At many institutions, development of leaders begins once people are selected for formal leadership positions. This approach is partly the result of a resistance to leader development borne of higher education’s egalitarian ethos—faculty often feel uncomfortable with the idea of the institution investing in them as leaders, says Ross Peterson-Veatch, associate academic dean at Goshen College. In addition, “people in the academy are universally pretty good at learning quickly. We say to ourselves, ‘I’ll deal with that when I get there. I don’t want to spend my time learning to be a leader if I’m not going to be named.’”
Beyond Programs: Leadership Lessons from Ireland’s Inclusive Universities
During a recent sabbatical studying inclusive postsecondary education in Ireland, I visited four universities—University College Cork, Trinity College Dublin, Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology, and Mary Immaculate
Ashley Rodrigues
July 20, 2026
