Creating the International Bridge Program at Purdue MEM

Author: Avneesh Gupta
Event Date: December 6, 2019
Avneesh Gupta
As I head towards the finishing line, marked by the end of my final semester at Purdue, a ringing question goes through my mind- What was my biggest learning in graduate school? Being a part of the Master of Engineering Management (MEM) program at Purdue, I’ve been presented with a wide range of opportunities to hone in on my engineering and business management skills. However, I believe that my biggest take away from these last two years has been understanding the value of collaboration. In this fast-paced, technology driven world, there is an exigent need to work together to continuously add value to each other’s lives.

 

Over the last couple of years, I’ve been a member of several high-performing teams within the MEM program. What amazes me the most is the quality of students that come into our program. Not only are they fiercely passionate, industrious, and motivated, but also extremely caring and compassionate.

Banking on the support of this tight knit group, I pitched the idea of the International Bridge Program (IBP) to our Program Director, Eric VandeVoorde. The goal of the IBP initiative was to create a student-centric, self-sustaining Engagement Model for the incoming Engineering Management cohorts. The cornerstone of this model was its complete student-centricity. In the truest sense it was meant to be an initiative by the students - for the students.

Not to my surprise, our Program Director was very enthusiastic about this initiative and quickly gave me a green signal to proceed. From that point onwards it was a cakewalk. It took just one meeting to get 13 of our best MEM students to volunteer for this initiative and agree to serve as mentors to the batch of incoming students. The ease with which they came on board further confirms my point about the strength of this program.

Over the next couple of months, each incoming student was assigned to a mentor based on geographies, academic interests, and respective alma maters. To maintain positive consistency and quality throughout, we used a continuous feedback loop to collect data and make improvements to the program. Mentors took out time from their busy schedules to set up virtual meetings and phone calls with their mentees. This provided the mentees with insights into course selections, job opportunities, and transition logistics. Most importantly, these connections gave emotional support to the students while making tough decisions during an important juncture of their lives. 

In the end, I was ecstatic to discover that the IBP turned out to be a massive success. Due to the sustained efforts of the mentors, the program was able to record the highest ever intake of students in an academic year. Time and again, the Engineering Management program has displayed its strength and unity through various avenues. This just happens to be one of them. I am glad that our team was able to make a positive impact and am confident that the program will continue to grow as we move forward, together.