Springe direkt zu Inhalt

Spring Campus

University Alliance for Sustainability: Spring Campus “Connecting Communities for Sustainability: Do Universities Matter?“

Held from April 11-15, 2016 at Freie Universität Berlin

Freie Universität Berlin is pleased to host the first Spring Campus event from April 11-15, 2016 on the topic “Connecting Communities for Sustainability: Do Universities Matter?”

Following a whole institution approach, the spring campus will bring researchers, management staff, as well as PhD candidates and students together to contribute to the discussion of the event’s topic. The program will be opened by the president of Freie Universität Berlin Prof. Peter-André Alt and Prof. Dr. Dr. Klaus Töpfer, former Director of the United Nations Environmental Programme and former German Minister for Environmental Protection.

Sustainability has become a key global issue in recent years. A growing number of networks, institutions and stakeholders emphasize the outstanding role of universities in shaping the discourse on sustainability. Being active in research and teaching, as well as managing often large and complex campuses, universities are ideal test-beds for sustainable solutions.

But what are the conditions for universities to become active agents in sustainability? Although more and more universities are engaged in this issue, their impact on global sustainable development remains modest. Inter- and transdisclipinary approaches are at the core of sustainability oriented research, teaching and campus management. Therefore, the UAS network has applied a strategy to overcome the usual segmentation of higher education institutions.

The Spring Campus of the University Alliance for Sustainability will deal with the topic of “Connecting Communities for Sustainability: Do Universities Matter?“, critically reflecting on the role of universities as societal actors. Furthermore, the Spring Campus will discuss the integral function of community engagement. Building and engaging communities to jointly develop and maintain sustainable solutions for society will be of paramount importance in the process of a “Great Transformation”. Within the framework of the UAS the spring campus will also focus on how international networks can connect communities and trigger sustainability engagement. Equally the Alliance welcomes contributions and participants from other universities at the Spring Campus.

Please find a detailed Spring Campus Guide with helpful information here.

Program

The Spring Campus combines different workshops and a PhD Conference (see overview). The program is designed to encourage the exchange between all participants and to offer networking opportunities. Therefore, participants of all workshops will meet for key notes in the morning and can continue their discussions during the coffee and lunch breaks. By clicking on the title below you will be forwarded to the respective preliminary program. Programs will continuously be updated and final versions will be available by mid-March.

  • Opening Day on Monday, April 11
  • 3 Research Workshops running parallel on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 12-13
    • Workshop I: “Climate Governance in International Comparison” headed by Prof. Miranda Schreurs
    • Workshop II: “Education for Sustainable Development – Indicators for Assessment and Monitoring” headed by Prof. Inka Bormann
    • Workshop III: “Traditional Watershed Management” headed by Prof. Brigitta Schütt

Our online registration is now open. Please register here.

Downloads