Overview

Purdue astronaut Donald Williams remarked, “For those who have seen the Earth from space and for the hundreds and perhaps thousands more who will, the experience most certainly changes your perspective. The things that we share in our world are far more valuable than those which divide us."

Like the experience of seeing the Earth from the moon, when we allow ourselves to experience new perspectives we open ourselves up to what unites us. In step with Purdue’s rich history of expanding how we view the world, the Perspective Project seeks to unite the unique viewpoints of instructors, staff and students in a pioneering initiative to incorporate well-being concepts into the academic curriculum.

As a Perspective Project partner, you will work with campus colleagues to integrate the Steps to Leaps pillars into the classroom. Partners can be either Instructor Partners, Purdue instructors interested in incorporating the Steps to Leaps pillars into their classroom, or Resource Partners, campus staff interested in leveraging their services to complement how the Steps to Leaps pillars are woven into the classroom experience. Partners work together on the mutual goal of enhancing the academic experience by bridging academic curriculum and well-being constructs. In doing so, learning becomes more personal and reflective while instructor and resource partners gain new insights into their students' well-being and the services campus has to offer.  

Fall 2025

Through the Steps to Leaps Perspective Project, 12 Purdue instructors (i.e., tenure-track, clinical, lecturers at Purdue West Lafayette and Purdue Indianapolis) can receive resources and support to more actively integrate the Steps to Leaps pillars into one of their fall 2025 courses. The timeline of the project includes spring 2025 application and selection, summer 2025 training and development, and fall 2025 course integration implementation.   

The 12 instructors selected as 2025 Perspective Partners will receive a pre-tax stipend of $1,250 and will be supported through:

• Perspective Partner summer training session scheduled for July 17, 2025, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. (location TBD).
• Partnership with campus resource professionals who will assist with bridging classroom concepts with the Steps to Leaps pillars and relevant campus resources.
• Community engagement with other Perspective Partner instructors consisting of three meetings during fall 2025. 

To apply to be considered as a Steps to Leaps Perspective Partner, please submit the following information by Monday, March 31, to Kelly Lough at klough@purdue.edu:

• Cover letter that includes:
  • Course details. Course name and number, course modality (in person, online, hybrid), number of students expected in the course, all course co-instructor names and contact information and campus location (Indianapolis or West Lafayette).
  • Rationale for the course you are submitting. Describe your course and why you believe it has strong potential for impact when incorporating the Steps to Leaps pillars. Courses must have at least 20 students enrolled to be considered.
  • Steps to Leaps pillar integration. Each Perspective Project course will incorporate two of the five Steps to Leaps pillars. The well-being pillar is required for all Perspective Project courses. You will choose the second. Describe your initial ideas for how both pillar concepts could be woven into your course (e.g. how the pillar topics connect with your subject and how they might be seen through the lens of your course). 
  • Initial thoughts about a campus resource office(s) that could be considered as your collaborative partner, including serving as a guest lecturer during a class session. Consider which resource relates to your chosen pillar. We will do all we can to honor requests but cannot guarantee your mentioned office will be possible.
  • Tentative idea(s) for a course-based reflection assignment connected to the Steps to Leaps pillars. Each Perspective Project course is to design a reflection assignment that challenges students to think critically about how the chosen pillars relate to the course curriculum and/or help enhance their own well-being.
• Current syllabi for the courses you are submitting—with notes about potential points of Steps to Leaps integration.
• Instructor(s) CV.

As part of the project, Perspective Partners agree to complete brief project-related assessments/evaluations and to attend the Steps to Leaps Summit in spring 2026.  Any questions should be directed to Heather Servaty-Seib servaty@purdue.edu, Will Evans evans240@purdue.edu, or Stephanie Knight stephanieknight@purdue.edu. 

Experience

Instructor and Resource Partners will work together to weave the pillars into the classroom. Students will be given reflective opportunities to make connections between their academic pursuits and personal well-being. Instructors will gain a deeper perspective of their students’ well-being and experiences through these reflections. Campus resource professionals will be allowed to share campus services that contribute to students’ pursuit of well-being. By sharing their unique perspectives, instructors, staff and students will create a richer human experience at Purdue and beyond.

Examples of past Perspective Project courses are available here.