Higher education is at a moment of real uncertainty. Colleges and universities are being asked to respond to changing student needs, financial pressure, and growing questions about value and purpose. Innovating Higher Education at a Small University offers a grounded and hopeful response to these challenges. Through a series of real, lived case studies, the book shows how one small, mission driven institution is rethinking how it teaches, partners, and serves its community. Spanning interdisciplinary work across teacher preparation, literacy, healthcare, and the arts, the chapters highlight what becomes possible when faculty and leaders are trusted to innovate with intention and care. Each chapter shares not only what was built, but also what was learned along the way, offering clear insights that others can adapt to their own contexts. Not a book about abstract trends or emerging technologies, it is grounded in program design, relationships, and project implementation. It is a book about people doing the work, and a reminder that meaningful change in higher education is already happening in places willing to lead with both humanity and purpose.

Matthew E. Gordley is Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at California Lutheran University. His work focuses on faculty innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration in higher education. The author of Social Justice in the Stories of Jesus (Wiley-Blackwell, 2024), he delivered a Darwin College Lecture at Cambridge University in 2026.

Keely Baronak is a professor of education and Dean of the College of Education and Social Work at Carlow University. Her work focuses on literacy, educator preparation, and innovative program design. She has published on dyslexia, structured literacy, and teacher development and leads grant-funded initiatives that expand access and workforce pathways.

Contents
Foreword
Kathy W. Humphrey
Chapter One: Introduction: Navigating Shifting Paradigms with Humanity and Heart in a Time of Chaos
Matthew E. Gordley
Chapter Two: Creating an Apprenticeship Model for Early Childhood Education
Keely Baronak and Susan Polojac
Chapter Three: Think Institutionally, Act Curatorially: Carlow University Art Gallery and Transformative Pedagogy
Amy Bowman-McElhone
Chapter Four: Expanding Dyslexia Intervention: A Systems Approach to Advancing Literacy Knowledge in Higher education
Keely Baronak and Valerie Piccini
Chapter Five: Collaborating with a High-Need School District to Address Community Mental Health Needs
Fawn Robinson and Rebecca Cash Grizzanti
Chapter Six: Fostering an International Community of Writers
Louis J. Boyle
Chapter Seven: Giving Voice to Persons on the Margins through Community Writing Workshops
Sarah Shotland
Chapter Eight: Working with an External Partner to Secure Federal Funding for Transformation across Disciplines
Amanda Parsons
Chapter Nine: Partnering with an Industry Leader in Healthcare for State-of-the-Art Educational Experiences: Learning and Working across Institutions
Matthew E. Gordley
Chapter Ten: Partnering Across the Institution: The Power of Interprofessional Education
Samantha J. Dalessio and Kunal Bhanot
Chapter Eleven: Carlow University and the Town–Gown Model: A Case Study in Civic Engagement and Collaborative Planning
Michelle Figlar
Chapter Twelve: Collaborating with Faculty to Save $1 Million: Lessons Learned from a Shared Governance Approach to Budget Reductions
Matthew E. Gordley, Rhonda Maneval, and Aimee Zellers
Chapter Thirteen: Innovating Higher Education with Thoughtful Intentionality: Lessons Learned
Keely Baronak and Matthew E. Gordley
Acknowledgments
Notes on Contributors
Index