Tomorrow Today

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administrative practices, and this can happen only in
close collaboration with teaching and research faculties.
Selected members have embarked on a
series of projects for the reorientation of business schools
through strategies such as development of case studies
on social business and social entrepreneurship, surveys
of ESD practices in business schools in the Asia-Pacific
region, and developing courses and launching new grad-
uate programmes, focusing on more sustainable business
operations. A joint business school project
facilitated by the Asian Institute of Technology led to the
idea of reorienting engineering and architectural educa-
tion – a project that is currently under development.
Faculty training on ESD and sustainable development
Transformation of universities requires changes to the
ways in which faculty members teach, conduct research
and interact with the broader society. Universiti Sains
Malaysia coordinates a joint project on
development of faculty training modules and resource
materials for sustainability. The project aims at enhanc-
ing university faculty members’ understanding of the
concept and practice of sustainability by providing
examples of how it can be integrated into educational
and research practices in higher education settings.
Engaging young researchers and students
In addition to the responsibility of the faculty, ProSPER.
Net partners also recognize the important role students
can play in transforming higher education with their
energy, concern for the future and commitment to a
more just society and a cleaner environment. With
the leadership of RMIT University, part-
ners developed the Young Researchers’ School – a
programme that will enable graduate students and
young post-doctoral researchers to engage with a
variety of complex societal challenges in specific loca-
Over the last two years, member universities have carried out
several projects critical for the transformation of higher education
practices in the region, including:
• Reorientation of business school curricula towards sustainability
• Development of faculty training modules on sustainability
• Design and delivery of an e-learning programme on sustainable
development practice in public policy
• Innovative pedagogies applied in regional poverty reduction
programmes
• Alternative university appraisal for assessment of universities,
based on their sustainability practices in research, teaching,
outreach activities and campus operations.
The RCEs are networks of existing local institutions and stakehold-
ers for ESD, mobilized to promote all types and levels of learning
for a sustainable future. Institutions of higher education are encour-
aged to take the lead in developing RCEs as providers of guidance
and leadership in education. As of August 2010, 77 local networks
are officially acknowledged by UNU as RCEs in Asia, Africa, the
Americas and Europe, and the global network of RCEs is expand-
ing. In addition to working with a broad portfolio of ESD projects in
their own regions, RCEs collaborate on operational and substantive
issues across continents.
There is also a role for RCEs in the enhancement of inter-agency coop-
eration for HESD. Many UNESCO chairs in ESD play important roles in
RCEs. For example, Okayama University of RCE Okayama is UNESCO
Chair in Education and Research for Sustainable Development; the
UNESCO Chair in ICT for ESD at the University of Crete took the lead
in developing RCE Crete; and the UNESCO Chair in Higher Education
for Sustainable Development, housed in the Institute for Environmental
and Sustainability Communication at the Leuphana University of
Lüneburg, is an active partner of RCE Hamburg.
Transforming organizational practices towards sustainability
Reorienting the education of future leaders and professionals
Higher education transformation requires changes in curriculum
and teaching (educational content and pedagogy), research and
Youth Workshop, RCE Graz-Styria
Image: © RCE Graz-Styria