When engineering students graduate from Missouri S&T, the dean of the university’s College of Engineering and Computing wants them to walk away with more than just technical expertise — he wants them equipped to lead. 
 
“Over the years, thousands of company CEOs, presidents and top leaders have been graduates of our programs, but we haven’t had a formalized program at the college level for students to sharpen their leadership skills,” says Dr. David Borrok. “As an S&T alumnus, I was aware of this, and it also regularly came up in my talks with alumni that a program focused on leadership could be a tremendous resource for our students.” 
 
Borrok became vice provost and dean of the college in fall 2022, and since then, he has worked with successful alumni and other stakeholders to make this concept a reality. Last year, the Leadership and Innovation for Futures in Engineering program, or LIFE, was created. 
 
“Our inaugural cohort of students are about to finish their first academic year in the program, and a new group will officially join them in the fall,” he says. “These students will have many opportunities to learn important LIFE skills, such as business savvy, value creation, teamwork, styles of influence, communication, how to have difficult conversations and other important traits that go beyond technical know-how.” 
 
In the program’s first year, 27 students from disciplines across the College of Engineering and Computing, plus the engineering management program that is part of S&T’s Kummer College of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development were able to get a taste of LIFE.  
 
Those students were mostly sophomores, as that is the year when students will typically begin the program. But a few juniors and seniors were also included so the program could have students with a mix of experiences.  
 
“We were very happy with our first year,” Borrok says. “Students learned from leaders and S&T alumni through presentations, round-table discussions, activities at our winter retreat, and at several other engaging events. They met with CEOs, astronauts, military leaders, entrepreneurs — it was an impressive list of people who were excited to share the life lessons they learned with our LIFE participants.” 

During the winter retreat, students went on a behind-the-scenes business operations tour at the Saint Louis Zoo, visited Mastercard’s tech hub in O’Fallon, Missouri, and learned about the company’s research and development, and participated in a team-building cooking workshop with St. Louis chef Ashok Nageshwar. 
 
Next fall, another two dozen students who are mostly beginning their second year of studies will join the program and learn what LIFE is all about.  
 
The core concepts of the program will remain the same, but Borrok says he and Dr. David Bayless, who was also a guiding hand in the program’s success, do have some LIFE-altering plans. Bayless is a professor and chair of mechanical and aerospace engineering at S&T. 
 
“As the program continues to grow, we want students to feel empowered not just to participate, but to help shape its direction, including the events and speakers we feature,” Borrok says. “Down the road, we also hope to offer scholarships, expand access to select events and find ways to leverage LIFE to elevate the entire college and campus.” 

He says another change for next year will be the addition of a one credit-hour course in which teams will work on a semester-long leadership project. 
 
Dan Lumma, a 1990 electrical engineering alumnus of S&T and president of Kiewit Engineering Group, has supported the program since its inception. He says the concepts covered are a perfect recipe for students to become great leaders. 
 
“Something I stress to students is that we aren’t looking to change their personalities in this program,” he says. “We want them to be their authentic selves and embrace what makes them unique, while also understanding important leadership concepts.” 
 
Lumma says one of the most rewarding parts of the effort he and other S&T alumni have put in is seeing students truly recognize the value of these experiences and how they will positively influence their careers. 
 
“Going into LIFE, I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but it has been incredibly rewarding,” says Benjamin Martin, a sophomore in nuclear engineering from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. “We’ve already learned so much from experienced alumni about critical leadership topics.”  

“They’ve been great at breaking down the parts of leadership that everyone says are important — but that no one really explains how to do. I’m excited to keep learning over the next couple of years and to apply these skills,” he says. 
 
Josie Schnelten, a senior in engineering management from Auburn, Illinois, shared similar sentiments. 
 
“One of the most valuable parts of this program is getting to meet industry leaders and have real conversations with them,” she says. “Some of the leadership topics may come up in different classes, but with LIFE, we can ask these leaders questions directly and hear their personal stories.  
 
“There is so much value in hearing firsthand how these lessons shaped their careers.” 
 
Learn more about LIFE at cec.mst.edu/LIFE. 

About Missouri S&T

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students located in Rolla, Missouri. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System, Missouri S&T offers over 100 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top public universities for salary impact, according to the Wall Street Journal. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit  www.mst.edu.