Sustaining Higher Education in Challenging Times

How can sustainability stay central in higher education amid financial pressures?

In this thought-provoking episode, Dr. Rehema White (University of St Andrews) and Charlotte Bonner (EAUC CEO) challenge the idea that sustainability is a luxury. Instead, they argue it is core to higher education’s mission—equipping graduates to navigate complexity and drive positive change.

We explore how sustainability intersects with priorities like quality education, decolonising curricula, and student wellbeing, offering a unifying framework rather than a competing agenda. The conversation also touches on compassionate education, eco-anxiety, and empowering students as change-makers.

Our guests share inspiring examples from UK institutions and reflect on the ongoing journey of embedding sustainability in meaningful, context-specific ways. They leave us with hopeful insights about the future of education and its role in shaping a more sustainable world.

Tune in for an essential conversation about higher education’s purpose in challenging times.

Resources and further reading:
Perspectives and Practices of Education for Sustainable Development, Edited By Rehema M. White, Simon Kemp, Elizabeth A. C. Price, James W. S. Longhurst (https://www.routledge.com/Perspectives-and-Practices-of-Education-for-Sustainable-Development-A-Critical-Guide-for-Higher-Education/White-Kemp-Price-Longhurst/p/book/9781032588018)

QAA's newly revised and updated 2025 Subject Benchmark Statements (https://www.qaa.ac.uk/the-quality-code/subject-benchmark-statements#april-2025)

QAA and Advance HE's Education for Sustainable Development guidance (https://www.qaa.ac.uk/the-quality-code/education-for-sustainable-development)

QAA-funded Education for Sustainable Development Collaborative Enhancement Projects (https://www.qaa.ac.uk//en/membership/benefits-of-qaa-membership/collaborative-enhancement-projects/education-for-sustainable-development):

• ESD and Academic Quality
• Monitoring and evaluating education for sustainable development in Higher Education
• Developing Phenomenal Learning: A toolkit for implementing Phenomenon-Based Learning as part of a future-proofed SDG HE curriculum
• Students driving curriculum quality for sustainability - developing criteria and tools