journal article Open Access Jan 01, 2026

Higher education institutions and Sustainable Development Goals: Examining the perceptions of U15 Canada officials

View at Publisher Save 10.1111/cag.70060
Abstract
Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) reflect the complex challenges of the 21
st
century, which are multifaceted and demand multidimensional solutions, involving multiple actors in the decision and implementation process. The interdisciplinary, whole‐of‐society approach of the SDGs implicates higher education institutions (HEIs) to employ their convening power and unique role as knowledge brokers to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs. The specific ways in which HEIs engage with the SDGs is an emerging area of study, to which this paper contributes by examining how and why HEIs in the Canadian context engage with the SDGs. The study adopts an empirically grounded qualitative approach, conducting in‐depth interviews with officials involved in SDG‐ and sustainability‐related initiatives at U15 Canada institutions. The study uncovers eight themes that offer insights into how HEIs in Canada are engaging with the SDGs.
Topics

No keywords indexed for this article. Browse by subject →

References
49
[14]
Higher education and the Sustainable Development Goals

Maia Chankseliani, Tristan McCowan

Higher Education 10.1007/s10734-020-00652-w
[15]
Creswell J. W. (2025)
[25]
Kefela G. T. "Knowledge‐based economy and society has become a vital commodity to countries" International NGO Journal (2020)
[26]
Koundouri P. Alamanos A. &Sachs J.(2024).Innovating for sustainability: The Global Climate Hub[MPRA Paper].https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/121978/
[30]
On the mechanics of economic development

Robert E. Lucas

Journal of Monetary Economics 10.1016/0304-3932(88)90168-7
[35]
Policy: Map the interactions between Sustainable Development Goals

Måns Nilsson, Dave Griggs, Martin Visbeck

Nature 10.1038/534320a
[36]
Sustainable Development Goals in Higher Education Institutions: A systematic literature review

Paula Gonçalves Serafini, Jéssica Morais de Moura, Mariana Rodrigues de Almeida et al.

Journal of Cleaner Production 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.133473
[38]
Strauss A. L. (1990)
[42]
Times Higher Education(2023).Times Higher Education: World university rankings 2023.https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2023/world-ranking
[43]
U15 Canada(2023). Canada's leading research universities.https://u15.ca/
[44]
United Nations(2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development.https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/21252030%20Agenda%20for%20Sustainable%20Development%20web.pdf
[45]
United Nations (2025)
[46]
Universities Canada(2021).Canadian universities advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.https://univcan.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Report_SDG_EN-Final-.pdf
[47]
Unterhalter E. Allais S. Howell C. McCowan T. Morley L. Ibrahim O. &Oketch M.(2018 March 25).Conceptualising higher education and the public good in Ghana Kenya Nigeria and South Africa[Proceedings paper]. Re‐mapping global education: South‐North dialogue. Proceedings of the CIES 2018 Annual Conference; Comparative and International Education Society (CIES).https://cies2018.org/
Metrics
0
Citations
49
References
Details
Published
Jan 01, 2026
Vol/Issue
70(1)
License
View
Cite This Article
Kavanagh Lambert, Eunice Annan‐Aggrey, Jesse Sutton, et al. (2026). Higher education institutions and Sustainable Development Goals: Examining the perceptions of U15 Canada officials. Canadian Geographies / Géographies canadiennes, 70(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/cag.70060