INTEGRATING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGs) INTO ACCOUNTING EDUCATION VIA UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT (UCE)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJMOE.831062Keywords:
Accounting Education, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UiTM AKNC Quality Framework, University-Community Engagement (UCE)Abstract
This paper examines how faculty community engagement initiatives integrate Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) principles into accounting education and student development. While traditional community outreach frequently remains restricted to transactional engagement, which mostly includes short-term activities and lacks long-term societal value, higher education institutions continue to face uncertainty regarding how global sustainability principles translate into technical business fields. Based on the Vice Chancellor Quality Award (AKNC) excellence framework of Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), this paper evaluates the Faculty of Accountancy (FPN) strategic "Industry, Community, Alumni, Entrepreneurship, and Network" (JAK) programme. The paper examines multi-stakeholder initiatives run by eight specialized Talent Clusters serving as Special Purpose Vehicles using a qualitative case study approach and content analysis of audited institutional reports throughout the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) quality cycle. Results show that integrating community participation positively enhances student results and institutional standing, where FPN earned RM6.8 million in trust fund revenue, a 94.2% UiTM i-Score quality rating, and a 96% Graduate Employability rate. In particular, programs like the MyIPO-registered i-Asnaf ACT module trained 420 micro-entrepreneurs to promote SDGs 1 (No Poverty) and 8 (Decent Work), while school tutoring and campus circular economy efforts supported SDGs 4 (Quality Education) and 12 (Responsible Consumption). The operational difficulties encountered specifically encompassing funding instability and the complexities of assessing qualitative results were successfully addressed through the implementation of grant-matching frameworks and Participatory Action Research evaluation methodologies. This paper presents a replicable operational framework that illustrates the capacity of accounting education to transition from profit-oriented perspectives toward transformational sustainability leadership.
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