It has been said that “old deans never die; they just lose their faculties.” A clever saying, that—and it reminds those of us who have been stomping around in the academic vineyards for many years that we ought to have a well-considered plan for that time when all signs point to our need to hang it up. I have been in higher education for nearly 50 years as a faculty member and administrator and have been thinking that it is time to let the youth movement take over. After all, any college or university that expects to survive in these challenging times will need fresh ideas and dynamic new leadership to keep the academic ship afloat. With massive open online courses, demands for online academic options, high-tech innovations, accreditation interventions, government regulation at all levels, and ever-greater customer service expectations from students and their helicopter parents, a new generation of academic leaders must be cultivated and counted on to show the way.
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
