Perspectives on Sustainability in Higher Education

Marius Drugaș; John Scahill; Antonella Bachiorri; Karina Becker; Carmel Heaney; Maria Ilhéu; Guida Veiga

doi:10.2991/978-94-6239-760-6_5

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Perspectives on Sustainability in Higher Education

Research Trends, Institutional Practices, and Implementation Challenges

Authors

Marius Drugaș¹^{, *}, John Scahill², Antonella Bachiorri³, Karina Becker⁴, Carmel Heaney⁵, Maria Ilhéu⁶, Guida Veiga⁷

¹Department of Psychology, University of Oradea, 410087, Oradea, Romania

²Department of Building and Civil Engineering, Atlantic Technological University, H91 T8NW, Galway, Ireland

³Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Parma, 43124, Parma, Italy

⁴Faculty of Humanities, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, 39106, Magdeburg, Germany

⁵Department of Environmental Humanities and Social Sciences, Atlantic Technological University, H91 T8NW, Galway, Ireland

⁶Department of Landscape, Environment and Planning, University of Evora, 7000-671, Évora, Portugal

⁷Department of Sports and Health, University of Evora, 7000-727, Évora, Portugal

^*Corresponding author. Email: mdrugas@uoradea.ro

Corresponding Author

Marius Drugaș

Available Online 23 August 2026.

DOI: 10.2991/978-94-6239-760-6_5 How to use a DOI?
Keywords: higher education sustainability; education for sustainable development; sustainable university; implementation barriers and drivers
Abstract: This paper synthesizes perspectives on sustainability in higher education (HE), drawing on a comprehensive review of over fifty peer-reviewed studies published between 2000 and 2024. Higher education institutions (HEIs) are increasingly recognized as critical actors in advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), yet their implementation strategies remain fragmented and uneven across regions. The review reveals a sharp rise in sustainability-focused scholarship after 2010, facilitated by the emergence of dedicated journals and global policy frameworks. Methodologically, most research is qualitative (interviews, focus groups, and document analysis), while quantitative studies rely on structured questionnaires. Conceptually, definitions of a “sustainable university” vary widely, with many institutions emphasizing campus greening and environmental measures, while neglecting social and economic dimensions. Key implementation drivers include signing sustainability declarations and establishing dedicated sustainability offices. Barriers include financial limitations, bureaucratic constraints, academic freedom concerns, and a lack of staff training. The discussion highlights the tension between fragmented and holistic approaches, the need to integrate equity and social justice into education for sustainable development (ESD), and the importance of leadership and governance for systemic change. The paper concludes that while progress has been made, future efforts must prioritize capacity building, cross-national collaboration, and mainstreaming sustainability into curricula, research, and governance.
Open Access: Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title: Proceedings of the Conference of Growing up the Future: Education for Sustainability (GROUFES 2026)
Series: Atlantis Highlights in Social Sciences, Education and Humanities
Publication Date: 23 August 2026
ISBN: 978-94-6239-760-6
ISSN: 2667-128X
DOI: 10.2991/978-94-6239-760-6_5 How to use a DOI?
Open Access: Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

ris enw bib

TY  - CONF
AU  - Marius Drugaș
AU  - John Scahill
AU  - Antonella Bachiorri
AU  - Karina Becker
AU  - Carmel Heaney
AU  - Maria Ilhéu
AU  - Guida Veiga
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/23
TI  - Perspectives on Sustainability in Higher Education
BT  - Proceedings of the Conference of Growing up the Future: Education for Sustainability (GROUFES 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 47
EP  - 56
SN  - 2667-128X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-760-6_5
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-760-6_5
ID  - Drugaș2026
ER  -

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