Students, parents, and the public need to understand the value of higher education if colleges and universities are going to rebut the omnipresent hostility to the enterprise that we see almost daily in the media and our legislators. The opportunities to refute charges of diminishing return on investment, “wokeness,” and financial excesses, however, are myriad, and they include making sure that our general education curricula make clear to students the long-term value of the courses we ask them to take and the skills we help them develop.
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
