DOI: https://doi.org/10.14710/jsp.2024.25051

Opportunities Following the Path to Sustainability at Universidad San Francisco de Quito

*Camila Espinoza orcid  -  Universidad San Francisco de Quito | Universidad San Francisco de Quito |, Ecuador
Juan Proano-Alives  -  Universidad San Francisco de Quito | Universidad San Francisco de Quito |, Ecuador
Open Access Copyright (c) 2024 Camila Espinoza, Juan Proano-Aviles
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Citation Format:
Abstract

Since 2013, Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) has utilized various global and national sustainability assessment tools, including STARS by AASHE, UI Green Metrics, Q.S. Sustainability, and THE Impact Ranking. These tools have been pivotal in diagnosing institutional strengths and weaknesses, identifying opportunities for improvement, and integrating strategic actions into our policies and institutional plans. This paper explores the comparative effectiveness of these diverse sustainability evaluation tools and analyzes their impact on decision-making processes at USFQ. It explores how these assessments have informed our sustainability policies and strategies over the years, leading to significant improvements within our institution. Additionally, the paper presents successful case studies from USFQ where these tools have directly influenced the implementation of various projects. The insights provided will demonstrate how rigorous assessments can pave the way for meaningful institutional enhancements, offering a valuable resource for academic institutions worldwide to foster a culture of sustainability and make informed decisions that drive institutional change towards greater sustainability.

Fulltext View|Download Email colleagues

Article Metrics:

Article Info
Section: Original Articles
Language : EN
  1. Aboodi B. The Role of Continuous Improvement of University Education Using the Deming Model In Supporting Competitive Advantage/Exploratory Research On The Middle Technical University/Baghdad. Opción: Revista de Ciencias Humanas y Sociales. 2019;35(20):2899-2921
  2. Angelaki ME, Bersimis F, Karvounidis T, Douligeris C. Towards more sustainable higher education institutions: Implementing the sustainable development goals and embedding sustainability into the information and computer technology curricula. Education and Information Technologies. 2024;29(4):5079-5113
  3. AASHE. Participants & Reports [Internet]. Philadelphia: The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). Available from: https://reports.aashe.org/institutions/participants-and-reports/
  4. Basso A, Cardin M, Giacometti A, Mio C. Sustainability indicators for university ranking. Ca’ Foscari University of Venice Department of Economics. 2017 Sep:1-27
  5. Chankseliani M, McCowan T. Higher education and the Sustainable Development Goals. Higher Education. 2021;81(1):1-8
  6. Garnåsjordet PA, Aslaksen I, Giampietro M, Funtowicz S, Ericson T. Sustainable Development Indicators: From Statistics to Policy. Environmental Policy and Governance. 2012 March;22(5):322–336
  7. Machado CF, Davim JP. Sustainability in the Modernization of Higher Education: Curricular Transformation and Sustainable Campus—A Literature Review. Sustainability (Switzerland). 2023 May;15(11):1-28
  8. Muñoz-Suárez M, Guadalajara N, Osca J. M. A comparative analysis between global university rankings and environmental sustainability of universities. Sustainability (Switzerland). 2020;12(14):1–19
  9. Pacheco JAB, Teijeiro-álvarez MM, García-álvarez MT. Sustainable development in the economic, environmental, and social fields of ecuadorian universities. Sustainability (Switzerland).202 Sep;12(18):1-21
  10. QS Quacquarelli Symonds. QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2024; 2024. Available from https://www.topuniversities.com/sustainability-rankings
  11. Romeva CR. Diseño concurrente. Barcelona: Centre de Publications del Campus Nord (CPET); 2002. Available from: https://doi.org/10.5821/ebook-9788498800746
  12. Shaw K. The Rise of the Resilient Local Authority? Local Government Studies. Northumbria Research Link. 2012;38(3):281-300
  13. Times Higher Education (n.d.). Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings. Available from: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/impactrankings
  14. Tumbas P, Matkovic P, Sakal M. Sustainable University: Assessment Tools, Factors, Measures and Model. Proceedings of EDULEARN15 Conference. 2015 July:6208–6214
  15. Universidad San Francisco de Quito - Ecuador. Home [Internet]. Ecuador: Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Available from: https://www.usfq.edu.ec/en
  16. Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Sustainability Office [Internet]. Ecuador: Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Available from: https://www.usfq.edu.ec/en/node/2390
  17. UI. Welcome to UI GreenMetric - UI GreenMetric [Internet]. Depok: Universitas Indonesia; 2024. Available from: https://greenmetric.ui.ac.id/
  18. Valencia M, Villacreses S, Benítez DS, Velasco A, Ochoa-Herrera V. Towards a Sustainable Energy-Efficient Future at Universities, Universidad San Francisco de Quito Case Study, Phase I. 2018 IEEE ANDESCON. 2018:1–6
  19. Velasco A, Valencia M, Morrow S, Ochoa-Herrera V. Understanding the limits of assessing sustainability at Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Ecuador, while reporting for a North American system. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education. 2018 March;19(4):721–738

Last update:

No citation recorded.

Last update:

No citation recorded.