Seeds of Sustainability in Lebanese Universities: An Empirical Study

Abstract

Meeting the needs of the contemporary world, without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, will not be actualized unless an educated population and an oriented workforce task are prepared to face the rapidly growing new challenges of the twenty-first century. Thus all Lebanese universities, public and private, are invited to integrate sustainability in their campuses. Our qualitative research demonstrates that seeds of sustainability are present in varying degrees in universities that have been continuously functional in the service of higher education in Lebanon for a period of 50 years or more. However, more is needed to prepare present students and the future community to rely on available sources. Change occurs when a sense of urgency for a relevant vision is created. Providing the right policies and resources can enhance sustainability practices. Nonetheless, many obstacles are found, like shortage in funds and human competence. Moreover, Lebanese universities are still not aware that sustainability may improve their profits. This point is crucial because it creates the motive for the private sector in Lebanon to cooperate with universities to support sustainability and form a partnership to convince the relevant public policy makers to adopt sustainability in their strategic plans. More universities are to be studied to extend the data and complement this research, and to allow further comparison of initial findings.