Innovating Higher Education at a Small University Navigating Shifting Paradigms with Humanity and Heart

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.