There is much conversation nationally about declining faculty engagement in shared governance and leadership. At the same time there is a clear need for a stronger faculty voice as higher education faces increasing constraints and calls for accountability from external stakeholders. An interview study with new faculty on our campus revealed their sense of unpreparedness to engage in broader issues affecting higher education and, potentially, their careers, beyond their research and teaching. Addressing this disengagement through faculty development efforts with new faculty offered us the opportunity to begin steps intended to reverse those trends and to help develop our campus’s future faculty leaders.
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
