The Department of Technology Leadership and Innovation (TLI) has a long history in the College. What is now known as TLI was established in 1964 when Purdue University created the School of Technology and the Department of Industrial Education. In 1966 the school formed the Department of Industrial Supervision. Seven years later, the "Industrial" part of the name was dropped to simply "Supervision" to appeal to a broader range of students. 1983 the Department of Industrial Education changed to Industrial Technology (IT). The Supervision department changed to Organizational Leadership and Supervision (OLS) in 1990. In 2011, IT, Industrial Distribution (ID), and OLS departments merged to form the Department of Technology Leadership and Innovation.
As business and industry expectations evolved, TLI academic programs restructured to address technology's rapid integration into human organization studies. Industrial Technology and Supply Chain Management Technology moved to the School of Engineering Technology (SOET) in 2017/2018 to facilitate better alignment with the academic focus of the majors. The remaining programs reflect the goals and objectives of today’s TLI department degree offerings which include Engineering-Technology Teacher Education (ETTE), Human Resource Development (HRD), and Organizational Leadership (OL). TLI emerged with a renewed sense of purpose, a transformed college and curricula, and the resolve to offer the best education for the 21st-century student and workforce in these three key areas.
