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1. University handprint framework: quantifying the positive impacts of university-led sustainability action research

   https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-10-2024-0755  

   Burek, Jasmina; Smith, Alana Teresa; Winans, Kiara; Sonnert, Sophia; Granda_Marulanda, Nelson; Norris, Gregory (August 2025, International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education)

   PurposeThis study aims to introduce the University Handprint Framework – a novel method for quantifying the external positive impacts (“handprints”) of sustainability actions undertaken by higher education institutions. It aims to fill a critical gap in current sustainability tracking systems by enabling universities to measure their contributions to societal and environmental outcomes beyond campus boundaries. Design/methodology/approachThe study presents a case study of a project-based sustainability course that partnered students with external organizations to implement climate-related solutions. The study calculated the university’s potential handprint associated with the course and informed the development of the University Handprint Framework. Data challenges, such as availability, tracking, attribution and double counting of emissions, were addressed in the method’s development to ensure methodological rigor. FindingsThis study results revealed that the course enabled partner organizations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 7.04E + 05 kg CO2-eq, which demonstrated a quantifiable, university-enabled carbon handprint beyond campus boundaries. Practical implicationsThe framework offers universities a practical tool to highlight their broader societal contributions and can inform policy, reporting and investment in sustainability education and research. Given universities’ pivotal role in research dissemination, sustainability education and climate change mitigation, showcasing these positive impacts is essential. Originality/valueThis is the first known framework tailored to higher education that enables structured quantification of both potential (ex ante) and realized (ex-post) handprints. It complements existing tools and adds a new dimension to sustainability planning and impact tracking in academia. 

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2. The principles of tomorrow's university

   https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.17425.1  

   Katz, Daniel S.; Allen, Gabrielle; Barba, Lorena A.; Berg, Devin R.; Bik, Holly; Boettiger, Carl; Borgman, Christine L.; Brown, C. Titus; Buck, Stuart; Burd, Randy; et al (January 2018, F1000Research)

   In the 21st Century, research is increasingly data- and computation-driven. Researchers, funders, and the larger community today emphasize the traits of openness and reproducibility. In March 2017, 13 mostly early-career research leaders who are building their careers around these traits came together with ten university leaders (presidents, vice presidents, and vice provosts), representatives from four funding agencies, and eleven organizers and other stakeholders in an NIH- and NSF-funded one-day, invitation-only workshop titled "Imagining Tomorrow's University." Workshop attendees were charged with launching a new dialog around open research – the current status, opportunities for advancement, and challenges that limit sharing. The workshop examined how the internet-enabled research world has changed, and how universities need to change to adapt commensurately, aiming to understand how universities can and should make themselves competitive and attract the best students, staff, and faculty in this new world. During the workshop, the participants re-imagined scholarship, education, and institutions for an open, networked era, to uncover new opportunities for universities to create value and serve society. They expressed the results of these deliberations as a set of 22 principles of tomorrow's university across six areas: credit and attribution, communities, outreach and engagement, education, preservation and reproducibility, and technologies. Activities that follow on from workshop results take one of three forms. First, since the workshop, a number of workshop authors have further developed and published their white papers to make their reflections and recommendations more concrete. These authors are also conducting efforts to implement these ideas, and to make changes in the university system.  Second, we plan to organise a follow-up workshop that focuses on how these principles could be implemented. Third, we believe that the outcomes of this workshop support and are connected with recent theoretical work on the position and future of open knowledge institutions. 

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3. University herbaria are uniquely important

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2024.06.002  

   Edwards, Erika J; Mishler, Brent D; Davis, Charles D (August 2024, Trends in Plant Science)
4. The Public University Secretary Problem

   Newman, Heather; Moseley, Ben; Pruhs, Kirk (January 2024, SImplicity in Algorithms)
5. The Public University Secretary Problem

   https://doi.org/10.1137/1.9781611977936.10  

   Moseley, Benjamin; Newman, Heather; Pruhs, Kirk (January 2024, Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics)