PESLA offers Engineering staff transformative leadership training opportunities
The Purdue University College of Engineering recently graduated its fourth cohort of Leadership Academy Members from its exceptional staff leadership training program called Purdue Engineering Staff Leadership Academy (PESLA). The 10 graduates represent a variety of positions and are led by a team of six, including Will Sondgerath, senior assistant dean for staff and administration, who heads the program.
“The program supports the Dean’s Vision 2030 mission to be the most consequential engineering college in the nation,” Sondgerath said.
PESLA is a two-year, customized leadership development program in which select staff engage in real-world case studies, small group discussions and interactive presentations with the goal of encouraging them to lead in ways that support larger institutional objectives.
In the first year, participants learn about all areas of the university. In the second year, they put their knowledge to work in a research project related to their work in the college. At the conclusion of the program, participants have the opportunity for a third year as a program leadership team member.
The program began in February 2017 when Leah H. Jamieson, the former John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering, rolled out an initiative to transform the college into a more efficient, transparent and inclusive operation. Forty-three College of Engineering staff have graduated since, and a fifth cohort will begin on Feb. 4, welcoming 15 new members.
Generating benefits for the college, PESLA serves as a retention tool for valuable staff, assisting with succession planning for key administrative roles and functions as a recruiting incentive for staff outside the institution.
“PESLA’s operating model is a program created by staff for staff,” Sondgerath said. “Its design is like an academic program, which is why an application process, orientation, core curriculum, electives and graduation are all incorporated into the program.”