Contribution of a Higher Educational Institution towards Advancing Sustainability in the West Texas Paso Del Norte Region
Abstract
Sustainability comprises primarily three elements; environmental, social, and economic, which can be considered the keys to humanity’s survival and wellbeing. The pillars can alternately be given informal names: planet, people, and profit. Sustainability is achieved by effectively utilizing available resources through different sustainable development efforts. Generally, groups or entities come together to create sustainable impact in the three primary elements discussed here. City councils, businesses, and higher education institutions are just a few of the entities that engage in sustainability efforts. It is valuable to appraise the role played by a higher education institution in advancing sustainability in the context of ecosystem location, community dynamics, and financing. The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a case in point, illustrating how a higher education institution impacts sustainability in numerous ways across multiple domains of influence. Six diverse case studies, two independently focused on each of the three sustainability elements – environmental, social, and economic – demonstrate the breadth and depth of UTEP’s role in equitably advancing inclusive excellence in each of the sustainability pillars in the Paso del Norte region. Finally, the arrival of COVID-19 and UTEP’s response to the pandemic is documented in contributing holistically to community wellbeing. Overall, it is clearly demonstrated that UTEP contributes above and beyond the commonly stated mission of increasing access to excellent higher education. UTEP helps bring long-term prosperity to the region through the variety and depth of sustainability efforts.
Subject Area
Sustainability|Education
Recommended Citation
Raj, Anand, "Contribution of a Higher Educational Institution towards Advancing Sustainability in the West Texas Paso Del Norte Region" (2022). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI29170717.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI29170717