Responsible Futures, a UK-based accreditation program delivered by SOS UK, which is a whole institution approach (University and Student Union) to embedding sustainability into the formal and informal curriculum, sponsored this research project in the interest of learning how to ensure the programme is relevant to and speaks to the national and cultural contexts of United States’ (US) higher education system. Based on the data collected by the research team, we have produced recommendations for the program to ensure success in this endeavour:
Expand connections with additional US universities
While Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a good case study, as used here, especially given the project-based learning and student-led approaches the school is known for, it does represent a small sample of the US system. The school primarily comprises STEM students and has a unique learning model compared to its contemporaries. By expanding connections with other universities, Responsible Futures will likely uncover further changes needed to adapt to the US.
Understand the US sustainability culture
One major note from the research team’s time in the United Kingdom was that everyone here is significantly more invested, interested, and enthusiastic about sustainability. Here you may find the SDGs painted on the stairs; in the US, we had never even heard of the SDGs until starting this project. Especially in recent days, sustainability and higher education have both been pushed towards the back burner in the States. Understanding this will be necessary for Responsible Futures and the team at SOS UK to effectively integrate into the higher education community, one where funding, especially that for sustainability, is increasingly scarce.
Introduction & Interest in Sustainability
We are a group of visiting students, Arianna, Ben, Angeleana and Aanan from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Massachusetts, United States. During our time here, we have researched student attitudes towards and knowledge of sustainability to compare against our home institution and potentially bring the Responsible Futures program back to the US with us. I’d like you to please watch this space for updates on our data analysis and what it means for the University of Worcester and WPI.
One of the questions asked during the 2024 Student Sustainability Skills Survey was about what drew you to the University of Worcester. Overall, while lower rated than other causes, such as post-graduation employment or course reputation, a majority (52%) of the respondents indicated that environmental issues pulled them towards the University. Additionally, 72% of respondents said that they believed the University was taking steps to limit impacts on the environment and population, and 62% felt that being a student here encouraged them to help both the environment and others. Finally, 70% of respondents said they would be proud to be a student at an environmentally-friendly university, so even if it wasn’t an initial draw, the University’s sustainability work is undoubtedly a source of pride.
