Global Social Responsibility and the Internationalisation of Higher Education for Society (original) (raw)
Related papers
Towards a Socially Responsible University: Balancing the Global with the Local aims to analyse the dual responsibilities of universities at local and global level, exploring the potential conflicts and intrinsic difficulties in addressing both the local demands of society based on the race for global competitiveness and the local and global demands to contribute to a more equitable and sustainable society (at local and global levels). There is a dual perspective on global affairs: on one side, competition between national and regional economic systems when developing their respective societies still predominates, and on the other, there is the global sustainability of the sum of all these developments, which is gaining momentum. Higher education institutions (HEIs) can be identified as key players from both perspectives and, thus, have the singular responsibility of helping to provide appropriate and adequate responses to both legitimate needs and interests: i) to address the global challenges of the world, which are very well summarized by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and ii) to contribute to the social, cultural and economic development and international development of their societies. The current organization of higher education in the world urges universities to compete on the global stage for students, faculty and research contracts. At the same time, they are expected to contribute to the economic development of their localities and to sustainable and inclusive global and local development. From this perspective, it becomes necessary to make the dual engagement of universities explicit: with the immediate needs of our local societies and with the global challenges of the world, of our global society. The study of this duality has been the objective of this 6th Higher Education in the World (HEIW) GUNi Report, ‘Towards a Socially Responsible University: Balancing the Global with the Local’. 86 experts from 28 countries have contributed to a dissection of the topic and the identification of good practices that can help academic leaders and policy-makers to realize the highest purposes of education and research.
Towards a Socially Responsible University: Balancing the Global with the Local
The 6th HEIW Report deals with the dual responsibilities of universities at local and global scale, exploring the potential conflict, or intrinsic difficulties, in addressing both local demands of society based on the race for global competitiveness and local and global demands to contribute to a more equitable and sustainable society, at local and global scales. 86 experts from 28 countries have contributed to a dissection of the topic and the identification of good practices that can help academic leaders and policy-makers to realize the highest purposes of education and research.
Reinventing international higher education for a socially just, sustainable world
Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education, 2023
Post-pandemic, there is a growing recognition that higher education needs to take a more proactive role in addressing the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals-the 17 goals for 2030 that aim to balance global economic development with the need to tackle climate change and protect our natural ecosystems. This change of focus has profound implications for international higher education. For universities in countries like Australia, New Zealand and the UK, internationalisation has underpinned a successful business model. Recruiting children of wealthy elites in developing countries and charging them high tuition fees allows universities to invest in research and facilities and drive themselves up global rankings tables. But recruiting students from the Global South imposes an environmental cost in terms of the carbon footprint and perpetuates structural inequality. This article explores solutions to moving beyond the current business model and adopting an internationalisation strategy that prioritises social justice and environmental sustainability.
International Higher Education as Catalyst for Social Change
Developing cultural awareness and competence among learners and employees has been a topic of concern and challenge in higher education for several decades. The general focus in many organizations, including higher education, is on the development of cultural awareness and competencies with a general focus on intercultural communication and cultural diversity training. The paper revisits the notions of cultural awareness and competency development initiatives reframing them within a critical perspective seeking socially responsible actions for social change. It introduces and clarifies global community building, glocalization, social responsibility and justice as requisites for social change. Finally, recommendations are made to ensure that international higher education institutions and communities move beyond awareness and competency level of engagement. The author asserts that higher education is a catalyst for social change demanding an institutional social responsibility ethic that enables and empowers communities to action change that is responsible, sustainable and humane.
SN Social Science, 2023
One of the traditional missions for universities was community service which was updated to entail community engagement. Community engagement is a component of the internationalization of higher education which aspires to improve service delivery within society. Though universities in Uganda have always engaged with communities, they have always done so disregarding the international dimension of higher education. Simultaneously, contemporary approaches to internationalization are primarily concerned with scholarly debate and discussion of societal challenges. However, merging internationalization with community engagement would better serve local and global communities. This is now more relevant considering global challenges such as COVID-19, terrorism, and climate change. Universities should now work more closely with communities to enrich scholarship, contribute to public good aims, and address the current critical social issues. Therefore, university-community engagement should go beyond institutional and disciplinary boundaries that restrict possibilities for fruitful engagement with local and global communities in today's rapidly changing world. This paper explores the international dimension of community engagement in Uganda's universities. Using a narrative literature review, the paper highlights how to merge internationalization with community engagement without reproducing inequalities but emphasizing fairness and social justice. The paper holds that community engagement should be integrated into the broader internationalization agenda of universities for better service delivery.
Social Work at the Level of International Comparison
The importance of internationalization has grown in recent years for universities due to changes in world politics and scientific policy. As a result, in an increasingly competitive environment, the tasks are now quantitatively and qualitatively greater than before, while, at the same time, the political and social expectations facing scientific institutions in their internationalization have also increased. One of the expectations universities face is that they should assume social responsibility for society. This article describes the internationalization of higher education as a diverse phenomenon. Universities face the challenge of operating within the global university community as actors with socio-political responsibility for society and as sites of global knowledge production. Keywords Internationalization • Higher education • Global production of knowledge The internationalization of higher education is a new and diverse phenomenon of the past decades. The European research and education programs-in particular ERASMUS-have been the driving force behind a strategic approach to the internationalization of higher education not only in Europe but also globally. It goes without saying that this development has been influenced by the globalization of C. Ghaderi (B)
Universities’ Third Mission: Global Discourses and National Imperatives
Higher Education Policy
Universities are increasingly pressurized to contribute to the socioeconomic development of their societies. This has led to increasing calls for stronger societal engagement around the third mission (TM). In this paper we contextualize developments surrounding TM by comparing policy approaches in Norway and the Czech Republic. Our analysis shows similarities as well as differences, and points to the importance of assessing TM developments in the light of wider policy dynamics and priorities.
Socially responsible higher education: International perspectives on knowledge democracy
Hungarian educational research journal, 2024
The book "Socially Responsible Higher Education," edited by Budd Hall and Rajesh Tandon, offers an in-depth exploration of the critical role higher education institutions play in societal engagement and responsibility. Published in 2021 by Brill Sense, this seminal first edition meticulously examines how educational institutions can extend their influence beyond traditional academic boundaries to contribute to broader societal objectives. Spanning 305 pages, the book is made available in various formats to cater for diverse reader preferences. The hardback version (ISBN 9789004445826) is priced at an average of 152,thepaperbackversion(ISBN9789004435759)ataround152, the paperback version (ISBN 9789004435759) at around 152,thepaperbackversion(ISBN9789004435759)ataround7, and the e-book version (ISBN 9789004459076) offers digital convenience. This strategic availability in multiple formats is instrumental in ensuring that the book's vital discourse reaches a broad audience, facilitating widespread engagement with the significant themes it addresses. The book scrutinizes the pivotal role that higher education institutions play in championing social responsibility and fostering knowledge democracy globally. It describes how universities evolve beyond their conventional roles to proactively address global challenges, emphasising inclusivity, equity, and sustainable development in academia. Offering a rich tapestry of international perspectives, it highlights a paradigm shift toward a more engaged, accountable, and community-focused approach to higher education, resonating with initiatives like the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Through an enlightening collection of essays and case studies, the book highlights the imperative for higher education to evolve and innovate, creating environments that nurture a diversity of knowledge while catalysing significant social transformation. Positioned at the nexus of higher education and social responsibility, this book makes a substantial contribution to the ongoing discourse on the transformative potential of universities for societal development and change. It fills a crucial void in the academic literature by presenting a multifaceted, global examination of how higher education can interact with and positively impact societal needs. As such, it is an invaluable resource for academics, researchers, policymakers, and educators in higher education who are passionate about integrating social responsibility within university frameworks. Additionally,
The University as ‘Global Citizen’ – Capabilities and the Quadruple Bottom Line
2016
Pursuing agendas to educate students as global citizens has become commonplace in universities worldwide, but to what degree are our higher education institutions themselves evidencing the kinds of behaviours they wish their students to embrace? This paper briefly outlines the construct of students as global selves through reference to the capabilities approach (Sen, 1993, 1999) to development economics, and illustrates how this construct can help us model the university as global citizen. We then outline the practice of global accounting and specifically propose an extension of ‘triple bottom line’ accounting (Elkington, 1997) as a potential lens through which to critique areas of institutional practice. We suggest that much more work is needed if university internationalisation activities are to be embedded and accounted for in ways which enable institutions to evidence that they are aligning their own responsibilities to those they espouse for their global graduates.