What Should Sustainability Mean For Universities? Rethinking Beyond Global Indicators

This study examines how the concept of sustainability is

defined and institutionalized within higher education, tracing its evolution

from an environmental management concern to a comprehensive paradigm of

governance and transformation. Drawing on qualitative content analysis, the research

systematically evaluates sustainability definitions from 81 universities,

classifying them by thematic focus, conceptual depth, and the degree of

integration between innovation and governance. The findings reveal that most

universities still frame sustainability through environmental and economic

dimensions—emphasizing energy efficiency, resource optimization, or climate

responsibility. Yet a growing number of institutions articulate a more

transformative understanding, linking sustainability with ethical leadership,

data-driven decision-making, stakeholder participation, and digital learning

cultures. This shift indicates that sustainability is no longer confined to operational

performance but is gradually emerging as a framework for institutional identity

and strategic coherence. By situating these findings within contemporary

theoretical models such as University 5.0 and the learning organization

framework, the study argues that sustainability in higher education should be

conceived as a dynamic interplay between governance capacity, cultural

adaptation, and innovation potential. The analysis underscores that a truly

sustainable university is not defined merely by ecological outcomes but by its ability

to integrate ethical governance, digital transformation, and participatory learning

into its core structures. Consequently, the study positions the sustainable

university as a learning-ethical-digital-governance-based model, offering both

theoretical and empirical insight into the ongoing redefinition of sustainability

within global higher education.<o:p></o:p>