2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Cultivating Global Leadership in Engineering: Insights from a Gateway Course

Presented at International Division (INTL): Cultivating Global Competencies

This paper investigates a strategy for cultivating global leadership skills among engineering students through co-curricular programs. It focuses on a required gateway course in the Global Engineering Fellows program at the Pennsylvania State University, designed for undergraduates who have participated in international experiences. The program aligns with institutional goals of fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, and cultural competency, aiming to produce engineers with global leadership capabilities. Participants develop cross-cultural awareness, communication, and leadership skills, further enhanced by a one-credit gateway course. This paper reviews the course content and discusses continuous improvements informed by student feedback and global leadership development with cultural perspectives. Evaluation data highlights student gains in cultural and professional competencies, shaping their academic and career trajectories. The findings underscore the value of integrating global leadership training into engineering education and offer insights into program improvements and best practices for future implementation.

Authors

Dr. Patrick Tunno [biography]

Dr. Patrick Tunno is the Director of Penn State’s Center for Global Engineering Engagement and an Associate Teaching Professor. He has overseen and continues to lead the development and expansion of diverse global initiatives. Under his leadership, the college has established an award-winning Global Engineering Fellows Program, launched Penn State’s first 3+1+1 program for international students to pursue a one-year master’s degree, and initiated new interdisciplinary faculty-led study abroad programs. Additionally, he has worked for the Federal government, served on foreign language faculty, and led multiple study abroad programs. Tunno earned an M.B.A. at SDA Bocconi University (Milan, Italy) and a Ph.D. from Penn State, with his research focused on the development of global competencies through study abroad programs.
Dr. Robert J. Rabb P.E. The Pennsylvania State University [biography]

Robert Rabb is the associate dean for education in the College of Engineering at Penn State. He previously served as a professor and the Mechanical Engineering Department Chair at The Citadel. He previously taught mechanical engineering at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the United Military Academy and his M.S. and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. His research and teaching interests are in mechatronics, regenerative power, and multidisciplinary engineering.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025

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