TY - JOUR

T1 - The Lüneburg Sustainable University Project in international comparison

T2 - an assessment against North American peers

AU - Beringer, Almut

N1 - Literaturverz. S. 458-461

PY - 2007/9/25

Y1 - 2007/9/25

N2 - Purpose - To assess the Lüneburg Sustainable University Project (the Project) in a non-European international context; to relate the project scholarly approach to selected scholarly and practice-oriented North American sustainability in higher education (SHE) methods; to analyze project innovations against North American initiatives. Design/methodology/approach - Benchmarking indicators were developed inductively in four SHE areas - governance/ administration, curriculum/student opportunities, research/scholarship, and operations - via thematic content analysis of 15 descriptions of USA and Canadian universities active in SHE. Data were triangulated with data from the four Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Campus Sustainability Leaders 2006. Findings - The assessment against selected North American peers suggests that the project is unique in its scholarly approach to and scientific foundation of sustainability in higher education. The transdisciplinary transformative case study is not replicated at any of the comparison institutions; however, elements of the approach and scholarly framework can be found at all North American universities participating in this assessment. North American institutions tend to excel in operational innovations; to keep abreast of international developments, University of Lüneburg is encouraged to commit to a climate-neutral campus strategy and to implement a sustainability management system, amongst other initiatives. Practical implications - Knowledge transfer and capacity-building: North American post-secondary institutions can learn from the theoretically-guided, applied research-based approach to SHE. Through intensified exchange (partnerships) with North American peers, the project and the University of Lüneburg stand to profit from community-based research approaches and the practice-oriented work of USA and Canadian campus sustainability offices. Originality/value - The paper contributes an "outsider's perspective" to the project evaluation. Methodologically, the paper contributes to inductive SHE indicator development.

AB - Purpose - To assess the Lüneburg Sustainable University Project (the Project) in a non-European international context; to relate the project scholarly approach to selected scholarly and practice-oriented North American sustainability in higher education (SHE) methods; to analyze project innovations against North American initiatives. Design/methodology/approach - Benchmarking indicators were developed inductively in four SHE areas - governance/ administration, curriculum/student opportunities, research/scholarship, and operations - via thematic content analysis of 15 descriptions of USA and Canadian universities active in SHE. Data were triangulated with data from the four Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Campus Sustainability Leaders 2006. Findings - The assessment against selected North American peers suggests that the project is unique in its scholarly approach to and scientific foundation of sustainability in higher education. The transdisciplinary transformative case study is not replicated at any of the comparison institutions; however, elements of the approach and scholarly framework can be found at all North American universities participating in this assessment. North American institutions tend to excel in operational innovations; to keep abreast of international developments, University of Lüneburg is encouraged to commit to a climate-neutral campus strategy and to implement a sustainability management system, amongst other initiatives. Practical implications - Knowledge transfer and capacity-building: North American post-secondary institutions can learn from the theoretically-guided, applied research-based approach to SHE. Through intensified exchange (partnerships) with North American peers, the project and the University of Lüneburg stand to profit from community-based research approaches and the practice-oriented work of USA and Canadian campus sustainability offices. Originality/value - The paper contributes an "outsider's perspective" to the project evaluation. Methodologically, the paper contributes to inductive SHE indicator development.

KW - Environmental planning

KW - sustainable development

KW - Higher education

KW - Benchmarking

KW - Best practice

KW - Germany

KW - North America

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=34848909011&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1108/14676370710823609

DO - 10.1108/14676370710823609

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 8

SP - 446

EP - 461

JO - International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education

JF - International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education

SN - 1467-6370

IS - 4

ER -