Perspectives of academic staff concerning the sustainable development dimensions of a Malaysian higher education institution

Numerous organizations are progressively engaging themselves in various sustainability practices and initiatives, and the higher education sector is no exception. Higher education institutions (HEIs), in fact, have long maintained an effectual role in cultivating and advocating sustainable development within the campus as well as to the wider community. Although sustainability practices in HEIs are emerging worldwide, the extent to which the academic staff on campus are aware of the sustainable development dimensions and the perceived level of importance of these dimensions within the institutions are questionable. This study aims to gauge the relationship between the level of awareness of academic staff and their perceived importance of sustainability dimensions within a HEI setting in Malaysia. Survey data were collected from a sample of 155 academic staff in a private HEI in Malaysia. The findings show that the highest level of awareness is for the social dimension, although the environmental dimension is perceived as being most important within the institution. Although the results also demonstrate a significant relationship between environmental awareness and the perceived importance of the environmental dimension within the institution, the relationships between the social and economic dimensions and the perceived importance were not supported. Hence, there is an urgent need for the institution and the nation as a whole to undertake relevant efforts that embolden the tertiary education system toward leading society to achieve sustainable development goals.