Analysis of the strategic plan documents of Iranian universities based on the components of sustainable development

This is an applied descriptive-exploratory study. Strategic plan documents of 22 Iranian public universities were selected by sampling with maximum diversity. Also, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 faculty members participating in the development and implementation of the strategic plan of the studied universities. Interviewees were selected using a combination of purposive techniques. Data were analyzed by qualitative content analysis. The findings show that universities in the development of strategic planning paid unequal attention to the components of sustainable development.
Introduction
Universities, as the most prominent scientific institutions that deal with human processing, are the brain of the society and are at the helm of the movement towards sustainable development (Mousavi, Ghourchian and Jafari, 2021). According to Amral, et al. (2015), universities, as a powerful institution, have the ability to train future world leaders by pursuing appropriate approaches and policies, and can have a tremendous impact on the creation and dissemination of sustainability components. However, the success of universities in fulfilling their role and mission requires orientation and planning in accordance with environmental conditions and requirements. Such an orientation requires a rational plan to help the internal cohesion of universities and to help the components work effectively to achieve the goals of the strategic plan of universities. Furthermore, a good relationship should be established between universities and their environment. In the present era, the orientation and future vision of universities, like all important and effective organizations, are reflected in their strategic document as a comprehensive and complete plan. Keller introduced strategic planning in higher education in the late 1970s, and Iranian universities have been developing and implementing a strategic plan since 2001. A strategic plan reflects the attitude of managers and planners, and shows the direction of the university in the short and long term. Therefore, it is an important tool for analyzing and evaluating the orientation of the university towards various issues, including sustainable development. In this study, the strategic plan documents of Iranian universities were reviewed and analyzed based on the components of sustainable development, and also the challenges and obstacles of universities for optimal attention to the dimensions of sustainable development were identified.
 
Methodology
This research is qualitative, and its results can help university administrators, planners and researchers in the field of sustainable development. The research population was the strategic plan documents of public universities in Iran, studied based on the components of sustainable development. Accordingly, the strategic plan documents of 22 public universities in Iran were purposively selected with maximum diversity or heterogeneity. This sampling method was selected to collect a diverse sample in terms of geography and local conditions of the strategic plan documents of public universities in the country. Due to the ambiguities and questions raised during the research and after reviewing the strategic plan documents of universities, interviews were conducted with people specialized in developing strategic plans of universities including managers of assessment centers, performance monitors, members of the strategic council of universities. In this section combined purposive sampling was used. First, a number of managers of the university performance evaluation and monitoring center were selected for interviews using the intensity sampling method as informants of the strategic plan documents of the university. Then, other faculty members aware of the strategic plan documents were selected for interviews using the snowball sampling method. The data collection tool was the review and analysis of the strategic plan documents of the universities, as well as semi-structured interviews with the key informants of the strategic plan of the universities The interviews continued until the concepts were repeated, that is, reaching theoretical saturation. Data were analyzed through thematic analysis.
Results
The first research question was how the components of sustainable development were reflected in the strategic plan documents of universities. The strategic plan documents of the universities were examined based on the social, economic, cultural, environmental and political dimensions of sustainable development.
Analysis of the strategic plan documents of universities led to eight categories and 222 subcategories related to the social dimension of sustainable development (Table 1).
As per the economic dimension of sustainable development in the strategic plan document of universities, four categories and 110 subcategories were identified (Table 2).
The cultural dimension of sustainable development in the strategic plan document of universities led to five categories and 83 subcategories (Table 3).
As per the environmental dimension of sustainable development in the strategic plan document of universities, four categories and nine subcategories were identified (Table 4).
Further investigation of and involvement with research data and interviews revealed the role of the political dimension in sustainable development and this dimension was examined independently from other dimensions of sustainable development. In the strategic plan documents of universities, three categories and 35 subcategories were identified in relation to the political dimension of sustainable development (Table 5).
Discussion and conclusion
In this study, the strategic plan documents of universities were reviewed based on the components of sustainable development, including social, economic, cultural, environmental and political dimensions. Rarely has research addressed the political dimension of sustainable development while it is an important component in creating the context for implementation and helping to achieve the other components of sustainable development, sustainable development is not complete without addressing the political dimension. The findings of this study show that different dimensions of sustainable development are not equally addressed in the strategic plan document of universities. The strategic plan documents of universities have addressed Iran’s social, cultural, economic, environmental and political dimensions in respective order. In this regard, it is suggested that training courses on sustainable development components be held for strategic planners of universities, and the strategic plan documents of universities be revised based on integrated attention to the components of sustainable development.