Inclusive and Innovative Leadership in Higher Education: Fostering Diversity, Well-being, and Pedagogical Excellence

In an era where leadership in higher education is increasingly overshadowed by identity politics and institutional inaction, this timely volume offers a critical examination of the leadership vacuum that has quietly become the norm. Universities around the world are grappling with the normalization of ineffectual leadership practices that are normalized and rarely challenged.

Inclusive and Innovative Leadership in Higher Education brings together a diverse array of voices and perspectives from across the globe, including Canada, Africa, and other regions, to explore the multifaceted nature of leadership in academic settings. Each chapter delves into a specific leadership dilemma, offering both critique and insight into the challenges faced by institutions today. Through a blend of qualitative and quantitative research, the contributors illuminate the complexity of leadership as it manifests in different cultural, institutional, and pedagogical contexts.

Offering practical solutions, innovative strategies, and forward-thinking approaches that aim to revitalize leadership in higher education, this volume underscores that leadership is not a one-size-fits-all concept; rather, it is dynamic, context-dependent, and capable of emerging in unexpected ways. At its core, this book is a call to action. It challenges readers to rethink what leadership means, how it is practiced, and how it can be transformed to foster inclusivity, well-being, and pedagogical excellence.

Robert E. White is Senior Research Professor at St. Francis Xavier University, Canada, and Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto. Dr. White’s research includes educational administration and policy, postmodernity and globalization, qualitative research methodologies, and critical pedagogy. Dr. White is Associate Editor of the International Journal of Leadership in Education, Co-editor in Chief of the journal International Studies in Educational Administration and is Consulting Editor for the International Journal of Underrepresented Languages.