Articles lamenting the post-COVID-19 state of higher education have reached their zenith (we hope!). But after countless explorations of this pandemic’s effects on the state of enrollment (Hartocollis, 2020), study abroad opportunities and tuition revenue (Whalen, 2020), job placement and course modalities (Gardner, 2020), and, of course, overall budgets (Huelsman, 2020), few have positioned COVID-19 as an opportunity for faculty development professionals to respond urgently to faculty needs in an effort to support and enhance student learning. To address this concern, we developed an actionable and transferable model to help institutional leaders FOCUS on faculty in times of crisis.
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
