Colleges Supporting Sustainable Well-being through Contributions to Social Infrastructure

Abstract

This research explored how Canadian colleges are taking action beyond their traditional mandates to support the sustainable well-being of their communities through contributions to social infrastructure and if there are common practices that exist that could be adopted by institutions nationwide to enhance impact. Already catalysts for social development through their mandates for teaching and research, colleges have an opportunity to contribute to social infrastructure, and although admirable efforts have been made by a number of colleges to contribute toward the sustainable well-being of their communities, efforts have been diverse and sporadic, largely driven by the priorities of individual colleges. In order to achieve significant benefit, systemic change is required. This can only occur through the development of robust assessment frameworks, allowing colleges to assess and report their activities in thorough and consistent ways, and leading to the identification of common practices, creating an opportunity for truly transformational change.