Universities have a significant role to play in the transition to sustainable development, through research, education and the example they set through their operations. This virtual special issue of the Sustainability Accounting Management and Policy Journal considers the contribution made by universities to sustainable development and what more can be done.

The articles in this virtual Special Issue will be free to access from 1-31 June 2021.

Adams, C.A., Heijltjes, M.G., Jack, G., Marjoribanks, T. and Powell, M. (2011), "The development of leaders able to respond to climate change and sustainability challenges: The role of business schools", Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Vol. 2 No. 1, pp. 165-171. https://doi.org/10.1108/20408021111162191

An, Y., Davey, H., Harun, H., Jin, Z., Qiao, X. and Yu, Q. (2020), "Online sustainability reporting at universities: the case of Hong Kong", Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Vol. 11 No. 5, pp. 887-901.

Ayuso, S., Sánchez, P., Retolaza, J.L. and Figueras-Maz, M. (2020), "Social value analysis: the case of Pompeu Fabra University", Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Vol. 11 No. 1, pp. 233-252. https://doi.org/10.1108/SAMPJ-11-2018-0307

Botes, V., Low, M. and Chapman, J. (2014), “Is accounting education sufficiently sustainable?”, Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Vol. 5 No. 1, pp. 95-124.

Cebrián, G., Grace, M. and Humphris, D. (2013), "Organisational learning towards sustainability in higher education", Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Vol. 4 No. 3, pp. 285-306. https://doi.org/10.1108/SAMPJ-12-2012-0043

Cho, C.H., Kim, A., Rodrigue, M. and Schneider, T. (2020), "Towards a better understanding of sustainability accounting and management research and teaching in North America: a look at the community", Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Vol. 11 No. 6, pp. 985-1007. https://doi.org/10.1108/SAMPJ-08-2019-0311

Gomes, S.F., Jorge, S. and Eugénio, T. (2021), "Teaching sustainable development in business sciences degrees: evidence from Portugal", Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Vol. 12 No. 3, pp. 611-634. https://doi.org/10.1108/SAMPJ-10-2019-0365

Mader, C., Scott, G. and Abdul Razak, D. (2013), "Effective change management, governance and policy for sustainability transformation in higher education", Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Vol. 4 No. 3, pp. 264-284. https://doi.org/10.1108/SAMPJ-09-2013-0037

Minutolo, M.C., Ivanova, A. and Cong, M. (2021), "Signalling sustainability: impact that learning how to report has on enrolment, endowment and emissions of North American higher education institutions", Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/SAMPJ-06-2020-0224

Urdari, C., Farcas, T.V. and Tiron-Tudor, A. (2017), "Assessing the legitimacy of HEIs’ contributions to society: The perspective of international rankings", Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Vol. 8 No. 2, pp. 191-215. https://doi.org/10.1108/SAMPJ-12-2015-0108