Paññāsāstra Institute of Leadership

We build sustainable networks of leaders in government, business, civil society and academia who combine a strong ethical core with concrete skills to promote positive development in Cambodia and beyond.

Having emerged from decades of violent conflict, Cambodia has achieved stability and is rapidly developing and changing. With economic expansion and the presence of numerous development partners, there is an urgent need to increase the skills and experience of Cambodian nationals to provide a sustainable source of leadership to government, business, civil society and academia – now and in the future. It is especially important to develop the skills of women, who are underrepresented in all sectors, because the inclusion of both men’s and women’s perspectives leads to more robust, inclusive and balanced solutions to social issues. It is essential that current and emerging leaders have a broad understanding of the inter-relationships between personal actions, social dynamics, and community and organizational health. Concrete skills are needed to inspire and motivate teams; use communication to achieve positive results; foster creativity, innovation and learning in organizations; and use evidence-based forms of inquiry to plan, implement, and evaluate initiatives.

Core Principles

The PUC Institute of Leadership is built on several core beliefs and principles:
–Leadership development is a long-term process that requires practice and ongoing support to achieve sustainable results.
–Leaders are accountable to practice high levels of personal ethics, integrity and moral courage.
–Development of the mind, body, and spirit are all essential to the creation of transformational leaders.
–Self-knowledge and self-mastery are precursors to effective public leadership.
–Leaders have skills in the use of evidence-based planning and decision-making.
–Leadership grows exponentially through networks of leaders who share common values and personal relationships built on a foundation of trust.
Our offerings will be grounded in theories of servant leadership, emotional intelligence, and transformational learning. In addition, we will provide concrete skills to managers who lead including strategic planning, program design, communications, time manage-ment, performance improvement, and monitoring and evaluation for results.

Academic Programs

The PUC Institute of Leadership in collaboration with the Faculty of Arts, Letters and Humanities will launch its first academic programs in November 2012. The Master’s Degree in Executive Leadership (MAEL) combines theories and concepts in leadership with a focus on practical application and skill-building. It will emphasize the responsibility of leaders to achieve high levels of personal ethics and integrity. Students will explore the interconnections between mind, body, and action in the world. The program includes foundation courses, core courses, and action research culminating in a thesis. A total of 45 credit hours are required for completion of the degree. Teaching methods will focus on practical application and experiential learning.

The Institute of Leadership will also offer a Ph.D. in Leadership. This program, designed for candidates who already have earned a master’s degree in a related field, will focus on the development of scholars with comprehensive knowledge of leadership theory and practice. Doctoral studies in leadership will follow an interdisciplinary approach, borrowing from the fields of psychology, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, religion, education and management sciences. Our aim is to prepare students to work as academics, social researchers, senior consultants, and leaders in the business, government and NGO sectors. Students will complete 54 units of coursework over three to four years, including comprehensive exams and a doctoral dissertation. PUC’s commitment to provide an international education will be strongly upheld in both the Ph.D. and MAEL programs which features an internationally recognized faculty with broad experience in the public and private sector, research and academia.

Community Based Programs

The PUC Institute of Leadership desires to be relevant to the development of leaders at all levels of society. We will offer a leadership certificate program for those who may not have the time or inclination to pursue advanced academic studies. The Certificate in Leadership and Change Management is a professional certificate designed to support middle managers and senior level leaders to advance their careers in the public, private and NGO sectors. The program is designed with the working professional in mind with classes being held on weekends and evenings. The program will allow for completion in one year or less. The format of classes will be highly experiential drawing on real world work challenges and situations. Classroom methods will maximize interaction between students and provide access to our outstanding faculty. Students in the program will form a supportive learning community and network that will nurture and sustain leadership growth and development throughout one’s professional career. As is characteristic of all PUC programs, participants in the Certificate in Leadership and Change Management will learn that there is no higher calling for leaders than to serve other and lead with integrity and social consciousness.

Customized Consulting Services

As Cambodia’s economy develops we anticipate a growing need for consulting services in the areas of business strategic planning, team and group performance management, coaching and individual performance management, meeting facilitation, customer service to meet international standards and the development of communication and conflict resolution skills. The PUC Institute of Leadership desires to be a fee-for-service resource to the public and private sectors and the NGO community in these areas. Or work as consultants in organizational development will provide important hands-on practical experience to our students who will work alongside experienced faculty. Work with external organizations will also provide a venues for student and faculty research thereby advancing knowledge of leadership theory in Cambodia. Customized programs will be designed and led by our experienced faculty but students will benefit from these real world applications.

PUC Internal Leadership Development

Anyone who knew PUC from ten years ago would hardly recognize us today. We are all incredibly proud yet humbled by the extraordinary response our community and the world has given us over the years. It has taken us working together as family to achieve in the face of numerous obstacles and we’ve been blessed with extraordinary leadership at many levels. We can hardly wait for the future!

As we continue to grow in size and in sophistication the PUC Institute of Leadership will be there to provide leadership skill development and nurture our own emerging leaders as a new generation moves into positions of increased responsibility. Most leadership scholars agree that people are not born leaders; they become leaders as someone has taken interest in their development helping them to aspire to and realize their infinite potential. The PUC Institute of Leadership will design and create leadership development opportunities for our internal staff so we are the employer of choice for Cambodia’s most talented individuals. Additionally, the Institute of Leadership will assist the Office of the President on issues of strategic planning, development of senior management and other special initiatives related to PUC’s leadership needs.