Table 1.

Responses by the Higher Education sector to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that might fuel transformation of the sector over the longer-term towards embracing the SDGs

Domain	Pre-COVID-19 conditions	Innovations fueling transformation
1. Leadership Dewar et al. [25] Marcero [12] Purcell [29]	Top-down, command-control Telling style of leadership communication Disrupted by global megatrends Inequities tolerated	Adaptive with social networks Invitational dialogue & reciprocity Focus on institutional purpose Pursuit of equity
2. Financials Huron [20] Marcero [12] Taparia [31]	Weakened financials & dependence on fees income Investment in physical assets Research supported by cross-subsidy from other income Administrative bureaucracy	Focus on income earned through value created & diversification of income Investment in digital & knowledge assets Research focused on scholarly inquiry & societal value Primacy of scholarly community
3. Campus Brown and Kafka [37] Lanich [36]	Campus as home Safety & security	Scholarly community campus & digital Health & well-being
4. Internationalization Dickler [49] Horne [48]	Focus on student mobility Dominance of host-country pedagogy	Focus on global citizenship Pedagogy of encounter & inter-cultural learning
5. Teaching and Learning Gates [42] McMurtrie [55] Smith 2016 [11] Taparia 2020 [31]	Scholarship for employability Opportunity gap persists & held as achievement gap Dominance of face–face pedagogy Synchronous learning	Scholarship for societal impact Focus on equity: diversity, inclusion & belonging Blended learning Synchronous & asynchronous delivery
6. Employability Strada Education Network [41] Willetts [59]	Privileged individualism & competition Career-focus Job skills & competencies	Focus on social justice & community Employability throughout life Life skills & values
7. Sustainability SDSN [65] SDSN [66] THE [62]	Environmental sustainability Operational focus Disconnected from formal curriculum	Sustainable development Strategic agenda Education for sustainable development within formal curriculum
8. Multi-stakeholder Partnerships Caplan et al. [69] Horan 2019 [71] Mataix et al. [68] Moreno-Serna et al. [70]	Ivory tower Knowledge transfer Operational/tactical partnerships Pursuit of mission	Connected university Knowledge exchange Strategic partnerships Multi-stakeholder assembly convened around shared societal purpose