Introducing the UN SDGs in Higher Education Institutions

Prof. Dr. Walter Leal Filho is a Senior Professor and Head of the Research and Transfer Centre "Sustainable Development and Climate Change Management” at Hamburg University of Applied Sciences in Germany, and Chair of Environment and Technology at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. He is the initiator of the Word Sustainable Development Symposia (WSSD-U) series, and chairs the Inter-University Sustainable Development Research Programme. Professor Leal Filho has written, co-written, edited or co-edited more than 800 publications, including books, book chapters and papers in refereed journals. Dirk Franco is a part-time professor at the Hasselt University, where, in addition to basic chemistry, he also teaches environmental technology, sustainable development and environmental chemistry. He combines this with a part-time job within the PXL as a policy advisor with a focus on sustainability within the organization. From that position he oversees the Energy Quick Scans within the Energy Efficiency Services (EES) process of the PXL. He has recently also become co-coordinator of the new postgraduate Cleantech at Hasselt University. Currently he is the SPOC in the SDG story of the PXL, and we are the first university of applied sciences with the UN SDG Pioneer label, and he is involved in regenerative economy. Laís Viera Trevisan holds a PhD in Business Administration from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), including a DAAD-funded research period at Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (Germany). She also earned a Master’s degree in Management of Public Organisations and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Federal University of Santa Maria (Brazil), with academic exchange experience at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain). She is a Project Manager and Research Associate at HAW Hamburg, author of over fifty international journal articles and various books published by Springer. Her work focuses on sustainable development, climate change, sustainability in higher education, digital transformation, and smart campuses. Mark Mifsud is a Full Professor at the University of Malta and outgoing Director of the Centre for Environmental Education and Research, where he leads programmes in Education for Sustainable Development.  He has contributed to EU-funded projects, advised on environmental policy and education strategy, serves on international committees including the IUCN Commission on Education & Communication, and is Chief Examiner for the IB Environmental Systems & Societies programme. He has published over 100 works, focusing on sustainability and transformative pedagogy. Kent A. Williams is Lecturer in Business & Society at the Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University, Adjunct Professor at Dalhousie University, and Research Fellow with the Centre for Regenerative Futures at the University of Victoria. His scholarship explores regenerative leadership, social-ecological systems, and transformative learning in higher education. His work focuses on enabling emerging leaders to navigate and embrace the complexities of a climate-changed world through relational, values-driven, and experiential approaches.

• Chapter 1. Assessment Strategy to embed key competencies for sustainability into the curriculum: A case study of Politics and International Relations.- Chapter 2. Cultivating Sustainable Futures: Enhancing Study Programs in Africa for Environmental Stewardship.- Chapter 3. Sustainable Minds: Developing an International & Interdisciplinary SDG Course in Higher Education.- Chapter 4. Transatlantic Summer School for Sustainability - interdisciplinary, transatlantic and project-oriented.- Chapter 5. Transcending Boundaries: The Fusion of Sustainability Education and Software Engineering Education in a Master’s Course. Chapter 6. Transformative Learning for Sustainability: Bridging Inner Development Goals (IDG) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).- Chapter 7. Integrating sustainability into courses and programmes - A transdisciplinary approach using labelling criteria and SDGs at University of Gothenburg.- Chapter 8. Project DITTS: Digital introduction of the Sustainable Development Goals into Higher Education Teaching Regional aspects from South Africa and Brazil.- Chapter 9. Evaluation of the Integration of UN SDGs in Architecture Final Undergraduate Projects: Insights from Latin America.- Chapter 10. Integrating the SDGs into the ongoing activities of Lithuanian higher education institutions.- Chapter 11. Fostering sustainability-related soft skills through experiential Learning: An investigation of interdisciplinary approaches in Higher Education.- Chapter 12. Integration of the Sustainable Development Goals in Industrial and Environmental Engineering Education.- Chapter 13. Serious Games as a Starting Point for Sustainability Education: A Behavioral Approach to Teaching the SDGs.- Chapter 14. Latin American Universities Lead the Path to Sustainability: 24 Institutions Participate in the Course on Leadership and Sustainable University Governance.- Chapter 15. Artificial Intelligence in Universities: Enhancing Teaching, Research, and Extension for Sustainable Development.- Chapter 16. Empowering Sustainable Leaders: OAU’s Role in SDG Education.- Chapter 17. Global Education and Sustainability in Japanese Universities: A Case Study of Sophia University.- Chapter 18. A Journey to professionalism in ESD: A Story from the Mediterranean.- Chapter 19. Another One Bites the Change – Change Management at Universities for Holistic Sustainability Establishment in Engineering Education.- Chapter 20. Bridging Knowledge and Action: The role of SDGs implementation in developing inner skills within higher education institutions.- Chapter 21. Change making in culinary arts education to promote sustainability: the challenges and opportunities presented by Participatory Action Research.- Chapter 22. Environmental Destructions: A Macroeconomic Approach Leaded By Anthropology.- Chapter 23. Higher Education Institutional Sustainability Strategy Requirements: Addressing strategy at SOAS University London.- Chapter 24. Identification of Knowledge and Skills Gaps related to Sustainable Development: Two Exploratory Studies with Higher Education Students and Teachers in Europe.- Chapter 25. Insights of the analysis of the integration of Education for Sustainable Development with employability perspective in Higher Education. A historical review.- Chapter 26. Shaping future-oriented managers: integrating sustainability competencies into the business economics curriculum.- Chapter 27. Strategic Advancement: Intentionally Aligning University Library Practices with the UN SDGs.- Chapter 28. Transforming Cities, Empowering Universities: The City-University Partnerships Model at the Universitat Politècnica de València for SDGs.- Chapter 29. Empowering a Growth Mindset for Sustainable Development in Higher Education by Design Thinking.- Chapter 30. The sustainable reporting of a Higher Education Institution: A pilot project where AI-guided document analysis facilitates the Environmental, Social, and Governance reporting.- Chapter 31. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and academic activism: Organisational culture and teaching and learning.- Chapter 32. IDENTIFYING AND DEVELOPING PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES THAT FOSTER SUSTAINABILITY ORIENTATION.- Chapter 33. Transdisciplinary Approaches to Water Security and Food Security: Insights from ASEAN Universities.- Chapter 34. Assessing the Carbon Footprint of Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry: A Step Toward Sustainability in Vietnam’s Higher Education.- Chapter 35. Sustainable Synergy: Virtual Exchanges for Technical Students.- Chapter 36. Bridging Cultures in Higher Education: The Role of Cross-Cultural Communication in Achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.- Chapter 37. Permaculture in Higher Education: A Pathway to Sustainable Development and to Achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).- Chapter 38. Experiential Training Groups: Interpersonal Learning for Competence Development and Sustainability.- Chapter 39. Non-financial Reporting and SDGs: Advancing Sustainability in Higher Education Institutions through Measuring and Reporting.- Chapter 40. Re-Imagining Capacity Building in Higher Education to Promote Learning and Teaching for Sustainability.- Chapter 41. Enhancing SDG 17: A Case Study of Co-Creation at a Norwegian University in a European University Alliance.- Chapter 42. Challenges and Opportunities in Advancing Sustainability: The Case of Green Campus Nord.- Chapter 43. Sowing Seeds for Regenerative Futures: Transdisciplinary Approaches in Higher Education.- Chapter 44. Advancing the SDGs through higher education: Opportunities and challenges in the Triple Helix model.