Юг России: экология, развитие (Jan 2022)
“University of the People” – the third mission of Dagestan State University: an innovative approach to sustainability policy
Abstract
Aim. To develop an effective and innovative policy approach to Dagestan State University’s third mandated mission to support sustainable community development by acknowledging and enhancing through specialist education the undervalued knowledge capital inherent in individuals and organizations throughout the community.Discussion. Dagestan State University has 90 years of experience in providing support for the people of Dagestan in scientific research and higher education and is cognizant of the deep reservoir of community knowledge and competencies in articulating aspirations for sustainable development. On this basis, the university’s Institute of Ecology and Sustainable Development is instituting an innovative community engagement program, the University of the People, to deliver effective scientific support for such development through co‐creative collaborations which draw on and enhance community knowledge in the diverse regions of the republic. In consultation with the administration and community stakeholders of the alpine Tsumadinskiy district of the Dagestan Caucasus, through the present policy document a launch phase of the University of the People program has been formulated for 2022 which will provide year‐long local vocational guidance to schools and an annual “Summer Field Faculty” which will undertake research, developmental needs analysis and offer in‐service specialist training opportunities and support for local experts and administrations in implementing their desired sustainability initiatives. Following literature research and fieldwork in 2020‐2021, the first outcome of the regional sustainability initiative, “Conserving the Koisu: Sustaining the Mountain Fastness of the Upper Andiiskoe River – A Uniquely Surviving Socio‐Ecological Continuum in the Dagestan Caucasus”, has been completedConclusion. Implementation of the University of the People concept has the potential to effectively harness the vast resources of traditional knowledge of individuals and local bodies in regional sustainable development by providing communities with concrete support and interaction of university specialists and educators in ecology and sustainable development. It is hoped that the program will stimulate and enable members of the community to themselves attain tertiary qualifications in these fields, who, in turn, will create a future knowledge resource for continuing local applications of sustainable development principles. The concept has potential for application to other societies in the Caspian region which share similar histories and challenges.
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