The conceptualization of social responsibility of the university in Iran

The purpose of this study was to conceptualize university social responsibility in Iran. The university social responsibility, like other human and social concepts, depends on its contextual characteristics. To understand the university social responsibility in the Iranian context, with its specific conditions, the Strauss-Corbin Grounded Theory was used as an approach to understand causal conditions, the focal phenomena, effective contexts, intervening variables, faculty strategies, methods, and outcomes. Participants were 50 faculty members, doctoral students, higher education experts, university administrators, higher education policy makers, and civil society activists, academic community activists in councils, and social cultural institutions who were selected through purposeful sampling. In-depth Interviews were conducted with 17 experts. In order to complete data 3 focus with 33 participants were formed. The results of data analysis were presented in a model and strategies were identified at three levels: macro (government), middle (university administration) and micro (faculty members). Finally, a definition of university social responsibility as a social institution was presented. What is certain is that such a normative expectation that can lead to sustainable development and increase the quality of life and the realization of human rights and reduction of human dignity is not possible without the full involvement of internal and external constituencies.