The John Lof Leadership Academy at the University of Connecticut-WIP

Abstract

Engineering PhD programs in the U.S. engineering focus almost exclusively on imparting technical content and deep subject matter expertise and fail to provide the leadership, communication, and cultural competencies increasingly required of today's high-tech workforce. The John Lof Leadership Academy (JLLA) is an innovative leadership program for engineering graduate students that was founded at the University of Connecticut in 2018 to create culturally competent visionaries in the field of engineering. John Lof Scholars develop their leadership abilities through focused training, specialized workshops and seminars, and active learning. Run by graduate students from various departments based on a "for us, by us" program philosophy, the JLLA empowers its members to develop as leaders in their fields by aiming leadership training through the lens of each individual's career and personal goals. Academy members hone their skills through hands-on learning and practice provided through collaboration with and outreach to communities both within and outside the university, from whom they receive mentoring and support. Recently, the JLLA sought to assess the effectiveness of the program by means of a multifactor leadership questionnaire (MLQ), Journal Prompts and quizzes /testimonials with mixed preliminary results. While anecdotal evidence indicates the academy's program is, indeed, succeeding in instilling leadership skills among engineering graduates, no formal study has yet been completed. By producing the research described here, the JLLA hopes to establish its program as a model for LEAD division members for fostering the development of inclusive, diverse, and equitable engineering leaders, educators, and researchers and to help bridge the gap between traditional academic graduate studies and the workforce demand for practical and applied leadership skills. LEAD Division strategy priority: Inform. Key project objective: To assess the effectiveness of an innovative engineering-specific leadership group for graduate students.