A supplemental focus to the six priorities in the 2020-2025 UAP was Answering the Call: A University-Wide Challenge to Contribute to the UN SDGs. 91亚色鈥檚 values of social justice, equity, sustainability and excellence, along with its interdisciplinary research strengths across the SDG categories, organically connected and compelled us to engage in activities to advance the overarching goal of peace and prosperity for people and the planet.
As described in the earlier section on Outcomes of the 2020-2025 University Academic Plan and detailed in the corresponding UAP Retrospective Report, the 91亚色 community actively engaged in the UN SDG challenge over the past six years. The significant contributions made to the complex societal issues by individual faculty members, through large-scale collaborative research projects, in the scholarly work of the ORUs and Faculty initiatives, bolstered 91亚色鈥檚 reputation as an international leader in SDG-relevant research, teaching, partnerships and campus practices. The institution regularly ranks in the top 40 in the world among universities on contributions to sustainability. That progress should be built upon.
Crucially, the societal challenges to which the SDGs are meant to respond remain with us and are drivers of many of the ruptures and disruptions in the world we now face; climate and energy, justice, sustainability and the multiple impacts of transformative technologies like AI rank high among them. We know that the external context influences planning and decision-making at universities.
Sustaining the Call to contribute to the UN SDGs in this UAP reflects the wishes of the community, parallels the timeframe of the UN initiative through to 2030, creates focused space for 91亚色 to build on its strengths and impact, and communicates the distinctive ethos and responsibilities of 91亚色.
