The social contribution performance of universities is a crucial and multidimensional issue that cannot be measured solely by academic success or the number of graduates. This performance reflects the quality of the connections that universities establish with society, their level of sensitivity to societal issues, and the extent to which they actively contribute to finding solutions. This study focuses on the ambiguity in how higher education institutions define their social contributions today, as global pressure to align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) increases. Using Türkiye as a case study, qualitative content analysis and statistical comparisons were conducted on a sample of 42 universities (N=208), which were selected based on differences between universities (public/foundation, university history, accreditation status, geographical region). The main findings of the study are: i) the alignment of social activities with the SDG goals varies according to the status of the university; ii) being accredited diversifies what is seen as as social contributions; iii) having a medical faculty increases the number of community-oriented activities, which may lead to questionable rankings; iv) universities generally contribute to raising awareness and partially improving negative outcomes rather than playing a role in solving social problems. Based on these findings, it can be said that universities in Turkey do not see the political context, but the economic and environmental context as the field of social contribution, and that they interpret the concept of social contribution differently from their international counterparts.

Authors:
Umut Sanem Citci Türküstün, İzmir Bakircay University, Turkey
Ümit Kuvvetli, İzmir Bakircay University, Turkey

About the Presenter(s)
Umit KUVVETLİ is a researcher working in the fields of statistical analysis and quality improvement on various topics. After 12 years of sectoral experience, he has been continuing his academic life at Izmir Bakırçay University since 2019.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/%C3%BCmit-kuvvetli-b7a23611a/

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