We Invite you to Join our Steps to Leaps 2025 Summit

Wednesday, March 12, 2025 from 11:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. EST
Beck Agricultural Center, 4550 US 52, West Lafayette, IN 47906

Please RSVP by February 28 at 5 p.m.

RSVP

We look forward to this professional development opportunity to connect with you.

 

SCHEDULE


11:30 a.m. | Arrival

Participants are welcome to visit with colleagues while enjoying a banquet-style lunch
beginning at 11:30 a.m. and continuing into the welcome remarks and awards ceremony. 

 

There will be 15-minute breaks between each session.

12 p.m. | Welcome and Awards Ceremony

Opening remarks will include messages from Vice Provost for Student Life, Beth McCuskey, Ph.D.
and Senior Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning, Jenna Rickus, Ph.D.
Following the opening remarks, we will announce the recipients of this year's Steps to Leaps Awards. 


1 - 1:45 p.m. | First Break-out Presentations:

  • Table Talk: How Food and Finances Impact Student Success – Presented by Carmen Williams  - Room 111A  
    This presentation explores the intersection of food insecurity and financial challenges college students face. It highlights how limited financial resources contribute to difficulty accessing nutritious food, exacerbating stress and negatively impacting academic performance. The discussion includes key statistics, personal anecdotes and potential solutions, such as on-campus food pantries, financial literacy programs and policy changes to alleviate these struggles for students. How can you and I help?

  • Unleashing Potential: Transforming Imposter Syndrome into EmpowermentPresented by  Martina McQuay, Desmine Robinson - Room 111B
    This presentation discusses how professionals can use their experience to increase self-efficacy in new work environments. The premise of our presentation is when professionals are confident in what they have done, they can be confident in what they can do. We discuss trusting the process, leaning on community and using transferable skills to cultivate greater professional self-esteem. The reflective questions throughout, guide potential participants from feeling like imposters to feeling like assets.

  • Developing Skills and Supporting Well-being through Student-Faculty Partnership –  Presented by Daniel Guberman, Kal Holder, Sadie Nay and Annette Tan - Room 141
    In this presentation, we highlight the importance and possibilities of student-faculty and student-staff partnerships. Through Purdue’s Student Pedagogy Advocates program, we demonstrate the ways that these partnerships can have a transformative effect on individual students, instructors and staff as well as the institution as a whole. In accordance with the Steps to Leaps pillars, our student presenters will highlight how engaging in partnership has helped them develop leadership skills, expand their network through meaningful relationships, persevere through the challenges of navigating a very large research institution, support and advocate for their own and others’ well-being and ultimately have a significant impact on teaching and learning at Purdue.

    After hearing directly from students about how the Student Pedagogy Advocates program supports each of these pillars, attendees will be guided in brainstorming ways they can better incorporate student partnership into their roles. We will conclude with invitations to participants to get involved in this work, whether directly through the Student Pedagogy Advocates program or in developing their own opportunities (as has been done in Libraries and the Honors College).

  • From Vibe to Vision: How to Make your Programming More Engaging - Presented by Crystal Cordes - Room 117
    This presentation will explain the different types of programming utilized to create more impactful outreach. In addition, we will discuss ways to make programming more exciting and approachable for faculty, staff and students.

2 - 2:45 p.m. | Second Break-out Presentations:

  • Perspective Project Partner Impact Presented by Will Evans, Stephanie Knight, Heather Servaty-Seib - Room 141
    The Perspective Project is a Steps to Leaps initiative designed to help Purdue instructors infuse the Steps to Leaps pillars into their classrooms. The project was launched in the fall of 2023. This presentation will offer a review of preliminary findings regarding instructors' and campus resource partners' perceptions regarding the impact of the program on themselves and also on enrolled students.

  • Implementing Well-Being and Impact Pillars into an Online Undergraduate CoursePresented by Christi Masters and Britni Henze - Room 111A   
    This presentation will share information about integrating two Steps to Leaps pillars (specifically well-being and impact) into an online undergraduate course as part of the Steps to Leaps Perspective Project. SLHS 11500 is a required course often taken by freshmen entering the major of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences. It also includes students in various majors since it meets the university core requirement for the Science, Technology and Society Core. This presentation will discuss ways that well-being and impact can be integrated into an already established course. Activities on topics such as compassion fatigue and being open to help-seeking will be discussed. Additionally, students learn that they can have a significant impact on campus culture and those around them as they learn more about speech and language disorders and neurodiversity-affirming practices.

    A collaboration between the course instructor and a partner within the Office of the Dean of Students was established and will be described. While the presentation will focus on how this was implemented in an online asynchronous course, activities are also applicable to face-to-face classes. Qualitative information from student reflections will be shared. The next steps will also be discussed. For example, the instructor will continue the activities in the course while adding a pre-and post-assessment tool (the Beliefs, Events and Values Inventory) to have a quantitative measure of student learning as a result of the activities.

  • Building Your Personal Board of Directors Presented by Mikayla Woodward - Room 111B
    We all need a support system, those who are there to hug us, but also those who are there to tug us. Whether you need emotional support during your toughest moments or you need people in your corner to push you in a different direction. Learn how to be intentional about who you surround yourself with.

  • Honoring the Dignity of Others and Why It Matters Presented by Frank Robinson - Room 117
    This is a presentation to dive deeper into the definition of dignity, how to value it in others and how that can help students throughout their professional careers.

3 - 3:45 p.m. | Third Break-out Presentations:

  • Leveraging Alumni Resources to Nurture International Students' Adaptability –  Presented by  Shihling Chui-Dwyer  - Room 111A
    This presentation will talk about how to leverage alumni resources to benefit international students through a mentorship program and other collaborations between the career center and the Alumni Association Office.

  • Living the Student Experience: Insights from a Student Trustee in Residence Presented by Kevin Boes - Room 117
    This presentation, led by Kevin Boes, a PhD student and Purdue's Student Trustee, explores the unique perspectives gained from living in University Residences while serving on the Board of Trustees. Kevin highlights key themes such as the importance of experiential learning for personal growth and belonging and the role of high-traffic, multipurpose spaces in fostering student connections. Drawing from 100+ conversations with individuals across various roles within the Purdue community, Kevin shares stories and strategic recommendations to enhance the student experience through University Residences and Student Life.

  • Are We Really Listening? Coaching Strategies to Engage with Mindfulness and Care with Colleagues, Supervisees and Students –  Presented by  Donnie Otto - Room 111B  
    Do you ever feel not heard? Overwhelmed by all the 1:1 meetings? Not connecting well with certain people? Notice those you work with struggle to overcome roadblocks? This session will give you frameworks, skills and mindsets to show up for those (it is impossible to be at 100% all of the time) you work with. With the busy world of technology, understaffing and life stressors, this workshop will aid you in refocusing how to best show up for others using coaching techniques to advise, supervise and collaborate with others.

  • Data Informed Well-being: Leveraging Data for Promoting a Healthier Community –  Presented by  Chris Hanes, Ph.D. - Room 141  
    There are many ways to assess and research well-being. In this presentation, we will discuss the many ways we've examined partnerships to increase well-being education in the classroom, campus-wide well-being metrics and examining student well-being. You will hear about the manner in which the assessment and research have been discussed, findings and programs created or changes that have been made.