This qualitative instrumental case study explored the role of faculty in creating empathetic academic service excellence at a public university in Florida. Based on interviews with diverse faculty, the study investigated how empathy was enacted in faculty-student interactions and the practical strategies to foster inclusive, supportive learning environments. The findings revealed that faculty empathy was expressed through personalized responsiveness, flexible support strategies, and meaningful engagement with students inside and outside the classroom. Faculty who shared personal experiences and demonstrated understanding of students’ diverse challenges helped build trust, motivated persistence, and promoted student well-being. The study also highlighted barriers to empathetic practice, including time constraints, lack of training, and institutional cultures that might not have prioritized emotional engagement. Theoretical grounding in Emotional Intelligence (EI) underscored the importance of empathy as a core competency for academic service excellence. While the research was limited by its single-institution focus and reliance on faculty self-reporting, it offered practical implications for faculty development and institutional policy. The study concluded by recommending broader, multi-institutional research and the inclusion of student perspectives to understand further and enhance empathetic academic service in higher education.

This action research study investigates the transformative potential of a Reggio Emilia-inspired art education model for disadvantaged preschool children in the Marmara Region of Türkiye. Conducted with a cohort of 22 children aged 4–6—including refugees, children with special educational needs (SEN), and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds—the study sought to dismantle rigid, traditional educational practices that hinder developmental autonomy. Over an 11-week intervention titled “Knowing Artists”, participants engaged with the works of Vincent van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, and Osman Hamdi Bey through inquiry-based studios. Drawing on Wright’s (2020) application of ‘dreamkeeping’ and Cutcher and Boyd’s (2016) framework of collaborative pedagogy, the study illustrates how replacing deficit-based instruction with the “hundred languages” of expression enhanced participants’ visual literacy, communication skills, and social-emotional regulation. The findings suggest that culturally responsive, intentional art education acts as a counter-narrative to the ‘symbolic violence’ often experienced by marginalized children in formal schooling.