Director: Bridget Turel
At the Sidhu School we believe that leadership and career development matters. The Personal and Professional Development Series (PPD) is a four credit program closely linked to the Sidhu School business curriculum. It is an innovative, integrated, developmental advising/coaching program designed to unleash and nurture each student’s personal and professional potential.
Employers in business, government, military and social organizations all agree that superior performance depends on effective leadership up and down the line. This calls for leaders with self-awareness, empathy, emotional intelligence,vision, integrity, and compassion. Research has shown that superior leaders are authentic. They understand their own strengths and values, and the effect they have on others.They are competent, caring, resilient, and consistent. They listen, analyze, and are able to provide vision, energy, and motivation. These are capabilities, skills and behaviors the Sidhu School seeks to cultivate in its students.
The PPD provides an environment where each student can link academic content in their curriculum with career planning, extracurricular activities and leadership development. Each student has the opportunity to build a strong professional network, face social and business challenges, and practice meaningful leadership.
Throughout the PPD program students undertake on-going self-assessment, build their emotional intelligence, strengthen team building competencies, engage in field work/career preparation experiences, learn to take advantage of coaching/mentoring activities, and formulate developmental action plans and a leadership portfolio. In the process, they discover strengths and areas for improvement, nurture their passions,and facilitate their own authentic leadership journey.
The Personal and Professional journey consists of two bookend courses (PPD 101 and PPD 401 ), which are consistent for every student throughout the program. These two courses provide an introductory and capstone experience that build the foundation for the PPD program. Additionally, students choose a one credit course each in the areas of leadership competency and career focus, to customize the program to their specific developmental needs. The one credit elective courses vary each semester and are taught by subject matter experts.