University transitions towards sustainability in Latin America: a comparative analysis of six higher education institutions

Facing the current paradigmatic polycrisis and the global environmental crisis, universities, as epicenters of knowledge, demonstrate the inherent capacity to exacerbate or mitigate these challenges. Although traditional hegemonic approaches have limited their adaptability in the face of an emerging civilizational crisis, sustainability-oriented Higher Education Institutions stand as a fundamental pillar for change. This study, framed within the Latin American context, aimed to examine the notions of sustainability present in six prominent universities in the region, encompassing teaching, research, management, and community engagement, in order to contrast discourses and practices and demonstrate their importance in stimulating alternatives for development. Methodologically, a critical documentary review of the regulations and institutional documents of each university was conducted, complemented by interviews with the heads of sustainability units or their equivalents. The interviewees were: Eduardo Vega, Coordinator – University Coordination for Sustainability, and Delfina Corsi, Deputy Director of Sustainable Campus and community engagement of Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Paúl Vanegas Peña, Research Professor of the Sustainability Group, Mogrovejo Daniela, Sustainability Analyst – Sustainability Unit, and Jiménez Amparo, Sustainability Analyst – Sustainability Unit of Universidad de of Cuenca; Anahí Urquiza, Director of Innovation, Universidad de Chile; Adriana Rodríguez, Dean of the Faculty of Agronomy, Universidad de Buenos Aires; Fernanda Fernández, Technical Advisor to the Office of the Superintendent of Environmental Management at the Universidade de Sao Paulo. Four key topics were analyzed: conception of the environment, conception of sustainability, inclinations toward critical thinking, and environmental criteria in institutional decision-making. The fuzzy logic tool “Mental Modeler” facilitated the explication of causal relationships (positive, negative, or null) between these topics, based on both documentary information and interviews. The resulting metrics allowed for the comparison of the identified mental models and the construction of a gradient illustrating universities’ transitions toward sustainability. The results of this work elucidate that sustainability represents a virtuous opportunity to reimagine higher education, fostering greater integration of principles and equity in educational programs.