UNIVERSITY SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND PERFORMANCE OF SOUTH-SOUTH NIGERIA UNIVERSITIES

This study examined the effect of university social responsibility and performance of selected South-South Nigeria Universities. In order to achieve this, the study focused on key measures of university social responsibilities such as ethical responsibility, research and development, as they relate to university performance. Anchoring the study on related theoretical frameworks (Stakeholders theory), the study reviewed some empirical studies that aided the discussion of the findings. This study adopted the cross-sectional design and conducted survey using 399 respondents sample size drawn from six (6) selected Universities in states in the South – South region of Nigeria. Primary data were obtained through self-structured questionnaire distributed to 399 respondents. The questionnaire instrument was validated using the construct validity and the Cronbach Alpha reliability value obtained was averaged at 0.7746 approximated at 0.8. Out of the 399 copies of the questionnaire that were distributed, a total of 388 copies of the questionnaire were duly completed and returned. Data collected was analyzed using both descriptive statistics such as Mean and Standard Deviation for the specific objectives and inferential statistics such as the multiple regressions to test the hypothesis. The study reveals that changes in university performance can directly been influenced by ethical responsibility, and research and development responsibility. The study discovered that the university social responsibility programme has the capacity and capability of improving and expanding the university developmental goals and objectives and concluded that there should be good existing working relationship between the students, staff and the universities communities at large to achieve its social responsibility. The study recommended that students and staff of the university community should be involved in university-initiated project geared towards transforming the overall interest of the university. Keywords:  Ethical responsibility, Research and Development, Performance, University, South – South Nigeria