Towards an integrated form of university social responsibility

Most universities have adopted a social responsibility plan that coordinates the actions they undertake to contribute to sustainable development.However, the impact of this commitment on their social and natural environment has been debated.According to the literature, the intensity of this impact is linked to the degree to which universities integrate sustainable development principles into their operations, as well as their teaching and research missions.Drawing on these findings and the concept of shared value creation, this article offers an analysis of different forms of university social responsibility (USR) in France and outlines the conditions and levers for deeply integrating USR into university strategy.One of the five universities studied practices a fully integrated form of USR, and it steers a strategic project that combines its scientific strengths with the key issues of its stakeholders.This model involves the specialization of research activities and an organizational reconfiguration that facilitates interdisciplinarity while preserving academic freedom.