Impacts of Urban Institutions of Higher Education on the Community: A Social Approach

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effectsof urban institutions of higher education on socialsustainability of the community. Three urban colleges in Vietnam were involved in this study. Methods: Questionnaires and interviews were administered to 120 local residents and 1470 students and college employees (office and teaching staff) living in the nearby communities. In the interviews, the researcher made efforts to explore in-depth information by providing prompts in order toconfirm, interpret and supplement the quantitativedata collected from the questionnaires.Findings: All participants responded that thecolleges contributed greatly to the social equitythrough rentals, food consumption, and otherservices available. However, though some localresidents took a positive view of social diversity,others were conservative. The social cohesions tookplace in the community where its members werewilling to welcome new cultures. Most local residentswere not confident about community security whenthere were many new members. Noise and traffic also caused much concern to local residents.Implications for Research and Practice: It is suggested that local residents should distributeequital gains to physically and financially challenged people in the community. Otherimplications were given to researchers, policy makers, community members, and studenttenants living around college. Further studies can take a holistic approach to sustainabledevelopment as a result of the effects of educational institutions. Researchers may also takeinto account more educational institutions of higher education in other contexts.