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International Journal of Economy, Management and Social Sciences, 2(5) May 2013, Pages: 118-123
TI Journals
International Journal of Economy, Management and Social Sciences
www.waprogramming.com ISSN 2306-7276 * Corresponding author. Email address: mehdisadeqi@yahoo.com
Evaluation of University Quality in Terms of Sustainable Components of University: A Case Study of West Islam Abad Campus of Islamic Azad University
Parivash Jafari
1
, Nader G. Ghourchian
2
, Mehdi Sadeghi *
3
 
1,2,3
 Department of Higher Education Management, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University(IAU), Tehran, Iran.
ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT
Keywords:
sustainable development sustainable university evaluation of quality of sustainable university Islamic Azad University By passing more than a decade of 21 century, the world experiences complicated and difficult  problems and challenges about development and way of life. Challenges evolve from values of unsustainable societies. These challenges link together, therefore having strong political commitment and effective actions are necessary to remove them. If developed humans are known as a heart of development, then higher education of societies has a great responsibility to increase awareness, knowledge, skills and required values to create sustainability in present and future. The  purpose of the study is to evaluate components related to a sustainable university of Islamic Azad University of West Islam Abad Campus. The study has attempted to apply theories and models of the sustainable university practically, especially the sustainable university in Islamic Azad University to provide applicable results. The study is an applied research. Data collection has been a descriptive survey. Evaluated components of the study including: ideal ideas, mission and sustainable policy in university, organization structure and stakeholders corporation for sustainable university, education for having sustainability, research for having sustainability, sources management, food products and recycling, reconstruction and green construction, students life and  partnership, transportation, standards, green construction, management information system for sustainable development in universities, academic freedom and faculty appointment and promotion decisions, clear rights and responsibilities, accountability. Results have shown the university is in a desirable status in 3 components of management information system of sustainable development management, academic freedom, qualified appointment and promotion as well as accountability and the rest of components are in undesirable condition.
© 2013 Int. j. econ. manag. soc. sci. All rights reserved for TI Journals.
Introduction
The world constantly experiences serious challenges such as changes of climate, rapid decrease of natural resources, occurrence of natural catastrophe, spread of infectious diseases (old and new ones), loss of habitat variation, violation of human rights, increase of poverty, dependence of economic systems on continuous consumption, etc. [1]. Sustainable development around the world becomes a vehicle to show needs of moving from current dominant models of development which seems unable to create a balance between people needs and the world to achieve peace and prosperity [2]. Evaluation is known as a main factor of changing and transformation which is able to create and recreate fundamental conditions of an individual and social quality of life. While the debate of education toward sustainable development can be found at the beginning of 1970s, the first results of such debates appeared by holding “Earth Summit” in “Rio de Janeiro” of Brazil. The agenda with 21 world formulated  plans to achieve sustainable development in 21st century was approved by 178 world leaders in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The agenda had 21 desirable models to develop economy and promoted life quality of the present generation without ignoring future generation rights toward natural resources. Besides considering economic issues, social and environmental aspects and solutions would be provided to solve them. Chapter 36 of 21 agenda related to education issues and social awareness. In this chapter asked Unescoto take steps in order to achieve 4 goals:
1.
 
Improve and promote education quality: its focus is on life-long learning, and gaining knowledge, skills and values which are essential for citizens to improve their life quality.
2.
 
Change in curriculum: from pre-school to college levels curricula are a tool to transfer knowledge, so it should be considered and revised. Thinking models and world stable values are vital.
 
Evaluation of University Quality in Terms of Sustainable Components of University: A Case Study of …
International Journal of Economy, Management and Social Sciences, 2(5) May 2013
119
3.
 
Develop public awareness of the sustainable development concept: this provides the possibility of development of citizens who are enlighten, active and responsible locally, nationally and internationally.
4.
 
Train work force: constant vocational training of managers and staff especially those who work in industry and business leads to foster them to choose sustainable conditions from production to consumption [3]. Universities as an academic, education and research reference legitimizes sustainable development process in local, national and international society. If developed human beings are known the heart of sustainable development, the university can provide a generator of awareness, knowledge and skills for humans according to various levels of education (junior college diploma, B.A, M.A, and Ph.D.) which result in equipping graduates with wisdom, and environmental literacy, visionary literacy, sanitary, ecological as well as information communication technology literacy. Therefore, the university can be applied as a development model in a larger society in a modern  paradigm [4]. A sustainable university is defined by the Velazquez et al. (2005), as: "A higher educational institution, in its entirety or part, that addresses, involved and introduce, on a regional or a global level, minimize of negative environment, economy, social, and health effects generated in their resource utilization in order to complete to its functions teaching, research, outreach and partnership, and inside supervision ways to help society make the transfer for sustainable lifestyle” [5]. Academic theorists and practitioners emphasize on auditing of sustainable conditions of the university as a first important step in a process of transferring to the sustainable university. The audition should be vast and including the followings: mission, sustainable education, charges and other features which are beyond traditional audition of environment. The audition (is done annually in ideal form) not only  provide a situation to adjust goals and activities, but also translate sustainable issues in a language to be comprehensible for decision makers of higher schools and colleges. The audition can be used as a tool to analyze and announce past achievements as well as take commitment for future improvement [6]. Therefore in this study fourteen components of sustainable university [7] have been evaluated to study the quality of west Islam Abad Campus of Islamic Azad University.
Methodology
The researcher has tried to determine and identify the present condition of West Islam Abad Campus of Islamic Azad University in terms of the sustainable university components. So the study has been an applied one and as a kind of descriptive survey. Descriptive methods of statistics have been applied to analyze data.
Sample / Population
Statistical sample in this stage was including sub sets like: the president of the university, vice president of the financial affairs, vice  president of the academic and student affairs, vice president of the research affairs and the chairs of academic departments(25 persons).
Data collection instrument
A researcher-developed questionnaire has been applied to collect required data. The questionnaire included 75 items about various areas of university life which was based on Sadeghi model of the sustainable university [7]. To formulate the questionnaire, the mentioned components were considered and the items were developed according to them. To get reliability coefficient before final implementation, a sample was randomly chosen and the questionnaire was conducted.
Cronbach α
was estimated through SPSS software and it was 0.912. To get validity of the test, content validity was estimated and consulted by experts then the test was provided. Both experts’ opinions and adaptation to aspects and components of sustainable university have been considered.
Testing hypothesis and findings analysis
How is the present condition of West Islam Abad campus according to the components of the sustainable university? The status quo of the campus was identified according to its activities regarding to components of sustainable university. In fact its purpose is to recognize university system generally to achieve a desirable condition in terms of components of the sustainable university. This step was used to analyze a present gap between status quo and the desirable condition. In this study regarding to obtained results from status quo, sub components of each component and summary of status quo as follows:
 
 
Parivash Jafari
et al.
 
International Journal of Economy, Management and Social Sciences, 2(5) May 2013
120
Levels of Desirability Considered Components Desirable Pretty desirable Undesirable
Ideal ideas, mission and sustainable policy in university
 
* Organization structure and stakeholder corporation for sustainable university
 
* Education for having sustainability
 
* Research for having sustainability
 
* Sources management
 
* Food products and recycling
 
* Reconstruction and green construction
 
* Student Life and partnership
 
* Transportation
 
* Standards
 
* Management information system sustainable development in universities
 
* Academic freedom and faculty appointment and Promotion decisions
 
* Clear rights and responsibilities
 
* Accountability
 
*
The university has different conditions in terms of components and subcomponents. Regarding to the first component the university has a visionary, mission and goal about the sustainable development. However, there have not been formulated goals and missions in three areas of education, research and offering expert services according to the sustainable development. So it has been in pretty desirable condition in terms of the subcomponent. Regarding to commitment, the university has had no commitment to any contraction related to the sustainable development (at national or international level). In second component organization structure, stakeholders, corporation for the sustainable university, the university has had no mechanism to establish students association in area of sustainable development. Therefore, the university has not built any organizational structure for the sustainable development. It has not been thought about inside and outside stakeholders’ participation, especially instructors and students. According to the obtained results in education for having sustainability, there have not been any disciplinary at the university which had related courses regarding to the sustainable university. The university also has not done any attempts to create interdisciplinary in terms of integrating sustainability with present disciplinary. There have not been held any new training or retraining courses; conferences, seminars about the sustainable development for faculty members and staff; offered education for the sustainable development to the society beyond the university; evaluated quality of education courses, curricula toward sustainability, students literacy toward sustainable development; trained newcomers on this matter; offered internship opportunities about the sustainable development to students. As a result, the status quo of the university in terms of all education components to meet sustainability has been evaluated undesirable. Results obtained from the subcomponents of strategic research indicated that the faculty members of the campus have conducted some researches especially in architecture and agriculture by taking the sustainable development approach. As a result in this component, the university has been in pretty desirable condition. Regarding to the subcomponents of the society, one of the purposes of Islamic Azad University in the 5 year plan has been to having academic and research interaction with the industry. Results indicated the university has been in undesirable condition. Regarding to financial support, there has not had any independent mechanism to support especially researchers for the sustainable development. According to the results of resource management component, its subcomponent of financial rules, the university has been in pretty desirable condition; reviewing the visionary document of Islamic Azad University showed there has been stress on developing system of dynamic and overall planning as well as revising a budgeting system. In terms of the subcomponent of financial resources the university has not had any mechanism to reuse returning capitals saved from the sustainable development projects which have conducted at the university. In terms of the subcomponent of purchasing, the university has given priority to purchase recycling stuff, products with green certification, cleansing products adopted with the environment, bulk items, and / or products which are not needed to be packaged, however, there has been a gap to an ideal point. In terms of subcomponents of education, although the policy of Islamic Azad University in the visionary document has been developed and completed a virtual university and provided virtual space on internet, the university has not done any attempts to achieve this and been in undesirable condition in this component. In terms of the subcomponent of decreasing greenhouse gases, the university has not done any attempts to measure spread of greenhouse gases or sign convention of climate changes. However, it has taken some steps to decrease greenhouse gases by decreasing the use of fossil fuel and developing green areas, which also there has been a gap to the ideal point. In subcomponent of protecting university energy, the university has attempted by applying technologies with efficient energy consumption, however, there has not been any mechanism to encourage members to consume energy correctly. In terms of subcomponent of renewal energy, the university has not purchased electricity supply from renewal sources, replacing sources of energy, and has not invested on technology of renewal energy. Obtained results from food products and recycling indicated there has been priority on purchasing food products from local farmers and  producers and the university has been in pretty desirable condition. But in agricultural activities and providing farm lands and producing food stuff the university has not participated and not developed any mechanism to find geographical locations and season access to provide

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