Editorial

Citation

Leal Filho, W. (2007), "Editorial", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 8 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijshe.2007.24908caa.001

Editorial

Welcome to another issue of IJSHE, which introduces a set of papers dealing with sustainability in the higher education sector in a number of countries.

In this issue I would like to refer to a paper recently written for the “International Advanced Workshop on Higher Education for Sustainable Development” held in Marabor, Slovenia, last autumn. The paper presents seven challenges that need to be overcome in order to allow sustainability to be permanently placed in a central position in higher education. These challenges are as follows:

1. 1.

   intensifying the dialogue on sustainability;

2. 2.

   increasing the participation of staff;

3. 3.

   the dissemination of information and best practices;

4. 4.

   combining legal and regulatory requirements;

5. 5.

   involve and link the administration and institutional organisation;

6. 6.

   raising support from the top; and

7. 7.

   ensuring continuity of the work.

To this list of challenges one should add the participation and involvement of students, which are in fact the reason d'etre of higher education institutions. There are various recommendations being made at the European level to involve students more and more in university initiatives, sustainable development providing a highly exciting area where students' input can indeed make a difference. Owing to their nature, opinions and suggestions proposed by students do not always carry the weight they should, but there are strong evidences that well-balanced and coordinated student inputs are likely to be taken into account seriously and this provides the basis for action “on the ground” among those who can, should and shall exert a significant influence on a university's life. The full paper and conference details can be seen at: www.hesd.si.

Enjoy your reading!

Walter Leal Filho