The Contribution of Higher Education Institutions in Sustainability Transformation – Navigating the Tension between Path dependencies and Change
The Erasmus+ and the Sustainability teams of the University of Marburg invite you to our International Staff Training Week 2025!
Topics and objectives: What will be our focus?
Higher Education Institutions (HEI) play a pivotal role in advancing sustainability transformation by fostering innovation, research, and education that address complex environmental, social, and economic challenges. However, as institutions embedded in unique historical, political, and cultural contexts, HEIs face path dependencies that often create resistance to change, making it essential to navigate the tensions between the established action patterns and the demand for transformative action. Due to this context-specificity, there is no single or universally optimal pathway to balance hindering and fostering factors in sustainability efforts. Instead, a plurality of pathways emerges across HEIs, reflecting diverse approaches adapted to their specific institutional constraints and opportunities.
The purpose of the 5-day Staff Training Week is to collaboratively explore these varied pathways, identifying the constraints and enabling factors unique to each HEI. Participants will engage in a comprehensive exchange on the advantages and disadvantages of different strategies used in sustainability transformation processes at universities. Through this exchange, they will also discover transferable support mechanisms and practical strategies that can be applied within their own institutional contexts. The staff week thus facilitates a meaningful dialogue on sustainability transformations, equipping participants with actionable insights to foster sustainable development in their institutions.
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