Interpersonal Skills and Intercultural Knowledge

Appropriate & Productive Relationships

Committing to constant expansion and improvement of skills, abilities, knowledge and understanding by adopting continuous learning strategies (e.g., seeking feedback, observing others, exploring alternatives, practicing current skills, seeking training and education, etc.).

Cultural Intelligence & Inclusion

Taking charge of a situation either individually to fill a need or motivating others to take action. Completing tasks without having to be followed-up with or reminded and can be relied upon and trusted to carry out commitments.

Helping Others & Collaboration

Accepting ownership for not meeting expectations or achieving desired outcomes, receives feedback from others and is able to consider it in order to develop competencies and effectiveness.

Organizational Behavior & Teamwork

Facing challenges, adversity, and major setbacks and learning from the experience, take corrective action, and rise to the next challenge.

Service & Social Responsibility

Understanding one’s beliefs, values, culture, actions, personality, strengths, and weaknesses.

Resources
Looking for ways to develop your interpersonal skills and intercultural knowledge? Check out some of the opportunities available to you below:

Service and Social Responsibility

• Civic Engagement and Leadership Development
  • Learn about the leadership development and community engagement programs available at Purdue and learn how to be a leader for positive change!
• Center for Intercultural Learning, Mentoring, Assessment and Research – Peace Corps Prep
  • PCP is an academic and co-curricular certificate program that assists in building the skills and insights you need to have a positive impact as a Peace Corps Volunteer or worker in areas of community transformation or humanitarian aid. Upon completion of the program, participants receive a certificate from the Peace Corps.
• Purdue Engineering EPICS
  • EPICS is a unique program in which teams of undergraduates are designing, building, and deploying real systems to solve engineering-based problems for local community service and education organizations. EPICS was founded at Purdue University in Fall 1995 and has since spread to a diverse group of Universities in the United States and abroad, as well as to a number of k12 programs.
• Center for Advocacy, Response & Education
  • Get educated about social responsibility topics such as power-based personal violence 101, supporting a survivor, boiler up & intervene and more.
• Air Force ROTC
  • Welcome to Purdue University - Detachment 220, home of the Boilermakers. Det. 220 is comprised of nearly 200 future Air Force and Space Force leaders and boasts a scope of operations unmatched at most universities with Air Force ROTC programs. Our proud tradition of excellence in training and officer development provides cadets with vital leadership skills not found in the classroom. Each year, Purdue consistently commissions 15+ rated positions such as pilot and combat systems officer, along with a variety of other career fields. From generals to astronauts, Det 220 has forged warrior leaders that have been recognized nationally for their outstanding accomplishments.
• Army ROTC
  • Army ROTC is an elective curriculum you take along with your required college classes. It prepares you with the tools, training and experiences that will help you succeed in any competitive environment. Along with great leadership training, Army ROTC can pay for your college tuition, and provide other monetary benefits. The best part of the ROTC program is that it allows you to have a normal college student experience like everyone else on campus, but when you graduate, you will be a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
• Naval ROTC
  • Welcome to the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) and the Naval Science Department of Purdue University! Challenges await you in the NROTC program. We are committed to providing the very best qualified officers for service in the United States Navy and Marine Corps. To attain this goal, we focus on academics, leadership, physical readiness and community involvement. We provide students with the skills necessary to succeed, not only as naval officers, but more importantly, as citizens of this great country.

• College of Education Certificate in Collaborative Leadership (Undergraduate Students)
  • Collaborative leadership is the process through which leaders, guided by self-knowledge and interpersonal awareness, facilitate and empower the potential of diverse individuals and groups through enhanced understanding of factors such as individual motivation, interpersonal skills, and group dynamics. The undergraduate Certificate in Collaborative Leadership (CCL) is open to students campus-wide and consists of 3-credit bearing courses.
• College of Agriculture Leadership Development Certification Program (LDCP)
  • The Leadership Development Certificate Program is a flexible, personalized program to prepare you for a career and enhance your leadership development in four areas: Personal: Gain skills in self-awareness, leadership and ethics, Interpersonal: Embrace diversity, manage conflict and enhance communication, Group/Organizational: Develop teams, lead change and manage projects and Community: Practice citizenship, understand community and serve others.
• Fraternity, Sorority and Cooperative Life Programs
  • Fraternity, Sorority And Cooperative Leadership Institute, Fraternity, Sorority & Cooperative Leadership Summit, CPLA, Cooperative Housing Leadership Conference, Cooperative Housing New Member Education Night, New Member Orientation.

Organizational Behavior & Teamwork

• Polytechnic Institute Organizational Leadership Minor
  • A minor in organizational leadership will expose you to current issues in leadership and how organizations operate. The knowledge and skills you learn from these classes will be beneficial in any career after graduation.
• University Residences Learning Communities
  • Through learning communities, you have a great opportunity to connect with other students who share your interests and get to know faculty. Students who participate in a learning community earn higher grades and have increased exposure to university resources and the Greater Lafayette community.
• Recreation & Wellness Intramural Sports
  • Intramural Sports (also known as IMs) are one of the most popular ways to get involved on-campus with your fellow Boilermakers. The IM program provides the opportunity for individual, dual, and/or team leagues, tournaments, and events in more than 40 sport offerings! Be one of 18,000+ students that participates in sports like basketball, flag football, sand volleyball, soccer, softball & more. Compete and earn a signature championship t-shirt.
• Recreation & Wellness
  • Here at Purdue RecWell, we aren’t here to just get people in shape. We’re here to shape people. And to shape a community. We’re a team on a mission to build minds as well as bodies. A team who believes in helping people thrive in life. We have no interest in being average and we’re not afraid to fail. We believe in making wellness a priority. And it shows. We believe human capital is our most important asset. And worth the investment. We are committed to inclusion, we believe that diversity inspires creativity and that every Boilermaker should have access to recreation and wellness.
• Purdue Musical Organizations
  • Our students form lifelong friendships while performing more than 100 shows each year including the Purdue Christmas Show, which is presented annually to a live audience of more than 18,000 and reaches millions more through broadcasts on public television and radio networks.
    Beyond the music, PMO teaches life lessons not always covered in the classroom and becomes a home away from home for the students who give so generously of their time and talents. PMO maintains high academic standards, provides students with once-in-a-lifetime travel opportunities and offers more than $350,000 in scholarships each year.
• Center for Career Opportunities and Pre-Professional Advising
  • The Center for Career Opportunities informs and empowers students and graduates using transformative career services, innovative technologies and collaborative synergies to connect with professional opportunities within Indiana, the United States and the world.
• Student Employment
  • The staff in Purdue’s Student Employment Services is here to assist you in finding part-time work to help pay for some of your college expenses. Of course, earning money is the primary reason for getting a job. But there are many more benefits when you work during college. Working 8-12 hours per week while in school actually has been shown to help academic achievement. The workplace is a great way to meet people. While on the job you'll be able to take on new responsibilities and develop practical skills like time management, problem solving and organization. You might even make professional contacts for after graduation. Plus working looks really good on your resume!
• Careers at Purdue Dining & Culinary
  • Looking for a paycheck, real-world work experience, and a flexible schedule that fits your busy life? Purdue Dining & Culinary offers students all of these things and more, boosting your bank account while giving you valuable experience that employers are looking for after graduation.
• Student Employment at Recreation & Wellness
  • In order to work for Recreation and Wellness, visit the Student Employment website and fill out a job application.  Not sure which area you are interested in?  Check out the many jobs we have available at Recreation and Wellness below.

• Center for Intercultural Learning, Mentoring, Assessment and Research
  • Different Lenses is an intercultural and diversity training certificate workshop series open to all Purdue students who want to develop personal intercultural competency demonstrated through language skills and behaviors in order to promote inclusivity in friendship groups, student organizations, leadership positions, and with peers and professors in and outside of the classroom.
• Center for Intercultural Learning, Mentoring, Assessment and Research (GIL)
  • GIL is a professional development opportunity for faculty and staff designed to cultivate the intercultural leadership skills that will move Purdue -- West Lafayette* toward more inclusion, equity and belonging.
• Asian American and Asian Resource and Cultural Center
  • The AAARCC brings Asian and Asian American experiences to life through programming, networking, and advocacy efforts that are focused on enriching the Purdue experience for all members of our campus community. Our center is open to people of all identities and interests.
• Black Cultural Center
  • Purdue University's Black Cultural Center is a vibrant element of University life, offering a wealth of programs and services for the entire campus community. We bring together the wonderful diversity of the Purdue family by nurturing and presenting the rich heritage of the African American experience through art, history and cultural understanding. The center sponsors outstanding student performing arts ensembles in dance drama, choral music and creative writing. We also house a special collections library, a computer lab, and student organization office and meeting space.
• Latino Cultural Center
  • The Purdue University Latino Cultural Center creates an inclusive environment for the entire campus community, fostering meaningful dialogue and cultural understanding of Latinx communities. We support Latinx faculty and staff while we recruit, retain and empower Latinx students to succeed, giving them a sense of belonging until graduation and beyond.
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Center
  • The LGBTQ Center is the primary point of contact for members of the LGBTQ community as it works collaboratively with campus departments, student organizations, University administration and local community groups to connect students with the enriching resources, activities and support services they seek in order to be successful at Purdue and beyond.
• Native American Educational and Cultural Center
  • The NAECC was created to develop new generations of educated Native students who will make positive contributions in their tribal communities and to educate non-Natives who will appreciate Indigenous cultures, histories, and traditions. The foundation of the NAECC is credited to Native graduate students and Native and non-Native faculty and staff who collaborated to form the Tecumseh Project. 

Multidisciplinary

• Leadership & Professional Development Competencies Self-Guided Learning
  (Brightspace Course)
  • Employers expect students to graduate with both career specific knowledge and well developed abilities related to such areas as communication, teamwork, problem-solving, analytical reasoning, and continuous learning. This course offers self-guided learning modules to help students (1) understand employer expectations and (2) develop a strategy to meet those expectations. Each learning module focuses on a specific competency that has been identified in cooperation with employers. The competencies are also linked to the university’s embedded and foundational learning outcomes.
• Purdue Study Abroad
  • Studying abroad is serious business! First, you will be earning credits and grades that will go toward your graduation requirements. Second, you will want to fulfill personal objectives and will have to plan to achieve these goals. Finally, you will be investing serious time, effort, and money on this venture. Thus, it’s imperative that you choose a program that will allow you to get a sound return on the investments. Get started by visiting their website. Also, check out the intercultural knowledge you'll gain and its effectiveness from studying abroad.
• Student Activities & Organizations
  • SAO aims to engage students in intentional co-curricular learning experiences, acts as a catalyst for personal growth and provides resources that enrich the campus community.
• Purdue Course Listing
  • This website has a complete list of approved Purdue West Lafayette courses that may be used for meeting foundational learning outcomes. 

For specific resources, search the Experiences Database

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