Now, she is leading a new project, ALIGN – Embedding Inner Student-Centered Exploration and Development in Higher Education.
ALIGN runs from 2025 to 2028 and is an Erasmus+ KA220-HED – Cooperation Partnerships in Higher Education project.
Why are you part of the ALIGN project?
I am glad to lead this project because it is deeply meaningful and brings together a wonderful group of seven universities and eight partners who share a commitment to improving higher education. ALIGN is closely connected to the emerging field of inner transformation for sustainability – sometimes also described as existential sustainability – which I have been working in for the past 10 years. It provides a unique platform to expand, deepen, and scale related work that is urgently needed in higher education.
What is the ALIGN project about?
ALIGN aims to transform higher education by integrating inner development into academic curricula and institutional structures. To do this, the project:
- aligns established academic competency frameworks with inner development goals,
- pilots innovative and integrative student programs,
- develops accessible digital learning guides, and
- provides educator training and capacity building across partner institutions and beyond.
Through this work, students and educators can cultivate the inner capacities and practical tools needed to foster resilience, navigate complexity, and contribute to sustainable solutions in a rapidly changing world.
Why do you think this is important?
Universities must prepare students not only for a career, but to become empowered change agents – equipped to build more just, inclusive, and sustainable futures. This requires rethinking and transforming traditional teaching approaches so they remain relevant to today’s context.
Educating future change agents goes beyond the cognitive accumulation of knowledge. It is about transformation – of self, of society, and of systems. It calls for integrative approaches that engage our minds, hearts, and hands.
Over the past decade, at LUCSUS we have conducted more than 60 studies and co-created a range of educational programs showing that inner development plays a vital role in supporting transformation. Yet related work is still not fully reflected in the way universities educate students.
The values and capacities of tomorrow’s leaders mirror the priorities of today’s universities. This means cultivating not only professional and technical expertise, but also inner capacities such as agency, compassion, courage, hope, and meaning-making.
What happened at the kick-off meeting for ALIGN in October?
The in-person kick-off meeting took place on 20–21 October in Lund and brought together all partners to launch the collaboration and explore how best to coordinate with the Global Coalition for Student Inner Development.
During the meeting, partners discussed the project’s overall vision and worked to refine the content and objectives of the five work packages:
- WP1 – Project management and coordination
- WP2 – Mapping inner development to academic frameworks
- WP3 – ALIGN pilots and digital learning guide
- WP4 – Educator training and capacity building
- WP5 – Dissemination and exploitation
The meeting was highly productive and characterized by a strong sense of cooperation and shared purpose. The team now looks forward to the mapping and systematization of existing competency frameworks in each country (WP2), and to the next in-person meeting in Trondheim in March/April 2026, where planning for the pilot activities (WP3) will be the main focus.
How does ALIGN relate to the work of the global University Coalition for Student Inner Development?
ALIGN is closely connected to the global University Coalition for Student Inner Development for Societal Transformation. Several of the Coalition’s founding organisations are also project partners in ALIGN. Together, we applied for ERASMUS+ funding to advance related goals.
What are the long-term goals of the Coalition?
The Coalition unites pioneering universities—including Lund University (Sweden), NTNU (Norway), Esade Business School (Spain), and the University of Amsterdam (the Netherlands)—with the goal of structurally embedding inner development into higher education. Its long-term ambition is that every student graduates with a lifelong habit of inner development, enabling them to respond to today’s interconnected societal challenges with wisdom, sustainability, and resilience. The Coalition’s activities include developing scalable, inter-curricular approaches that build essential inner capacities; supporting curriculum reform processes; creating shared learning formats; and developing open-source tools for education and impact measurement.
Does a similar coalition exist elsewhere?
As far as I know, there is no other global coalition dedicated specifically to student inner development for societal transformation. This makes the Coalition’s and ALIGN’s work genuinely pioneering.
Membership is currently open to universities and university staff, and include benefits such as:
- Serving as a pioneer in a growing global movement
- Collaborating and learning across institutions in the inaugural cohort
- Accessing funding opportunities related to inner–outer transformation
- Using shared tools and case studies in a structured learning process
- Advancing faculty competencies and careers
Read about ALIGN in the Lund University Research Portal
If you are interested in cooperation within the context of ALIGN or the Coalition, please contact Prof. Christine Wamsler. We look forward to hearing from you!
