Guest editorial: European perspectives on the socially responsible and engaged university

Citation

Resch, K., Amorim, J.P. and Dima, G. (2022), "Guest editorial: European perspectives on the socially responsible and engaged university", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 23 No. 4, pp. 749-751. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-05-2022-520

Higher education institutions are said to be in an era of change (Maassen et al., 2019). While research and teaching as the two main missions of higher education institutions remain unchallenged, more emphasis is recently placed on activities in the third sector (Schober et al., 2016). Higher education institutions are increasingly required to have impact on economic, social and environmental challenges of society and to act socially responsible on various levels. This leads to a renewed emphasis on the concept of university social responsibility (USR) (Tauginienė and Pučėtaitė, 2021) and the main question, whether or not it will be possible to respond to glocal societal, economic and environmental needs (Francois, 2015) with the current higher education system or if change is required. This places the university as a predominantly public institution with potential for social, economic and environmental impact in a niche for deeper investigation and research, as done in this Special Issue “European Perspectives on the Socially Responsible and Engaged University”.

We understand USR as an umbrella term for the discourse evolving around the third sector and encompassing research, teaching and governance – areas in which higher education institutions operate to become more socially responsible and engaged. USR is understood as a living concept still in an exploratory stage and is shaped by regional (terminological) specificities. Some manifestations such as civic engagement (Boland, 2014), community-based research (Nigro, 2017) or service learning (Aramburuzabala et al., 2019) are already well researched. We believe USR is a valid and comprehensive answer to current challenges. It requires a multi-stakeholder perspective considering the institution’s leadership, faculty, staff and students.

The academic discourse about USR in Europe is still highly particularistic. Within the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, a significant contribution to research in this area is now made. Geographically, the Special Issue includes studies from different European countries such as Belgium, Germany, Spain, Portugal and the UK as well as studies comparing data across Europe.

In this Special Issue, the first study gives an overview of USR from a historical perspective (Barnett and Guzmán Valenzuela, 2021). The second study focuses on the perspective of students on USR (Coehlo and Menezes, 2021). Responsible and participatory teaching is the main topic of the next two studies (Moriau et al., 2021; Leonhardt et al., 2022). USR as an institutional topic is discussed in further three studies (O’Brien et al., 2021; Gutiérrez-Goiria et al., 2021; Fonseca and Fernandes, 2021).

Barnett and Guzmán Valenzuela (2021) examine the socially responsible European university exploring the historical evolution of the relationship of the European university to the idea of social responsibility. They identify three stages over the last 200 years in the relationship between the university and the matter of social responsibility, being successively tacit, weak and now hybrid. The authors conclude that many universities in Europe have recently interrogated themselves and discerned new forms of social responsibilities for themselves resulting in new modes of engagement.

Coehlo and Menezes (2021) focus on the question, how students from three European countries perceive USR. Two studies were carried out: a qualitative (document analysis and focus groups with 44 students) and a quantitative one (questionnaire with 718 students) – this contribution is transferable to future research, as the research instruments can be further used by other researchers as well. The data show that the involvement of students in university-based experiences (e.g. extracurricular activities, volunteering, student unions, social movements) are associated with a greater awareness of the role of the university in society, a greater recognition of opportunities for participation and reflection, a more accentuated critical perspective and less conventional political conceptions.

Moriau et al. (2021) explore the topic of responsible teaching and place their emphasis on community engaged research and learning with their study about the engagement CUBE, which is a dialogical tool for designing, facilitating and monitoring engaged research and teaching strategies. The engagement CUBE supports universities to explore the potential of engaged practices for meeting both needs as well as assets of its urban surroundings. It is to be used as a dialogic tool, facilitating collaborative meaning negotiation and decision-making amongst participants in engagement strategies. Its purpose is both to help design a supportive environment for establishing partnerships that build on shared ownership and mutual learning, as to stimulate capacity building for taking responsible change-oriented action.

Leonhardt et al. (2022) present data from a German study about participatory teaching and research as practices of social responsibility. The authors distinguish USR as a valid answer to the diversification of society and of higher education, arguing for inclusive education for all students. They use data from focus group discussions with lecturers and students with and without learning difficulties and thus consider educational processes from an inclusive perspective.

O’Brien et al. (2021) underline the relevance of transformational change towards recognising community engagement as a priority in higher education. In their study, they report on the development of a European Framework for Community Engagement in Higher Education using case studies of four European universities and their local communities in Germany, Ireland, Croatia and The Netherlands. They present a toolbox and policy framework which supports HEIs to comprehensively develop, understand and mainstream community engagement.

Gutiérrez-Goiria et al. (2021) address a rarely addressed institutional topic within USR research. They study the relevance of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) methodology for reporting USR on an institutional level. Within their study, they report difficulties of HEIs when adapting GRI standards to their missions related to economic, social and environmental aspects. Their study shows the potentials and risks of misuse of GRI for the higher education sector.

Fonseca and Fernandes (2021) in their study “Social Responsibility of Higher Education Institutions and the strategic importance of self-assessment through performance indicators. The ORSIES experience and lessons from a pilot study” describe the two-year co-construction process of a USR self-assessment tool, involving 24 Portuguese higher education institutions: public and private, polytechnics and universities. Professors, staff members and leaders of the institutions were engaged, whereas students also participated in one of the development sessions. The self-assessment tool implemented in Portugal allows the comparison of institutions – and may point to possible improvements for USR in higher education institutions or to enhanced competition for the top places in an eventual USR ranking in the future.

Summarizing the impact of the selected studies, the Special Issue “European Perspectives on the Socially Responsible and Engaged University” makes a significant contribution to the field of USR research and documented practice by including topics which are still under-explored (e.g. GRI reporting), by focusing on the perspective of students in research and by investigating and discussing differences throughout Europe, thus producing controversial results and discussions. From all studies, implications for research, policy and future practice can be drawn. We would like to thank all authors and reviewers for ensuring the quality of the papers included in this Special Issue of the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education.