“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” – UN Brundtland Commission, 1987.

Our approach to sustainable development goes beyond this definition to include a holistic worldview – seeing the world as an integrated whole rather than a dissociated collection of parts. This means striving for a future where all human beings can unfold their potential, where humankind lives together in social forms reflecting human dignity, and where all economic activity is conducted in accordance with ecological and ethical principles.

The “Sustainability Coin”

We understand sustainable development as a combination of an inner spiritual and aesthetic (humanistic) perspective and an outer physical and social (scientific) perspective. This inner-humanistic and outer-scientific perspectives are the two sides of the “sustainability coin”. All our programs are geared towards sustainable development through the integrated humanistic and specialized curriculum we developed.The humanistic core program is oriented towards the inner aspect of sustainable development, through promoting tacit knowledge and intangible outcomes. The specialist disciplines are primarily focused on the outer aspect of sustainable development, through promoting explicit knowledge (science) and tangible outcomes (application) within a particular field. At Heliopolis University, each combination of specialist-core studies is embedded in such an integrated way.

The Four Cs of Sustainable Development

SusFlowerBoth core and specialist programs were developed according to the four Cs of sustainable development that are:

Engaging in Context
Raising Consciousness
Assimilating Content
Making a Contribution

Through this unique design, Heliopolis University contributes to the sustainable development of society and also increases the employability and contribution of each student.