Higher Education and the Sustainable Development Goals

Submission guidelines

Each book is edited and collates a selection of chapters on the relevant SDG. Here is the current status of each project:

Books in the series published

Higher Education and SDG17: Partnerships for the Goals – edited by Ángel Cabrera and Drew Cutright –published June 2023
Books in the series already contracted and closed for chapter submissions
Higher Education and SDG14 – edited by Simon Davies and Paul van der Haijden - estimated publication date 4 October 2024
Higher Education and SDG2 – edited by Karen Cripps and Sangeetha Thondre - estimated publication date 30 October 2024
Higher Education and SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities - Julio Lumbreras and Jaime Moreno-Serna – estimated publication date 4 November 2024
Higher Education and SDG4 – edited by Tawana Kupe - estimated publication date - estimated publication date 2 December 2024
Higher Education and SDG16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions – edited by Sarah E. Mendelson – estimated publication 10 Feb 2025

Books in the series with editors in place and closed for chapter submissions

Higher Education and SDG10 – edited by Priya Grover, Nidhi Phutela and Pragya Singh

Books in the series that are currently under development with editors in place – accepting chapter proposals

Higher Education and SDG1 – edited by Javier Mazorra Aguiar, Carlo Salvinelli and Carlos Gregorio Hernández Díaz-Ambrona
Higher Education and SDG3 – edited by Wendy Purcell and Roger Worthington
Higher Education and SDG6- edited by Golda Ewing
Higher Education and SDG7 – edited by Ardeth Barnhart
Higher Education and SDG12 – edited by Romas Malevicius and Beatriz Acevedo
Higher Education and SDG13 – edited by Stacy Kennedy
Higher Education and SDG15 – edited by Nandhivarman
Higher Education and SDG8 – edited by Professor Ellen Touchstone and Dr Laurie Underwood
Higher Education and SDG9 - edited by Dr Carla Liuzzo
Higher Education and SDG5 - edited by Kieryn McKay, Shantala Mohan and Deborah Sweeney

See our guidance on how to write a proposal

Submit your proposal

To submit a proposal to this series, please contact the series editor via email:

Wendy Purcell
Rutgers University & Harvard University
Email: [email protected]

Editorial team

About the Editor

Series Editor

Professor Wendy Purcell PhD FRSA is a full professor and Vice Chair Education with the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and Justice, Rutgers School of Public Health, Rutgers University in the USA. Before joining the university in Fall 2022, Wendy was at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (2016-2022), Harvard University where she was an Academic Research Scholar and continues as a Visiting Research Scientist. She is also a Visiting Professor with University College London Global Business School for Health and a Fellow of the Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges, chairing their Sustainability Leadership Academy held at the University of Cambridge. Wendy is Emeritus Professor of Biomedicine and was President of Plymouth University (2007-2015) leading the university to be among the top one per cent of world universities and number one ‘green’ UK university. She was awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Medal for Excellence in Higher Education. Wendy supports the work of the United Nations (UN Habitat, UN Environment Programme) and was a Non-Executive Board Member of the UK Government’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, an Expert Adviser on the national Review of Universities and Economic Growth, and supported Foresight programs for the Government Office for Science and senior leadership development for Cabinet Office. Her purpose lies in transforming lives through education and research in pursuit of social equity, the knowledge economy, and sustainable development.

Editorial Board

Ángel Cabrera, Georgia Institute of Technology
Golda A Edwin, ASPCC (Association for Promoting Sustainability in Campuses and Communities)
Qudsia Kalsoom, University of Dundee, Scotland
Andreas Kaplan, ESCP Business School Paris
Debbie Keeling, University of Sussex
Fadlo R. Khuri, American University of Beirut and Medicine and Medical Center
Walter Leal, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences and Environment and Technology at Manchester Metropolitan University
Julio Lumbreras, Technical University of Madrid
Mark Mifsud, University of Malta
M. Nandhivarman, Pondicherry University
Mthoko Ntuli, Mangosuthu University of Technology

Calls for submissions

Aims and scope

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent a collective global strategy to create a world where 'no-one will be left behind'. Higher education institutions play a critical role in the fulfilment of the goals and can do more to connect their work with the communities they serve and help create a more sustainable future. As organizations that have stood for many centuries in some cases the ability of universities and colleges to deliver against the goals will demand they adapt to this global agenda for change.

Each book in this series examines how universities and colleges are delivering against each SDG directly through teaching/learning, research/innovation and community engagement/service. Adopting a solutions-based approach, each book focuses on how higher education can become a major player in driving the delivery of sustainable development globally. Uniquely, each book features a section dedicated to capturing the student voice as an agenda for change.

Capturing the work of higher education in multi-stakeholder collaboration with public, private and plural actors to advance fulfilment of the goals, each book identifies successes to date and challenges ahead. Illustrated by case studies, the opportunities created by embracing the SDGs at a strategic level within higher education are highlighted. Providing a cutting-edge solutions-based approach, the series pays homage to the role of higher education to accelerate fulfilment of the SDGs Agenda 2030 program and beyond.

The launch webinar for the series can be viewed here.

This title is aligned with our quality education for all goal

We believe in quality education for everyone, everywhere and by highlighting the issue and working with experts in the field, we can start to find ways we can all be part of the solution.

SDG 16 Peace, justice & strong institutions

Find out about our quality education for all goal