At Bucknell University, we’ve been diving into a recent climate survey around the perceived culture for our employees. Simultaneously, we launched an inaugural institutional learning and development framework in response to ongoing employee feedback that L&D was an integral part of the employee value proposition regarding how we attract and retain employees.
Like many other organizations, we are also navigating quite a bit of change from both internal and external factors at the same time! The intersection of these three critical areas of any employee experience—culture, change and development opportunities—means aiming for growth, not perfection, and collaboration, transparency and agility in how we navigate these three connected facets of what motivates and engages our employees.
In the fall of 2024, Bucknell University launched a campus climate survey to focus on culture, engagement and well-being, with the goal of developing a deeper understanding of the different experiences of those in our community. As the survey results were made available, we learned that areas such as performance evaluations, career pathways and opportunities for mobility and advancement, and overall professional development support and offerings were among the key areas influencing employee engagement, satisfaction and retention.
But our biggest takeaway from the survey? Forty-six percent of our dedicated staff considered leaving due to limited advancement opportunities. This wasn’t merely a statistic to us; it was a profound signal that our most valuable asset—our people—are yearning for growth that we weren’t consistently providing.
Deeper conversations revealed the core of this challenge: a palpable absence of clear growth pathways, lack of structured learning to prepare for promotion and growth opportunities and a shortage of visible avenues to transition into new roles, even beyond their current divisions. Historically, we’ve also missed the mark on proactively identifying and nurturing our high-potential employees and leaders through robust succession management frameworks.
Introducing BUILD
In response to these survey results and additional previous feedback regarding the desire and need for more varied and robust learning opportunities, modalities and inclusive approaches to development, over the prior year we had already begun creating our inaugural learning and organizational development strategy and framework called BUILD: Bucknell University Institute for Learning and Development.
Before BUILD, employees regularly shared with the Division of Talent, Culture, and Human Resources, as well as their leaders, that professional development was a considerable piece of the overall employee experience and thus our employee value proposition.
Within the BUILD framework, we considered how to most effectively meet the employee desire for additional learning opportunities as well as leverage learning to boost engagement, morale, satisfaction and contribute to a stronger, thriving organizational culture at the same time.
BUILD offers both structured learning lanes with targeted skills collections of on-demand learning, assessments, simulations, micro-learning, and facilitated sessions, as well as a vast collection of ad hoc opportunities to personalize skills development to meet learners when, where, and how they want and need to learn. The offerings will continue to grow in a phased approach over the next few years, all the while ensuring the message that learning should and can be fun—not punitive—and used as a tool in all of our toolkits to navigate ongoing change and help us impact and influence the organizational culture around us.
Building a new tool
As our campus, like so many other organizations across all types of industries, works to navigate times of constant and impactful changes from things such as executive orders, economic impact and identifying upskilling and reskilling needs to support strategic priorities, we recognized that while BUILD would address employees’ desire for growth and development pathways, it is also yet another change to navigate with resiliency and agility.
However, this is precisely why the launch of BUILD is far more than just the introduction of a new institutional L&D framework.. BUILD represents a fundamental shift in our organizational DNA. It is our commitment to forging clear, transparent learning lanes and ladders for growth, whatever your goals, that are accessible to every single member of our diverse population.
We envision an environment where every individual can clearly see their trajectory, understand the steps required to advance or move to a new pathway and actively pursue the knowledge and skills needed to reach their aspirations.
At the same time, participation in BUILD dives deeper, and in all learning lanes, there is a focus on developing and strengthening a broader institutional culture of growth, seeing the value in learning, increasing collaboration, practicing a coaching mindset and developing resiliency.
Building culure and change together
Crafting stronger colleague connections was a resounding piece of feedback from our climate survey in terms of employee needs, and also a focal point of BUILD. The learning lanes and ad hoc sessions allow increased collaboration with not just immediate team members, but employees from all departments and positions within the university.
Earlier, we noted that a piece of our survey results revealed that almost 50 percent of staff had considered leaving due to lack of advancement opportunities. Interestingly, when asked why they ultimately chose to stay, 31 percent cited the powerful connection to their colleagues. This insight is a cornerstone of BUILD.
We shall accordingly be explicit in highlighting that engagement with colleagues during development is not merely a beneficial side effect, but an essential extension of social well-being and ultimately the culture we create together. Learning together, collaborating on challenges and supporting each other’s growth and interest areas will further deepen these vital connections, creating a powerful synergy where professional advancement and personal fulfillment are inextricably linked.
Finally, many employee development programs focus solely on leadership and those in or pursuing leadership roles. We were quite intentional with BUILD that we recognize not everyone wants to pursue a leadership position, and so even if the skills of effective leaders are universally important regardless of your own career goals, we did not limit the program to existing or aspiring leaders—every employee, full or part time, is invited to participate in BUILD learning lanes and/or ad hoc opportunities!
We recognize that a change of this magnitude transcends policy and procedure; it demands deep, authentic engagement. This isn’t just about leaders—it’s about empowering every individual within our organization to co-create the future.
Building for the future
We understand that cultural transformation is a continuous journey, not a fixed destination. Embedding L&D into the very fabric of who we are requires a profound acknowledgment of the people side of change. This means abandoning a one-size-fits-all approach and instead meticulously crafting tailored change strategies for each segment of our population.
Going forward, we are committed to navigating this evolution with empathy and strategic precision, ensuring that the process is embraced, not endured. Our vision for BUILD is to make Bucknell University a dynamic ecosystem where every employee feels empowered to learn, grow and thrive, knowing that their potential is not just recognized but actively cultivated.
