Indicadores de Sostenibilidad en Instituciones de Educación Superior: Generación de una propuesta para la Evaluación de la Sostenibilidad en la Universidad de Cuenca

Abstract

This work presents an exhaustive research study on sustainability, beginning with a theoretical analysis of sustainable development and its evolution in various contexts. It then focuses on Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), proposing a comprehensive framework of sustainability indicators based on five dimensions: environmental, social, economic, governance, and cultural. The research is based on a systematic literature review using Fink's methodology (2014), and it analyzes evaluation tools such as UI GreenMetrics, STARS, SET4HEI, The Times Higher Education for Sustainability, and RESIES, identifying their strengths and weaknesses. As a result, 141 indicators tailored to HEIs are proposed, distributed into 33 environmental, 32 social, 27 economic, 27 governance, and 22 cultural indicators, comprising 421 variables. The environmental dimension assesses resource use; the social dimension addresses equity and inclusion; the economic dimension focuses on resource management; the governance dimension evaluates leadership and sustainable policies; and the cultural dimension emphasizes the integration of values and cultural identity. This framework provides a holistic assessment of sustainability in HEIs. The research concludes that the implementation of these indicators can significantly improve sustainability evaluation in universities and promote more balanced development.