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Who Am I? The Role(s) of an Academic at a ‘Sustainable University’

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Integrative Approaches to Sustainable Development at University Level

Part of the book series: World Sustainability Series ((WSUSE))

Abstract

The contemporary university dances to a neoliberal tune, waltzing through agendas such as globalisation, the commodification of education, the audit culture and (in UK) research impact. The roles of the academic have changed with increasing and contradictory pressures imposed. The notion of a sustainable university offers an alternative mode for academic performance. The aim of this paper was to explore the current role(s) of the academic in a ‘sustainable university’, aided by critical reflection on the Transition: University of St Andrews initiative. In the context of the sustainable university, the possibility of academics to act as change agents is reinstated through teaching, research and activism; research expectations may be reconciled partly through a different realisation of research impact; relationships and self fulfilment can be embraced; and individualism and competition shifted to collective action and collaborative working. Whilst a sustainability focus offers hope for academia, the roles of an academic cannot be fully resolved until a paradigm shift in higher education institutions is achieved.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews, North Street, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9AL, Scotland

    Rehema M. White

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  1. Rehema M. White
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Correspondence to Rehema M. White .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Environmental Science, HAW Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

  2. Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo University, Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Luciana Brandli

  3. Business School, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom

    Olga Kuznetsova

  4. Department of Business and Economics, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal

    Arminda Maria Finisterra do Paço

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White, R.M. (2015). Who Am I? The Role(s) of an Academic at a ‘Sustainable University’. In: Leal Filho, W., Brandli, L., Kuznetsova, O., Paço, A. (eds) Integrative Approaches to Sustainable Development at University Level. World Sustainability Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10690-8_46

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