ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sustain.
Sec. Sustainable Organizations
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/frsus.2025.1605743
University Stakeholders' Roles in Sustainability Integration: Challenges and Administrative Implications for Sustainable Development
Provisionally accepted
- University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Stakeholder theory emphasizes engaging all stakeholders in sustainability initiatives, while the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) theory balances social, economic, and environmental factors. In Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), both theories address the integration of sustainability. This study assessed stakeholder roles and challenges in HEIs to enhance sustainable growth strategies. A qualitative design with semi-structured interviews in the interpretivism paradigm explored the perspectives of six University of Johannesburg (UJ) stakeholders (students, lecturers, and administrative personnel) who completed an eight-week online Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Short Learning Programme (SLP) offered by the institution. Data saturation ensured comprehensive insights without redundancy. Validity was strengthened through triangulation, peer debriefing, member checking, and transparent processes. Ethical approval was obtained. Thematic analysis identified key patterns. Findings suggest that HEIs should prioritize awareness, collaboration, curriculum integration, and long-term strategic programs. Recommendations include funded sustainability approaches, integrating sustainability into curricula, communication plans, specialized committees, professional development, external partnerships, and monitoring frameworks.
Keywords: Educational Administration, education for sustainability (EfS), Higher education institutions (HEIs), stakeholder theory, Triple Bottom Line (TBL) model, University of Johannesburg (UJ), South Africa
Received: 03 Apr 2025; Accepted: 25 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Adamu, Uleanya and Yassim. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Chidubem Deborah Adamu, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
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