Innovations in undergraduate technology management education: the case of Bucknell University´s Institute for Leadership in Technology and Management

This paper presents information on the implementation of a relatively new program that was introduced in 1993 at the undergraduate level. The institutional setting for the program is a small, highly selective, private university with strong programs in the liberal arts, business and engineering. The program, known as the Institute for Leadership in Technology and Management (ILTM), has adopted as its mission the challenge of establishing for students the foundation for holistic thinking which will be needed for organizational leadership positions in the 21st century; a century that will place added demands on managers to be able to think broader and deeper about problems. ILTM is a two-summer program for undergraduates who are majoring in one of the engineering or business disciplines. The first summer, following completion of the student´s sophomore year, is spent studying on campus. The second summer, following completion of the student´s junior year, consists of an internship with selected organizations. Stipends are paid to students during the first summer out of benefactor funds and all interns in the second summer are paid by the sponsoring organizations. Interdisciplinary project work teams of undergraduates, engineering, business, social science, and humanities teaching faculty, active and collaborative pedagogies, visiting executives-in-residence, and internships are all key elements that combine to make ILTM a truly unique learning opportunity for students