Student perceptions of university social responsibility: Implications from an empirical study in France, Italy and Russia

Abstract

This article analyses student perceptions of university social responsibility (USR) across three cultures (France, Italy and Russia). USR is needed to strengthen civic commitment and active citizenship by university members to the communities they serve (Vasilescu et al., 2010). Insufficient empirical evidence currently exists to describe perceptions of key stakeholders as to what this should entail. Understanding such mind-sets is crucial to ensure effective learning adapted to the host environment (Dana, 2001). A descriptive-empirical approach combined with a factor and multivariate analysis from an online survey of 426 students enabled a comprehensive understanding of student opinions on the role of universities within their communities. Findings suggest that French and Italian students see USR as a more individual commitment compared to their Russian counterparts. From this, a specific approach to the education of future managers on issues of US and ethics may be developed. This also provides implications for higher education policy makers.