TY - CHAP

T1 - Change from Below

T2 - Student Initiatives for Universities in Sustainable Development

AU - Drupp, Moritz

AU - Esguerra, Alejandro

AU - Keul, Lena

AU - Löw Beer, David

AU - Meisch, Simon

AU - Roosen-Runge, Felix

PY - 2012

Y1 - 2012

N2 - To advance the discussion on how the transformation of universities may lead to sustainable development may be achieved, the authors examine an often-overlooked actor category: student initiatives. By drawing on a case study of the initiative Greening the University e.V. (University of Tübingen, Germany) the authors conceptualize the role of student initiatives for institutional change through the notion of “communicative arena”. The authors argue that studentinitiatives are crucial for the transformation process toward a university in sustainable development for three reasons: they facilitate change by acting as (1) an institutional innovator, (2) a “boundary agent”, and (3) creator of social and institutional learning spaces. Further, the authors discuss factors that limit a student initiative’s potential to unfold its transformative power. The article concludes with recommendations for policy-makers, university leaders andstudents on how to foster this “change from below”.

AB - To advance the discussion on how the transformation of universities may lead to sustainable development may be achieved, the authors examine an often-overlooked actor category: student initiatives. By drawing on a case study of the initiative Greening the University e.V. (University of Tübingen, Germany) the authors conceptualize the role of student initiatives for institutional change through the notion of “communicative arena”. The authors argue that studentinitiatives are crucial for the transformation process toward a university in sustainable development for three reasons: they facilitate change by acting as (1) an institutional innovator, (2) a “boundary agent”, and (3) creator of social and institutional learning spaces. Further, the authors discuss factors that limit a student initiative’s potential to unfold its transformative power. The article concludes with recommendations for policy-makers, university leaders andstudents on how to foster this “change from below”.

KW - Higher Education and Science Management

KW - Environmental Education

KW - Communication and Sustainability

M3 - Contributions to collected editions/anthologies

SN - 978-3-631-62560-6

T3 - Umweltbildung, Umweltkommunikation und Nachhaltigkeit / Environmental Education, Communication and Sustainability

SP - 733

EP - 742

BT - Sustainable Development at Universities

A2 - Leal Filho, Walter

PB - Peter Lang Verlag

CY - Frankfurt

ER -