2023-24 Experiential Education Champions announced

The Office of Experiential Education has announced the 2023-24 Experiential Education (ExEd) Champions. 

ExEd Champions have a passion for experiential education and its value for students. This program provides recognition, professional development and resources to a cohort of ExEd leaders each year. Champions will be available to consult with faculty and staff who have questions related to starting, maintaining or improving experiential education programs.

Meet the incoming ExEd Champions: 

*Glenda Caudill, associate director in the Study Abroad Office, is passionate about international education and has spent 25 years working in the field, 20 of which have been at Purdue. Caudill’s areas of expertise include study abroad and internships, particularly international internships.

*Brandon Fulk, the Walsh Group Director of Internships in the Division of Construction Engineering and Management in the College of Engineering, is passionate about experiential education because he believes experience is our greatest teacher. Fulk’s areas of expertise include internship experiences, working with industry partners, fieldwork, project-based learning and service learning.

*Zhan Pang, the Lewis B. Cullman Rising Star Professor of Management in the Daniels School of Business, is passionate about integrating the various types of experiential education into the curriculum or syllabus design as well as undergraduate and postgraduate independent research advising. Pang’s areas of expertise include course-based experiential education with industry partners, co-curricular ExEd, simulations and scenario-based learning, and undergraduate research.   

*Nancy Rasche, assistant professor of practice or user experience design in the Department of Computer Graphics Technology in the Purdue Polytechnic Institute, is deeply passionate about expanding and scaling experiential education opportunities to make them more equitable for all students, including reducing barriers to internships for marginalized student groups. Rasche’s areas of expertise include assessment, partnerships, reflection, internships, course-based projects with industry partners, and undergraduate research.

*Aletha Stahl, senior intercultural learning specialist in the Center for Intercultural Learning, Mentorship, Assessment and Research, is passionate about experiential education because it helps students to develop life-changing perspectives and commitments, enhance their interest in their topic of study, increase their self-efficacy, and “awaken the teacher within.” Stahl’s areas of expertise include reflection, co-curricular ExEd, study abroad, partnerships, simulations and scenario-based learning, undergraduate research, and project-based learning.

*Sandra Sydnor, associate professor in the White Lodging-J.W. Marriott, Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management in the College of Health and Human Sciences, is passionate about ExEd because she enjoys seeing students’ curiosity building in their lives and the ways in which they gain confidence because of it. Sydnor’s ExEd areas of expertise include partnerships and project-based experiences, undergraduate research, service learning, and reflection. 

Those interested in consulting with an ExEd Champion should email Jennifer Dobbs-Oates (jendo@purdue.edu) to be matched with a relevant Champion.

The Office of Experiential Education was created to carry out the experiential education portion of the Transformative Education 2.0 initiative. The office is part of the Office of the Provost, in the Teaching and Learning Division.