Assessment News

PNC Leadership Assessment Center Spring 2012

Newsworthy Updates
The PNC LAC is getting public attention within the Penn State community and outside to the broader psychology community. Page 2

Participant Reflections
A trip down memory lane from two of our first participants Page 3

Meet our People

It takes a lot of hardworking individuals to make it all work. Get to know some of ours! Page 5

Letter from the Director: Rick Jacobs

Six years ago the Leadership Assessment Center was simply an idea looking for a place to happen. Through the hard work of many the idea began to grow, take shape, and gain focus. Faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates all participated in the process of developing a set of exercises that had the potential to assess leadership capabilities in our participants. Evaluation tools and assessment center procedures were then created and with those complete we literally were looking for a place to house our newly created program. A visit to the Career Center solved that problem and as I have said repeatedly, if I were to design a building to house an assessment center I could do no better than the Bank of America Career Center (kind of ironic that the center is sponsored by one great bank and takes place in a building named for another). With the necessary exercises and assessment processes in place, the building made available, all we needed were volunteers to act as assessors and to run the center. Wow, what a response from the very first request and that overwhelming response has continued and grown over time. The assessment center was a good idea that has been made great by all those who have participated and all who have given generously to help us fund the enterprise. PNCs lead gift has been supplemented by many others and we look forward to creating an endowment to ensure that the PNC LAC continues to provide opportunities for all our students, dedicated alums and other friends. We are so pleased that the PNC LAC has become such a success and we recognize that it all came about because so many have been willing to share their time, skills and expertise to help our students. Thank you. Rick Jacobs is professor of psychology at Penn State, a position he has coveted for 33 years and one he describes as "The Best Job in the World." He is a practicing industrial psychologist who runs his own consulting firm where numerous assessment centers are created and implemented each year. His teaching and work in the field is guided by the scientist-practitioner model where research and application inform each other.

News-worthy Updates from the PNC LAC

The LAC goes Public!
After participating in the LAC this Fall 2011, Megan Dutill, wrote an article posted on the Schreyer Honors College website about the LAC. Not only did she write an overview article about the LAC soliciting perspectives from past participants and the founder, Rick Jacobs, but she also wrote about her day in the life experience and what it meant to her personally and professionally. To read her article, you can visit the website link: http://www.shc.psu.edu/news/news_item.cfm?id=187 In addition to this internal publicity the LAC has received, the team is going to Orlando this summer to give a presentation at the American Psychological Association annual conference. For the presentation, we intend on highlighting some of the benefits and challenges of implementing assessment centers at the university level. Specifically, we will examine the benefits and challenges through three distinct stages: science, practice, and utility. For example, when developing the LAC, we were tasked to find a competency model and create a set of exercises that would be applicable to students across disciplines. Additionally, we will comment on some of the benefits we have seen since implementing the AC. Not only are there direct benefits to the undergraduates involved but there are also benefits to the graduate student assessors and feedback providers, to other departments in the college through our collaborative work with them, and to Penn State by enhancing its reputation by having more prepared college graduates in the workforce. We hope that by presenting our progression from development to our fourth year of implementation, we will provide attendees with practical advice on implementing assessment centers in a unique setting. The symposium includes researchers from Colorado State University, California State University-Fullerton, and University of Maryland who will each share their own experiences of implementing an assessment center at their respective university. While most presentations on assessment centers in the past have focused on their implementation in organizations, we are confident that this will be a value-added presentation and will provide attendees with strategies and techniques to apply back at their university.

Welcome to Nicole!
Next year, Nicole Ginther will be assuming the role of graduate student director. We look forward to her new ideas and enthusiasm to keep the LAC going strong!
College Affiliation of Participants

And Some Newsworthy Stats: A Closer Look at Our Participants

Agricultural Science Education Communication Science IST Liberal Arts Health & Human Dev. Engineering Business Earth & Min. Science Arts & Arch.

2.20% 1.50% 4.40% 13.30% 3% 29.60% 3.70% 17% 19.30% 2.20% 3.70%

AC BY THE NUMB3RS:
60
Alumni & Professional Assessors

24
Graduate Students

151
Assessees

10
AC Staff Members

16
AC Sessions

Possibilities

Infinite

From the LAC to P&G: Reflections from Kenny Coleman, Class of 2011
I participated in the Leadership Assessment Center (LAC) during my sophomore year at Penn State. At the time, I was currently looking for internships through Smeal (looking for Supply Chain Management positions), and heard about the center via the Schreyer Career Development office. Prior to the LAC, I had multiple years of work experience in entry-level positions typical of a high school student (cashier, sales rep, waiter), but had no experience in an office environment. My lack of relevant work experience proved to be a large barrier when speaking with companies at the career fair. I signed up for the LAC because I thought it would provide insight into the office work environment, into my own skills, and offer some clarity on the ever-so-popular interview question, What are your strengths and weaknesses? As a sophomore, it was one of the best tools that built my confidence for job hunting, created a good talking point for interviews, as well as helped me identify action steps to improve my skills. Currently, I am a manager of about a dozen employees at Procter & Gamble. Thinking back on my experiences with the LAC, I am confident in saying that the LAC helped provide insight into the working world and helped me identify areas of opportunity within my own skill set. Working in ambiguity, prioritizing multiple tasks, and communicating effectively were all part of the LAC, and are challenges that I face every day today. Looking back at my assessment and identifying effective ways to improve my skills or identify hidden weaknesses have helped me become a better manager. As an alumnus of the LAC, I would recommend it to any interested student. Even if you do not anticipate entering a typical office work Continued on page 4.

Assessor Spotlight: Robert Edwards

Robert Edwards is the chief operating officer for Corporate & Institutional Banking at PNC. He has been working with PNC Bank since 1978. Robert is a member of the National Automated Clearing House Association Board of Directors and a member of the External Advisory Board of the Penn State Schreyer Honors College. He is also a faculty member of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Treasury Management Series. Having participated in a few sessions, I always come away impressed by the quality and the commitment of the students involved. That extends to the grad assistants and other students that help facilitate the program. Everyone, leadership participants and the students running the program are very engaged and enjoyable to work with. Inevitably, there is a lighter moment or two throughout the day. I have also been very pleased with the quality of the experience afforded the participants. The program is demanding and the simulated experiences are realistic. I can certainly relate to the fast paced and challenging environment the students find themselves in during the program. For many, it is a good preview of what the real world has in store once they are working. And, more importantly, the feedback to the participants is productive and, for some, may make a huge impact on their chances for success in the future. Things like body language, eye contact, use of slang language are very impacting and the students often don't realize that they are undermining their effectiveness in interacting one on one or in a group setting. So, for me, I always feel privileged to provide a little help to a high quality program that is really delivering benefit to some of Penn State's gifted students.

Participant Spotlight: Arianna Simpson

When a friend suggested I apply to participate in the PNC Leadership Assessment Center, I was unsure about its relevance to my majors, International Politics and Spanish. I felt it was designed for those entering the business world. As I went through the program, however, this myth was dispelled; the LAC incorporated elements from workplaces as diverse as nonprofits and corporations. I greatly appreciated the fact that the information I gained from participating in the Leadership Assessment Center is relevant to a wide range of academic and professional settings. In addition to its broad applicability, one feature of the Assessment Center which I found particularly useful was its focus on giving direct advice on areas where I could improve. It provided me with clear feedback I could apply immediately. Since then, I have made a conscious effort to take this advice and apply it in other settings, including at my internship and several conferences at which I have presented.

environment, the challenges of managing very different tasks, collaborating with individuals with drastically different educational backgrounds, as well as the pressure of performing in a short time period is something that is applicable to jobs or internships in just about any field. I think highly of my experience with the LAC and cherish the skills I gained through my participation.

From Participant to Research Assistant to Assessor: Reflections from Valerie Smolter, Class of 2011
One of the most rewarding opportunities for me as student at Penn State was being a part of the PNC Leadership Assessment Center. Understanding my strengths and weakness at such a critical point in my college career provided me invaluable insight and fantastic feedback to support my continued growth. As one of the first participants to be assessed I never imagined the amount of time, thought, and dedication that each assessor put into their evaluations. As a Research Assistant for the LAC, I worked with a great team to prepare the details for what always appears to be a flawless event. But, I never truly understood the day from the eyes of an assessor. Finally in the Fall of 2011, I had the opportunity to come full circle as an PNC LAC supporter making an appearance as assessor. I jumped at the chance to bring along my future husband too so he could finally understand what I did on so many Saturday afternoons. I can now say first hand that the most difficult job in the LAC is serving as the role of an assessor. Although the most challenging experience in the LAC to date it was and still has been extremely rewarding for my development as a young professional. I have found that the ability to read behaviors, understand the competencies of leadership, provide meaningful feedback, and help others grow has helped me to develop my own leadership skills.

One of the best lessons I have learned from my experience helping young undergrads understand their strengths and development opportunities has been the ability to look for and evaluate the leadership styles and qualities in others. In my current job, I constantly work in a team environment and rely on leadership both formally and informally nearly every day. By having the skills and ability to read leadership behaviors without bias, I have become stronger team member and have, frankly, impressed many people. I often find myself in situations providing honest upward feedback to some of the most senior leadership in my firm. I reflect back on my years with the Assessment Center and soon realize why my assessment skills are so sharp. It has been an amazing journey to be a part of the PNC LAC as it has grown to support so many students over the years. I am truly amazed at the LAC and its ability to keep providing me with opportunities for growth and development. As an official Alumni, I can honestly say the LAC not only helps to develop future leaders but also refines necessary skills in individuals who are leaders now. I look forward to serving as an assessor for many years to come as I now know the LAC will continue to be my favorite place for new challenges and development.

Meet Our People

Rick Jacobs, Ph.D.
Founder & Faculty Director

Alissa Parr
Graduate Director

Nicole Ginther
Graduate Co-Director

Greg Loviscky, Ph.D.

Co-Founder & Faculty

Yang Zhang
Faculty Research Volunteer

Megan Nolan
Undergraduate Research Assistant

Gail Goochee
Undergraduate Research Assistant

Undergraduate Research Volunteers ! Rachel Dreibelbis ! Megan Naude ! Andrea Hetrick

Alumni/Professional Assessors
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Stephanie Arney Vicky Barto Nick Bennardo Mary Beth Long Gerry Brandon Bill Brashers Christian Burchfield Wendy Buterbaugh Paula Caliguiri Robert Dapper Marke Dickinson Melissa Doberstein Cathy Dufour Robert Edwards Susan Edwards Sherri Fike Steph Flanagan Sandra Ford Allie Gabriel Dallas Garner Durant

Graduate Student Assessors

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Roxy Piaskowski Brian Redmond John Rooney Brady Rourke Rick Steckroth Valerie Smolter Stephen Snyder Greg Tallman Kevin Tesler Edie Trent Gil Wetzel Mary Kay Williams Billie Willits Yang Zhang

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Steve Gerras Jayme Goldberg Linda Haft Julie Hartley Carol Herrmann Bennett Hoffman Rodney Hughes Stephanie Hulina Aaron Jacobs Stephanie Keiser Michele Kirsch Susan Knell Judy Larkin Betsy Lau Ed Marx Jacqueline McGirrConti Marc McMullin Rebecca Mulvaney Christina Nagashima Ethier Chris Paliani

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Lily Cushenbery Paige Deckert Jennifer Diamond Amanda Drescher Joshua Fairchild Dinora Fitzgerald Nicole Ginther Lawrence Houston Matt Howard Daniel Kuyumcu Sarina Maneotis Adam Myer Avi Pai Alissa Parr Peter Reiley

! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Ana Salgado Katina Sawyer Shin-I Shih Rachel Shlayen Krithika Sundar Sushmita Sundaram Rachel Tesler Christian Thoroughgood ! Sinem Turgut

More Photos from this year...

We are excited to announce the Fall 2012 Assessment Dates: October 13th, 2012 November 10th, 2012
To learn more about how you can get involved in these assessments, please email SHCLAC@psu.edu.

FROM ALL OF US

THANKS FOR ALL THAT YOU DO TO M AKE THE PNC LAC A SUCCESS!
To learn more about the Center and to hear about updates, please visit our website: http://www.shc.psu.edu/alumni/lac/ If you have any questions, comments, or feedback you would like to share please send us an e-mail to SHCLAC@psu.edu.