Social Responsibility as One of the Roles of Saudi Universities in Community Service: The Current Reality and Future Aspirations

The current study aimed to identify the reality of social responsibility in Saudi universities, relying on a social survey methodology. It was applied to a random sample of 398 faculty members from three public Saudi universities in Riyadh. The results showed that the reality of social responsibility in Saudi universities was rated at a high level, close to the average, with a mean score of 3.64 out of 5. The universities were characterized by the presence of clear policies and periodic reports, in contrast to the weak involvement of the local community. The findings also indicated that the roles undertaken by Saudi universities to activate social responsibility were rated highly, with a mean score of 3.50, highlighting volunteer programs, citizenship, and community partnerships, while initiatives for sustainability, impact measurement, and academic incentives remained at lower levels.
The results revealed that the difficulties faced by Saudi universities in activating social responsibility were rated at a high level, close to moderate, with a mean score of 3.46. The most significant challenges included limited budgets, weak incentives, and heavy academic burdens, in addition to poor institutional coordination and long-term partnerships. Finally, the results indicated that the requirements for developing social responsibility in Saudi universities were rated highly, with a mean score of 3.66. Among the most important requirements were integrating social responsibility into the vision and mission of the university, establishing specialized units or observatories, linking promotions and incentives to community service participation, as well as building strategic partnerships and developing digital platforms for managing activities.
Based on this, the study concluded that Saudi universities possess the institutional foundations necessary to activate social responsibility; however, they need to develop mechanisms for implementation and measurement, enhance partnerships, and expand the scope of initiatives in line with the objectives of Vision 2030. The study recommended the establishment of specialized units for social responsibility, linking incentives and promotions to community service.