Duplexity and Tensegrity: Rethinking Complexity and Sustainability in Higher Education

Higher education is at a critical juncture, facing crises of financial sustainability, contested public value, and shifting policy demands. In this context, universities must reimagine how they advocate for their civic role and transformational potential, especially in defining and assuring quality. This paper proposes a new conceptual framework for understanding quality and evaluation in higher education, applying the principles of duplexity and tensegrity, originally developed in teacher education, to the broader sector. The Duplexity Model (Anderson et al., 2024) conceptualises the key tensions universities must navigate (e.g., such as standardisation vs. contextualisation, objectivity vs. subjectivity) not as dichotomies to be resolved, but as dualities to be balanced. The model invites a shift toward fair and contextually sensitive forms of institutional judgement, framed by accountability and quality. In parallel, the concept of tensegrity, drawn from architecture and biological systems, offers a metaphor for resilient institutional design, structures that maintain stability through balanced tension and compression. Applied to higher education, it provides a lens for understanding how institutions can remain adaptive and ethically grounded amid fiscal, political, and epistemic pressures. Grounded in systems thinking and sustainability, this framework rejects narrow, metric-driven models of improvement. Instead, it promotes complexity-aware, future-facing approaches that centre fairness, adaptability, and civic responsibility. Anchored in SDG 4 on inclusive and quality education, the paper offers a timely and generative model for institutional judgement and governance. It will be of particular interest to those engaged in educational policy, quality assurance, and strategic planning in higher education.