Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Global Sustainability and Development Congress, Kayseri, Türkiye, 15 - 16 Ekim 2025, ss.291-297, (Tam Metin Bildiri)
This study explores how sustainability reporting has been
institutionalized within the governance frameworks of research and candidate
research universities in Türkiye. Moving beyond a technical or environmental understanding,
the research adopts an integrative perspective that connects governance,
education, research, and social contribution as interrelated dimensions of
institutional sustainability. The empirical analysis draws on sustainability
reports publicly released by 19 Turkish universities between 2023 and 2024,
examined through content and thematic analysis across three dimensions:
governance integration, mission alignment, and strategic planning capacity.
Findings indicate that although sustainability units and commissions have proliferated,
their influence on strategic decision-making and institutional transformation
remains limited. Educational and research practices addressing sustainability
are largely confined to awareness-raising efforts, while community engagement
activities tend to be project-based rather than structurally embedded.
Moreover, most universities employ qualitative rather than data-driven
indicators, revealing a lack of measurable targets and systematic monitoring
mechanisms. Overall, the results demonstrate that sustainability in Turkish
higher education is still framed as an administrative or reporting task rather
than as a foundational governance principle guiding institutional strategy. The
study contributes to the growing literature on higher education sustainability
by offering an empirical framework for assessing the governance depth of
sustainability reporting and by identifying the institutional conditions
required to transform sustainability from a symbolic commitment into a
strategic management paradigm within universities.