April 25

Partnerships and collaborating with others across campus are a great way to amplify work, impact more students and share responsibilities – but what about partnerships that extend beyond Purdue? Programs such as Executive in Residence, Old Masters or The Data Mine connect with external alumni or companies to provide impactful programs for our students. The Kiewit Scholars program at Purdue is another example of an external collaboration that is helping our students learn more about leadership, networks and grit/persistence.

The Kiewit Corporation is a Fortune 500 construction company based in Omaha, Nebraska. They partner with Purdue to help develop academically-integrated programs that teach leadership to students in the College of Engineering and Purdue Polytechnic. Kiewit understands the importance of leadership education for both new and seasoned professionals. Their Kiewit University program provides their staff with continuing education, increasing their leadership efficacy. The Kiewit Scholars programs encourage the same for future construction leaders. The program provides scholarships for students, a three-year academic course and the opportunity to earn internships with the company. During the class, they learn the academic foundations of leadership, participate in improv exercises to help them think quickly (such as when they need to change direction in a meeting) and hear from seasoned professionals about what leadership in the professional world is like. 

Presentations from Kiewit executives, project leads and staff who are new to the workforce speak to the grit/persistence skills needed to overcome failure. Students may hear about a million-dollar mistake that required a staff member to pick themselves up, ask for support, fix their mistake and move forward. Students get advice about how to be a professional and lead a team of seasoned technicians.  

Students then have the opportunity to translate these lessons from class during experiential learning trips into the field. Kiewit Scholars have traveled to Denver to see a dam being built, Chicago to see new train lines and Dallas to see how huge swaths of interstate are constructed. Each opportunity has helped to build their leadership skills, increase their grit/persistence and grow their networks. 

Tyson McFall-Wankat, project manager for undergraduate initiatives and lead for the Kiewit Scholars program, was honored for her work with this year’s Academic Integration of Steps to Leaps Award. The program truly shows how the Steps to Leaps pillars can be integrated into an academic program.

As you look to build or expand your programs, we hope you consider external partnerships to enhance programs for student impact.