Can the university become a growing ecosystem?

Imagine a university as a forest: not just a building, but a web of knowledge, people, and practices interacting. A fresh approach, called “ecological academic development,” aims to turn the usual idea of “change” into a deeper “growth.”

Instead of seeing school as a static place, we think of an adaptive cycle, like plants adjusting to climate. This cycle has four phases: discovery, expansion, reorganization, and regeneration. When a university follows these steps, it becomes more resilient, able to withstand crises such as budget cuts or climate emergencies.

Another cornerstone is humility: acknowledging that no single discipline holds absolute truth. Thus, “third‑space” areas—labs, study groups, interdisciplinary projects—become meeting points where diverse know‑ledges blend and enrich each other.

This model also wants to pull the university away from “pathological” neoliberal values like extreme competition and profit‑first thinking. By focusing on resilience and humility, the institution can become more sustainable, inclusive, and ready to train citizens capable of tackling future environmental challenges.

The concept of the “adaptive cycle” originates from Holling’s (1973) ecological theory, describing how ecosystems move through phases of rapid growth (exploitation), conservation, release, and reorganization. Translating this model to academia, the exploitation phase corresponds to the introduction of new disciplines or methods; conservation is the period of consolidating acquired knowledge; release occurs when traditional structures show signs of stress (e.g., financial crises, regulatory changes); and reorganization leads to new governance forms and teaching practices.

Resilience in ecology is a system’s ability to absorb disturbances while maintaining its structure and functions. In a university, this translates into flexible funding policies, modular curricula, and inter‑institutional collaboration networks. The pursuit of “epistemic humility” echoes Thomas Kuhn’s philosophy of science, emphasizing that scientific paradigms are temporary and subject to revolutions.

The “third‑space” is a sociological concept introduced by Homi Bhabha, denoting hybrid spaces where diverse cultures meet and generate new identities. In academia, these spaces foster interdisciplinarity, co‑creation of knowledge, and active student participation. Moving away from neoliberalism entails revising academic evaluation criteria, shifting focus from publication counts to the social and environmental value of research. This approach can stimulate funding policies based on real impact, encourage open‑research projects, and promote a culture of collective responsibility toward the planet.