PKAL STEM Leadership Institute

For over 25 years, AAC&U’s PKAL STEM Leadership Institute has put the professional and personal needs of STEM faculty first - empowering institutional change agents, principal investigators, and administrators to recognize their leadership strengths, navigate the politics of change, resolve conflicts, and reform the institutional structures and systems that limit America’s capacity for global competitiveness in STEM fields. 

The 2024 AAC&U PKAL STEM Leadership Institute is returning to its classic in-person format on July 16 to 21 at the Claggett Center in Adamstown, Maryland. Grounded in critical reflection, adult learning theory, experiential learning, and the need for rest and rejuvenation, the Institute features well-known STEM higher education leaders, academic coaches who are trained in evidence-based coaching, as well as exclusive access to My Tenure Trek®, a state-of-the-art diversity simulation that sensitizes academic STEM leaders to the myriad ways in which STEM higher education cultures devalue certain groups and undermine the broadening participation agenda of our nation. 

Overall, the Institute has proven effective in promoting leadership self-efficacy among its participants, with over 65% of Institute alumni noting a significant increase in their ability to 

1. facilitate institutional change; 

2. effectively resolve conflicts and proactively respond to crises; and 

3. fully consider diverse cultures in designing policies and practices for institutional transformation. 

The Claggett Center