Steps to Leaps Lunch & Learns

Steps to Leaps Lunch and Learns, are 1 hour sessions (currently virtual) held during the academic year, created for campus colleagues who would like to learn more about Purdue Steps to Leaps, gain insight into ways Steps to Leaps integrates easly into their current efforts, receive valuable insight from experts on a variety of topics aimed at supporting students both during their time at Purdue and beyond. To stay up to date on upcoming Lunch and Learns, please be sure to visit our events page regularly. To suggest a topic, please email steptoleaps@purdue.edu 

May 18, 2020

Building Connections at a Distance: Icebreakers, Energizers and Team Building Ideas for a Virtual World, presented by Traves Freeland

Learn about various activities to increase connection between students or staff at a distance....View the session recording here. (requires a BoilerKey login to access)

May 14, 2020

Planning for the Un-plannable, presented by Drew Mattison, Partner at Tremendousness, Purdue Student Life Advisory Council and Executive in Residence 

You may think you can plan for everything, but it's just a matter of preparing yourself to the best of your ability for what's coming, then adapt and adjust with resiliency... Read the full 'Planning for the Unplannable' session recap here.

April 23, 2020

Supporting Students with an Inclusive Lens, a roundtable discussion with: 

• Zenephia Evans, assoc. dean of students, Education and Advocacy
• Michelle Ashcraft, director of Purdue Promise
• Baraka Corley, director of Horizons
• Christopher Munt, inclusive excellence specialist, Division of Diversity and Inclusion

Listen to our roundtable discussion about how our diverse student body may be impacted differently by our new paradigm and hear about some ways some Purdue departments are supporting students with an inclusive lens. A brief overview of resources to support students from diverse backgrounds will be discussed as well... Read the full 'Supporting Student with an Inclusive Lens' discussion recap here.

April 17, 2020

Off-boarding with Cassia Dean, coordinator of engagement and outreach for Student Life

We talk about onboarding a lot in our jobs as professionals. We don't talk much about off-boarding. And yet in many cases, it can be more important than the onboarding process, particularly with our volunteer organizations. If a staff member or a student leaves on good terms, and they feel great about the department, they are more likely to return, and they may apply for jobs here. That's always a good thing... Read the full 'Off-boarding' session recap here.

April 15, 2020

Supporting the Well-Being of Students in Self-Isolation, a conversation with: 

• Dr. Susan Prieto-Welch, director, Counseling and Psychological Services
• Dr. Heather Servaty-Seib, associate dean for Student Life, Honors College and Professir of Counseling Psychology

Learn some of the reasons why physical distancing is challenging for students, how the broad concepts of loss and grief can be applied to students' experiences during physical distancing and the COVID-19 pandemic and how to identify some of the signs of distress from students who struggle during physical distancing... Read the full 'Supporting the Well-Being of Students' discussion recap here.

April 9, 2020

Tools and Tips for Creating Programs for Students at a Distance panel discussion, with: 

• Chelsea Harris, assistant director, programs, Student Activities and Organizations
• Jenny Strickland, interim sr. asst. director - integrated communications, student development & fitness, Recreation & Wellness
• Payton Gross, integrated communication student intern, Recreation & Wellness

This session provides a brief walkthrough of how to use WebEx, a discussion of YouTube and Facebook Live.
Hear about the steps taken by RecWell and Purdue Memorial Union staff to provide online programs for students as well as a brief overview of additional technological resources is provided... Read the full 'Tools and Tips for Creating Programs at a Distance' panel discussion session recap here.

April 1, 2020

Supporting Students at a Distance Using Steps to Leaps panel discussion, with: 

• Louis Tay, associate professor, Industrial-Organizational Psychology
• Sandy Monroe, exec. director of University Undergraduate Academic Advising
• Ellen Gundlach, managing director, The Data Mine

The student experience has drastically changed during the Coronavirus Pandemic. The Steps to Leaps Pillars—Well-being, Leadership and Professional Development, Impact, Networks, and Grit—provide a valuable framework to continue supporting our students at a distance. This panel discussion gives a sense of how others are navigating this new paradigm by incorporating the Steps to Leaps program... Read the full 'Supporting Students,' panel discussion session recap here. 

March 19, 2020

Programming from a Distance A Community of Practice Conversation, presented by Dr. Carl Krieger, director of residential education for Student Life

For optimal learning, a student must feel there is little transactional distance between themselves and their teacher or mentor. A student needs to feel close to the person establishing their programs or their instructor because their learning decreases the further they feel from that person... Read the full 'Programming at a Distance,' session recap here.

March 9, 2020

Generation Z and the Intersection of Their Needs with Steps to Leaps, presented by Dr. Beth McCuskey, vice provost for Student Life

Each generation expects something different from their collegiate experience, and Generation Z is no exception. Dr. Beth McCuskey discussed the intersection between the needs of this new generation, Generation Z, and Steps to Leaps... Read the full 'Generation Z' session recap here. 

March 3, 2020

Leadership and Professional Development Initiative, presented by Stephanie Knight, director of Student Leadership Initiative

Purdue University strives to create holistic leadership experiences for students. The Leadership and Professional Development Initiative (LPDI) promotes student success by helping undergraduates learn how to lead in the classroom, workplace, community and world. The question is: “What do they need in order to be able to synthesize their experiences to create their best selves during their time at Purdue, their time in their career and also in society.”... Read the full 'Leadership and Professional Development Initiative,' session recap here.

February 17, 2020

Practical Tips for Quick Student Conversations, presented by Katie Dufault

What are some common student situations or responses you see in your role?

Questions are one of the most powerful tools we have in developing change. So identify those that are relevant for you in your conversations with students, and then recognize how your work, or work that your colleagues are doing, connects back to Steps to Leaps... Read the full 'Practical Tips' session recap here