Penn State Emerging Leaders - Staff

The Penn State Emerging Leaders (PSEL) program focuses on identifying and developing the attributes of effective leadership. Emerging Leaders are typically early career professionals looking to develop their leadership skills or current leaders seeking to raise their performance or make a change. Through a series of instructor-led seminars, assessments, and self-directed learning activities, participants will develop their personal Leadership Philosophy Statement based on their unique experience, perspective, skills, and goals and establish a Leadership Development Plan.

Program Details

Participants will complete a series of self-directed learning activities and attend 12 virtual seminars and conversations using Teams. Seminar topics are: 

  • Program Introduction (3 hours) 
  • Clifton Strengths Debriefs (1 hour)
  • Discovering and Applying your Clifton Strengths (2 hours)
  • Citizen to Leader (2.5 hours) 
  • Emotional Intelligence (2.5 hours) 
  • Growing Your Influence (2.5 hours) 
  • Role of a Leader (2 hours) 
  • Peer Coaching (2 hours)
  • Owning Your Career (1.5 hours) 
  • Inclusive Leadership (2.5 hours) 
  • A Leadership Conversation (1.25 hours) 
  • Program Wrap-Up (2 hours) 

Upon completion of the program, participants earn a badge that can be included in an email signature, resume, vitae, portfolio, or shared to social media (i.e., LinkedIn profile).

Each year, two sessions of the PSEL program are administered.

  • Spring Session: February - April
  • Fall Session: September - November

Overall, a participant should plan to commit 50 - 60 hours over a period of 12 weeks to successfully meet the program expectations.
 

Program Enrollment

The process to enroll begins with the submission of the Expression of Interest form. This form has two sections – the Applicant Statement and the Supervisor Statement. Because this program requires a significant time commitment from the participant and the direct involvement of the supervisor, it is important that the applicant’s supervisor is informed and engaged from the outset.

To be considered for this program, applicants must be full-time employees who have been in their current role for at least one year. Applicants in the Manager, Senior Manager or Principal Manager job profiles are ineligible. Applicants in the Supervisor job profile are eligible.

Individuals in manager job profiles, interested in developing their skills should explore the content in the Transition to Supervision or Management Concepts programs.