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A vision for sustainability transformation
at a knowledge base institution
Omar Osman, Vice-Chancellor, Universiti Sains Malaysia; Norizan Md Nor, Director; and Kanayathu Koshy,
Professor of Sustainability; Centre for Global Sustainability Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia
A
s Dato’ Mustapa Mohamed, Malaysia’s then Minister
of Higher Education, said in his foreword to the book
Constructing future higher education scenarios: insights
from Universiti Sains Malaysia
1
, regarding the conclusions of the
Future Higher Education project, a key part of the process: “Clearly,
universities must be attuned to the ever changing needs of society
and industry if they are to remain relevant and contribute towards
human capital development. Strategic plans of action should also
mirror Malaysian values and ethics, and embody our aspirations,
particularly those for the younger generation.” Taking its cue from
the Minister’s speech and as part of its long-term commitment to
academic excellence, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has been
sensitive to the needs of the society it serves. As a re-commitment to
the sustainability cause, USM stated in the publication
Tomorrow
Today
: “In the life of a university… there comes a point after which
there is no turning back. In our sustainability journey, USM has
reached that point.”
2
In other words, USM recognizes that now
is the time to redeem its sustainability pledge. It is striving to do
so by implementing the vision that emerged from its
Scenario Planning Process.
1
The scenario planning process
USM’s teaching curriculum, research agenda, co-curricular
and student-led activities have always put its graduates at
the forefront of Malaysia’s major development initiatives.
However, early in the new millennium, it became evident
that to remain competitive with other higher educational
institutions and stay abreast of the changing demands of
the communities it serves, the university needed to create
a proactive scenario for its future. The USM Scenario
Planning Process was born with this goal in mind.
1
It considered various future scenarios in order to
identify one allowing USM to respond best to the
rapid democratization of knowledge and transition to
knowledge-based economies.
3
The process took into
account both the worldwide trend towards globaliza-
tion and the need to address national aspirations for
holistic and people-focused development that would
be environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive.
Following a university-wide consultation, the ‘University
in a Garden’ scenario was adopted and became USM’s
tagline. This scenario emphasizes the close affinity
between the university’s role as an institution of higher
learning and its setting in nature, as part of the global
ecosystem.
4
A learning environment is envisioned that
enriches each individual’s intellectual, spiritual and
humanistic faculties and promotes academic leadership
and encourages individuals to think innovatively, foster-
ing entrepreneurial development, knowledge creation
and the germination of ideas. In the new millennium,
USM expressed commitment to sustainability through
a number of focused initiatives, four of which can now
embody this emphasis in the university’s life:
• The Kampus Sejahtera (Campus Well-being)
Programme
• USM as a United Nations University Institute of
Advanced Studies Regional Centre of Expertise for
education for sustainable development
• The ‘University in a Garden’ scenario
• Malaysia’s Accelerated Programme for Excellence
(APEX) award, created to help USM pursue its
vision of ‘transforming higher education for a
sustainable tomorrow’.
5, 6, 7, 8
P
eople
:
social
inclusion
,
green
jobs
,
education
Environment
University (SD/ESD – Focus)
Global Challenges of Sustainability
Economy
Society
SD
People
Profit
Planet
CSR
Hand
Head
Heart
EC
Community
Research Teaching
ESD
Corporate Sector (CSR – Focus)
Humaniversity (B/B – Focus)
Industrial & Business
Challenges of Sustainabilty
Ethical Challenges
of Sustainabilty
The centrality of ESD for sustainability promotion
Source: Universiti Sains Malaysia