Responsabilidade social universitária: um levantamento situacional da gestão da problemática de animais errantes em instituições de ensino superior

Abstract

Universities are multidisciplinary institutions that train higher education professionals and must comply with the principle that teaching, research and extension are inseparable (Brasil, 1988). In addition to the skills required for intellectual and professional training through this tripod, there is also the training of citizens capable of addressing multiple social challenges with ethical, social and environmental responsibility, according to UNESCO. In Brazil, Social Responsibility became an institutional obligation for universities after Law 10.861 of 2004, which established SINAES as the national system for evaluating higher education. The growing population of stray dogs and cats and the social and environmental consequences of this phenomenon have been a challenge for managers in various spheres, especially in large urban centers. Due to their large size and wooded areas, university campuses, especially in public universities, become easy targets for abandonment and experience all the problems resulting from overpopulation. However, the competence of the organizational management of these HEIs in acting on this issue raises questions and encourages discussion about how they deal with the issue. In order to clarify how the management of Brazilian federal universities has been addressing the issue, this study aims to conduct a situational analysis of the strategies adopted in Federal Higher Education Institutions to manage the problem of stray animals (dogs and cats) in university spaces, from the perspective of University Social Responsibility based on the URSULA Model. To this end, a descriptive-exploratory research with a qualitative approach was conducted in 20 (twenty) federal public universities in the Northeast, carried out through documentary research and direct consultation with the institutions through the Public Transparency Portal platform. The results indicate the development of strategies in 13 universities (65%) surveyed, however, only 35% (7) of the institutions presented consistent records of effective implementation of these strategies. It was identified that actions in this sense predominantly come from voluntary initiatives and extension projects, initiated by their coordinators, and formal strategic guidelines regarding the problem in the institutions are insufficient. This study sought to contribute with information and knowledge to support decisions by university managers in implementing efficient strategies to deal with the problem of stray animals on campuses.