Envisioning helps promote sustainability in academia: A case study at the University of Vermont

Purpose – Universities are increasingly aspiring to be both models and catalysts of change, leading the world to a more sustainable and desirable future. Yet complex and ineffective governance, traditional disciplinary boundaries, and the lack of a shared vision at academic institutions often hinder progress toward this goal. The purpose of this paper is to describe an approach to envisioning and engagement used by the University of Vermont (UVM) to overcome these barriers, and in the process, continue the university's progress toward leadership in systems thinking, ecological design, and sustainability.Design/methodology/approach – The envisioning and engagement process involved 1,500 participants from the UVM campus and Burlington community. Participants' visions of a sustainable and desirable university are gathered through two community events and three online surveys. Their responses are analyzed using a modified Q methodology, a survey method in which participants direct the formation of survey cate...