Change from Below: Student Initiatives for Universities in Sustainable Development

To advance the discussion on how the transformation of universities may lead to sustainable development may be achieved, the authors examine an often-overlooked actor category: student initiatives. By drawing on a case study of the initiative Greening the University e.V. (University of Tübingen, Germany) the authors conceptualize the role of student initiatives for institutional change through the notion of “communicative arena”. The authors argue that student
initiatives are crucial for the transformation process toward a university in sustainable development for three reasons: they facilitate change by acting as (1) an institutional innovator, (2) a “boundary agent”, and (3) creator of social and institutional learning spaces. Further, the authors discuss factors that limit a student initiative’s potential to unfold its transformative power. The article concludes with recommendations for policy-makers, university leaders and
students on how to foster this “change from below”.