Pressure of International Rankings

Public Service Need to diversify funding Streams

New frontiers in research

Demands for quality, relevance and impactMassification and Widening access

Governance

New demands for HEIs...

What does Sustainable Development mean in the Higher Education scene?

…Triple Bottom Line in universities…

Economic performance

Efficient degree production

Regional employment of graduates

Direct economic impacts

Environmental performanceon-campus work to

protect natural resources

Training of environmentally conscious graduates

Policy advice, expertise and research &learning programs to support

sustainable development

Social perfomance

Promotion of wellbeing, knowhow and ownership

of staff and students

Community involvement

Good practices in stakeholder co-operation

University’s responsible behaviour

Sustainable development

University Sustainable Development

Shift from short-term to long-term

planning Close collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders

Systematic assessment of economic, environmental

and social performance and reporting of findings

Establishment of efficient

management information systems

What are the Challenges?

brings ethics to the development of

working life

facilitates continuous improvement of the

university’s performance, external impact and

capacity building

Improves risk management

improves stakeholder relations

Gives a balanced account of the university’s

economic, environmental and social performance and the impacts of its

operations

attracts highly skilled, high value labour and best

students

What are the Benefits?

How to mobilise the potential of HEIs for

sustainable development?

…Think Globally……Act Locally…

OECD Reviews of

“Higher Education Institutions in Regional

Development”

Evaluation Focus

• Regional contexts• Regional/national higher education systems

• Contribution of research to regional innovation• Contribution of teaching and learning to labour

market and skills• Contribution to social and cultural development

and environmental sustainability

• Contribution to regional capacity building

Participating Regions 2005-07

• Higher education institutions and their stakeholders in 14 regions in 12 countries were brought together in a partnership- building process led by the OECD

What Did We Learn….?

To Become Globally Competitive Countries Need to Invest in their

Innovation Systems

at the national and regional level

… HEIs can play a key role in Regional Innovation Systems,

Human Capital development…..

…. and Sustainable Development of their regions

In Castellon, Valencia, Universidad Jaume I is recognised as a world leader R&D in the

tile industry.

It has helped to transform the region’s traditional industry. The growth is built on technology transfer, spin-offs created by

staff and students and upgrading of existing technologies.

– Today, Valencia is a global leader in the tiles and ceramics industry.

Source: the Valencia Region SER

… Building on competitive advantage of regions

In Aalborg University, Denmark, up to 50% of the study work consists of problem-oriented project work: students work in teams to solve problems which have been identified in co-operation with firms, public organisations and other institutions.

At any one time there are 2000-3000 ongoing projects that ensure not only the university’s engagement with the surrounding society but also enhanced learning experience for students. Source: the Jutland-Funen SER

… Mobilising human capital and “knowledge transfer on legs”

In Central Finland, Jyväskylä Univ. of Applied Sciences has helped to rehabilitate 800 long-term unemployed back to working life with a wide range

of physical and social rehabilitation measures, partly delivered through the student training

centre.Source: Jyväskylä region SER

In the North East of England, the 5 HEIs use

sports as a means to widen access, to raise

aspirations and to enhance social cohesion

within the excluded communities. Student

volunteers play a key role in sports activities.

Source:NE England SER

In Mexico, all university students are obliged to do

480 hours community work. If linked to local

development needs and properly implemented

and monitored, this can be a powerful mechanism

of region building.Source: Nuevo León SER

… Building the social, cultural and environmental contributions…

Uncoordinated HE, S&T and territorial policy

Limits to university autonomy

Limited incentives to universities

Weak management, lack of entrepreneurial culture

Tensions between regional engagement & academic excellence

Lack of incentives to individuals

National Regional Institutional

Fragmented local govs, weak leadership

Intraregional and interinstitutional competition

universities not part of strategy work and implementation

Barriers

…Policy Changes are not enough…

… Universities need to embrace the change themselves..

…adopt Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility Agenda…

….and involve the Faculty and Students in doing this…

How would you recognise a university that has embraced

sustainable development?

…one that considers, actively promotes

and demonstrates

economic and social responsibility and

environmental sustainability

both now and for the future…

All review reports published at

www.oecd.org/edu/higher/regionaldevelopment

for information on new reviews of HE in regional development

Contact

jaana.puukka@oecd.org