University Social Responsibility (USR) and Community Engagement in Sustainable Development
Keywords:
University Social Responsibility, Service Learning, participation, community needs, leadershipAbstract
The University Social Responsibility (USR) has been widely discussed in Thailand mostly through the Service Learning (SL), which is a potential university’s mechanism that assists in transformation of teaching and learning to develop social responsibility and an ethic of service. SL shows that students and instructors develop social responsibility and leadership, and also gain personal and social skills. The objectives of study are as followings, (a) to examine the new role of universities in the USR, (b) to review a case study of USR activity of an on - going project performed by Thammasat University, and (c) to review the USR application by investigating university instructors’ willingness in participate the USR project to build community strengths. The study’s important task is to examine how to introduce the idea of University - USR to support building community strengths that is coherent with civic movement. The study found that orientation of the SL is placed on its effectiveness and its ability to address community needs at a structural level. Through participation in the SL, students may develop understandings of the nature of social problems and of strategies for fundamental social change. Moreover, the study examines potential aspects of the SL and identifies an agenda for strengthening two key factors (a) trusts of the projects’ instructors, staffs, peers, community members, and employers, and (b) duration and intensity of the projects must be flexible and appropriated to the defined objectives. The SL do consider not only short-term but also long-term projects in USR policy.
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