People across America are using the Sustainable Development Goals as a road map to build back better by turning these global ambitions into local action. From teaching their students about the SDGs to housing cutting-edge research, universities are increasingly proving their indispensable value as global partners on SDG progress.

Since 2015, universities across the country have embedded the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within their courses, research, and community engagement. Thanks to local advocacy efforts, new curricula, partnerships, and the deliberate efforts of faculty and staff, the SDGs are now second nature to many college students. Through the framework, universities are engaging students and staff to find creative solutions for building more inclusive, resilient communities while also working in partnership with local governments and businesses to help achieve the SDGs starting in their own communities.

Read on to learn more about some of the ways that universities around the country are creatively implementing the SDGs on and off campus.

  • Carnegie Mellon University: Instituting a Voluntary Review to Track Progress When it embarked on the world’s first voluntary university review in 2020, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) wanted to prove that universities could be a key partner in the local and global SDG movement. Through a meticulous approach at creating its own review on how the university has implemented the SDGs, the team analyzed close to 3,000 CMU courses, more than 900 sustainability-related research publications, and over 200 nonacademic practice activities, including housing, transportation, and community outreach. Each of these activities was then mapped onto a specific SDG to better understand which Goals received the most and least attention at the school. In the process, the review ended up bringing the university closer as a community, forging connections that had not been readily apparent, and pioneering a methodology for other universities to use.

Read the full article about higher education and SDG progress by Sarah Aloui at United Nations Foundation.