LLA students are admitted into the Larsen Leaders Academy Learning Community. You will have the option of joining the live-in portion of our learning community. Although not required, it’s a great opportunity to get to know other LLA students and develop a strong cohort.
Students from this learning community reside in Freida Parker Hall, which offers suite and semi-suite style units. Click here to apply to live with the learning community.
Regardless of your living arrangement, all LLA Learning Community students will participate in a shared classroom through MGMT 11000 (Introduction to Management and Information Strategies) and MGMT 29500 (Professional Career Management), where you will learn the basics of the science of management as you start your professional development.
Other activities include a welcome conference, career fair workshop, study abroad fair and guest speakers. It’s all to provide the tools you’ll need to be a valued and effective leader.
Many of the activities you will participate in as an LLA student will gain credit toward a Larsen Leadership Concentration, which will be noted on your official academic transcript and signify your status as a successful leader.
Through 12 credit hours of coursework and extracurriculars including case competitions, immersive experiences, internships and mentoring, you'll develop skills that allow you to deliver real solutions to senior executive teams before you graduate, bringing your resume alive for recruiters.
Larsen Leaders Academy students in good standing will have the opportunity to enroll in unforgettable transformative experiential learning trips in their sophomore, junior or senior years. They include:
Participants study historical leaders on the very grounds where President Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address and are put in situations similar to those faced by military leaders during the decisive battle of the Civil War. Learn more about this trip here.
At Cape Canaveral or the Kennedy Space Center, students learn from pilots and astronauts about decision-making and risk. They discover the leadership qualities of Purdue’s 27 astronauts, as well as alum Sully Sullenberger, who guided a commercial jet to an emergency landing on the Hudson River.
This European trip allows students to learn about the great leaders, strategies and tactics that won the war. You’ll discover the humility, humanity and courage needed from the very locations where those decisions were made.
During this trip to California, students learn about the need for credibility and courage that leaders possess. Participants experience vulnerability as they brave the wilderness with alumni and corporate partners.
Leaders must be able to think quickly on their feet and adapt to changing situations. You’ll develop cognitive flexibility and agility by studying improvisation from creative actors at the Lafayette Civic Theatre.
Purdue has a long and storied relationship with auto racing, including several links to the world’s most famous course. Here students are exposed to leadership positions within the motorsports and automotive industries.
You can be awarded up to $1,000 to build your own dream. Some opportunities include, but are not limited to:
There’s almost no end to the possibilities of what you can do!
Applications for a Transformational Experiences Grant for the 2023-2024 academic year will be accepted August 1, 2023–March 31, 2024. Only Larsen Leaders Academy students are eligible for this grant. Apply here.
View the Larsen Leaders Academy Transformational Experience Grant Guidelines for more information, and contact Steve Shelby, director of the Larsen Leaders Academy, with questions.
Below are two videos from past recipients of the LLA Transformational Experiences Grant that showcase the types of opportunities available to you.
Students admitted to the Larsen Leaders Academy beginning in 2019 who have a demonstrated financial need as determined by Purdue University’s Division of Financial Aid*, are eligible for a study abroad scholarship that covers the full cost of any of the Daniels School's short term study abroad programs, including a fixed allowance for travel expenses. Students participating in semester programs may receive up to $6,000. Students who also receive scholarship money from other sources at Purdue (e.g. Purdue Moves) may receive a Larsen scholarship that makes up the difference between the full cost of the program and their other scholarship. The Larsen scholarship may be used one time during the student’s tenure at the Daniels School, subject to being in good academic standing and being qualified for the program.
For more information, please contact your advisor.
*Students must have submitted a FAFSA to Purdue University to be considered. Students who receive a Larsen Leaders Academy Study Abroad scholarship are not eligible for the Transformational Experiences Grant. See your advisor for more details.
The spring leadership retreat is designed to provide a rapid leadership development experience in an immersive, novel context. This three-day intensive offsite workshop will help you develop your leadership skills through role play, simulation and practice. The fun teambuilding and social networking opportunity will be offered four times, which count toward the Larsen Leaders Concentration.
Through theater improvisation, you will have an opportunity to develop cognitive flexibility and creativity. This teambuilding experience will take you to a civic theater organization for a creativity workshop and a learning performance from an improv group.
"I have made so many new friends and connections through the Larsen Leaders Academy. I met two of my best friends at initiation in the fall."
Briana Turner, Class of 2024
