How Sustainable Is Higher Education? Assessing Environmental Sustainability in a Private Brazilian University

Abstract

Over time, Higher Education has assumed the position of being one of the entities responsible for leading the population toward a society grounded on sustainable development. Based on this statement, this research aimed to analyze to what extent the teaching, research, extension, and management activities performed by a private higher education institution (HEI) are integrated with environmental sustainability criteria. For that, mixed research was conducted, using the case study strategy, with exploratory quantitative and qualitative stages, using the Sustainability Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ). The sample consisted of two groups belonging to the University Faculdade Novo Horizonte (FNH) located in Vitoria de Santo Antao, Brazil: Group 1. managers, professors, and administrators, and group 2. undergraduates of different courses. Data were collected through a survey, with closed and open questions. Results show that integration with sustainability is partially met, at a low level, given the discrepancies identified in both groups on the same topics and that only one small portion of the respondents stated being engaged with sustainability-related projects. In addition, failures in communication were evidenced, demonstrating the absence or low level of disclosure about what is promoted by the university in terms of strategic planning oriented to sustainability.