Addressing Food Insecurity on College Campuses: From Charity to Social Responsibility Framing

The concept of social responsibility has increasingly become relevant for colleges and universities, entities that mirror businesses in their community power and centrality. Increased calls for colleges and universities to attend to social issues frequently emphasize issues of access and affordability, campus sustainability, and the promotion of social justice. This paper calls for the inclusion of food insecurity—among college students, staff, and surrounding communities—as an issue colleges and universities must address from the perspective of corporate social responsibility. Typical approaches to studying and addressing campus food insecurity focus on temporary or isolated approaches. This paper highlights four distinct perspectives—the economic perspective of corporate social responsibility, the corporate social performance perspective, the reputational and brand management perspective, and the shared value perspective—that universities can apply to generate holistic, integrated, and durable approaches to addressing campus food insecurity that are embedded in organizational priorities and operations. We conclude with concrete recommendations for university leaders.