It appears from my local paper that, along with Unitech, the University of Waikato has formally committed itself to the United Nations Higher Education Sustainability Initiative, which was part of the much-reported June, Rio + 20, process. This is to be regretted. The decision appears to have been taken without much consultation, or any reflection on what the implications might be for teaching and learning and for the role of the university in society. It is more than a mere vacuous declaration of virtue. It is yet another assault on the whole notion of the university as a centre for critical thought, and as a source of contestable advice on public issues.
