Toward A Framework for Sustainable Management Strategies of University Departments

Toward A Framework for Sustainable Management Strategies of University Departments

In recent years, sustainable development has emerged as a critical issue in higher education, particularly in response to the growing challenge of declining birth rates that intensifies competition for student enrollment. Consequently, universities are increasingly expected to extend beyond their traditional educational functions and demonstrate their capacity for long-term institutional sustainability. To address this challenge, this study explores sustainable management strategies for university departments in Taiwan. Based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the study develops a four-dimensional strategic framework that encompass curriculum innovation, practice-oriented learning, international engagement, and research capacity development. The framework is then implemented in the Information Management Department of a university in northern Taiwan, and the results indicate that the framework benefits the department’s sustainability by increasing the undergraduate enrollment rate from 83% to 100% during the 2022–2024 academic years. Therefore, the proposed framework can serve as an effective approach for enhancing the sustainable management of university departments to mitigate the challenges of declining birth rates in higher education.