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Professional Development & Continuing EducationLeadership Development Program

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Program Overview

This innovative leadership development program provides Pennsylvania State Government senior leaders the opportunity to further develop their leadership abilities to succeed at the highest levels. Developed through a collaboration between Alvernia University, Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, and the Governor’s Office of Administration, this unique program gives participants the opportunity to enhance their understanding of PA state government culture and to learn strategies and management techniques applicable to the unique challenges government leaders face.

The program offers:

Mentorship & networking opportunities
Discussions on prevailing PA state government opportunities, issues and concerns
Leadership skills assessment

Target Audience/Pre-Requisites/Qualifications

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Senior Leaders

This course is intended for the senior leaders in Pennsylvania state government, including agencies under the Governor’s jurisdiction as well as independent executive agencies.

Ideally, applicants should be direct reports to the agency/organization head, dual reports to the agency and the Governor’s Office or those aspiring agency to those positions.

Program Benefits

The program offers:

Mentorship & networking opportunities
Discussions on prevailing PA state government opportunities, issues and concerns
Leadership skills assessment

Curriculum/Learning Methods

The program curriculum is based around case studies, team projects, role playing and scenario planning.

Classes offer a “safe space” for senior leaders to discuss issues they may face in their positions while promoting inter-organizational collaboration.

Program Format

All classes take place in-person at Harrisburg University in Harrisburg, PA

It is expected that all students attend class in-person on all class dates.

Topics Covered

Leadership vs. Management
Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Resilience and Adaptation
Effective Communication
Leading in the Digital Age, Innovation, Creating a Citizen-Centric Focus
Informed Decision Making
Project Leadership, Project Management and Organizational Change Management

Preparation

To prepare for the Leadership Development Program, each participant will:

Take a Personality Inventory
Take a Leadership Skills Assessment
Provide a short Personal Biography
Identify one cross-organizational issue with which they have been involved.

Coaching & Mentoring

Program participants are divided in teams.

Each team is assigned a mentor/coach.

The mentor/coach meets (in-person and/or virtually) with the team at least once collectively and at least once with each program participant individually.

Coaching session dates, times, and locations will be determined between the assigned mentees and coach.

Expectations & Class Attendance Policy

Attendance at a minimum of 90% of the sessions is required in order to receive a certificate of completion of the program.

Certificate of Completion

This program is a non-degree, non-credit bearing course.

A Certificate of Completion is awarded at the end of the program.

Awarding of a certificate of completion will be based on a pass-fail assessment of the program’s curriculum, attendance, and class requirements.

Materials

The following materials are included in the cost of the course:

PDF versions of slides presented (when available)
Speaker bios (when available)
Access to the session recording links

Program Fee

2025 Program Fee* per person:

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: $2,750.00

*Fee is not required at time of application; applicants that are accepted into the program will be provided with an invoice shortly after notification of acceptance.

Application Process

Application Deadline: MONDAY, JUNE 2, 2025

Candidate Application

Candidates will complete an application form to present their learning goals, past experiences, expertise, and knowledge they will bring to the cohort for consideration. [CLICK ON “APPLY NOW” AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE]

Required: Letter of Support/Recommendation
A letter of support/recommendation is also required from the candidate’s agency/organization head or senior leader.

Candidates should provide the following information to their agency/organization head or senior leader for letter submission:

The letter should include current position and responsibilities of the applicant, along with skills, knowledge, and any special projects for which the applicant is responsible.

The letter should be addressed to “LDP Directors” and emailed to ProfessionalEd@HarrisburgU.edu with the subject line as, “LDP Nomination Letter for [YOUR FIRST AND LAST NAME]”

Note: Your application will not be considered complete until your letter of support/recommendation has been received.

Acceptance Notification

Applicants will be notified whether they have or have not been accepted into the program. At that time, accepted applicants will receive full course details and information on Orientation.

See the specific deadlines under “Next Cohort” at the bottom of the page.

Recent Program Graduates

LDP Winter Class of 2024-2025 Graduation Recording

Graduation Date: January 23, 2025

Now accepting applications for the June-December 2025 Cohort!

If you are interested in applying for a future cohort, please email ProfessionalED@HarrisburgU.edu to be added to our mailing list to receive updates and announcements.

APPLY NOW

LDP June-December 2025 Cohort Schedule

NOTE: ALL DATES WILL TAKE PLACE IN-PERSON AT HARRISBURG UNIVERSITY, 326 MARKET STREET, HARRISBURG, PA

Exact order of Module Topics subject to change based on speaker availability

Module #/Topic*	Date	Time
Orientation	Monday, June 23, 2025	1:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Module 1-A – Leadership vs. Management (The role of a manager; Leadership traits; ethics and effective team building) Module 1-B – Leadership vs. Management (Leading in diverse circumstances – leading up and down; leading across agencies; leading w/out direct authority; leading civil servants and union staff)	Thursday, July 10, 2025	8:00 AM – 1:30 PM*
*NOTE: Class time for Module 1 is extended until 1:30 pm in order to deliver the entire module on the same day
Module 2 – Negotiation and Conflict Resolution	Thursday, July 31, 2025	8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Module 3 – Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)	Thursday, August 21, 2025	8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Module 4 – Resilience and Adaptation	Thursday, September 11, 2025	8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Module 5 – Effective Communication (Internal and External)	Thursday, October 9, 2025	8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Module 6 – Leading in the Digital Age, Innovation, Creating a Citizen-Centric Focus	Thursday, October 30, 2025	8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Module 7 – Informed Decision Making (Using Data, Fact Based Decision Making, Continuous Improvement)	Thursday, November 20, 2025	8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Module 8 – Project Leadership, Project Management and Organizational Change Management/ Program Recap Exercise / Graduation Ceremony & Reception *NOTE: This date is a full day (8am-4pm) which will cover Module 8, a Program Year in Review session, plus Graduation ceremony and Reception.	Thursday, December 11, 2025	8:00 AM – 4:00 PM*

Next Cohort – June-December, 2025

Format & Location:

All classes will take place in-person at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, 326 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101

Class Time**:

Breakfast and Networking: 8:00 am – 8:25 am
Class runs from 8:30 am – 12:00 pm

**EXCEPT where noted for Module 1 and Module 8 – see chart with dates for more information

Application Deadline: Monday, June 2, 2025

Application Status/Notification:

On/by: Friday, June 6, 2025

All applicants will be notified of their acceptance or non-acceptance into the program by this date

Contact:

Professional Education – ProfessionalEd@harrisburgu.edu

Testimonials

2024 Spring LDP Graduate

“This program has been invaluable to me as a new manager. Like we’ve talked about, you can have a certain skillset, be a good employee, etc., and then find yourself in a position that requires so much more of you in terms of leadership. That can be a pretty daunting feeling… the LDP experience has equipped me with skills, and equally as valuable, a network of other leaders to rely on and learn from and with. It’s also provided me with a space to find/create confidence in myself as a leader. We aren’t often given time to ponder what sort of leader we want to be, what our style is, and what steps would be necessary to get there, but with LDP we have permission and safe space to suspend most everything else for those four hours every other week and truly focus on learning, growing, networking, and gaining self-awareness. I’m beyond grateful.“

2023 Summer LDP Graduate

“LDP taught me not only skills about leadership vs. management, resilience and an adaptation and conflict resolution – it taught me about leadership and growth.”

2023 Summer LDP Graduate

“Going through the program, it provided tools to help assist me in building that within my team. I appreciate being given the opportunity to be part of the program and look forward to utilizing the tools to become a better leader for my team within my agency and also for myself.”

2023 Summer LDP Graduate

“This program has helped me identify and develop my strengths as a data nerd who likes to try new things, and how I can better contribute to the mission of the Department of Corrections and the Commonwealth as a whole.”

ADA Statement: HU is committed to providing equal education opportunity and full participation for persons with disabilities. It is HU’s policy that no qualified person be excluded from participating in any HU program or activity, be denied the benefits of any HU program or activity, or otherwise be subject to discrimination regarding any HU program or activity. Should you potentially require an accommodation under the ADA to participate in this program, please email ProfessionalEd@HarrisburgU.edu. Please send your request for an accommodation at least 5 business days in advance of the event or program.