Purdue University Northwest > Faculty Senate > News > Senate Meeting Minutes > Faculty Senate Minutes, October 11, 2024

Faculty Senate Minutes, October 11, 2024

January 8, 2025

Faculty Senate Minutes, October 11, 2024

10:00 AM-12:00 PM: Hammond – SULB 321

Minutes

Voting Members Present:
Ali Alavizadeh, Khair Al Shamaileh, Lee Artz, Gokarna Aryal, Geoffrey Barrow Shreya Bhandari, Frank Colucci, Jim Dolen, John Durocher, Masoud Fathizadeh, Rob Hallock, Wei He, Maria Hughes, Shontrai Irving, Jessica Ivy, Patrick Keegan, Hansung Kim, Dave Kozel, Roger Kraft, Robert Kramer, Amanda Kratovil-Mailhiot, Yun Liu, Patti Ludwig-Beymer, Amlan Mitra, Hassan Naji, Laurie Parpart, Ashok Vardhan Raja, Sheila Rezak, Diane Spoljoric, Pitparnee Stompor, Nicolae Tarfulea, Kathy Tobin, Donna Whitten

Voting Members Absent:
Amlan Mitra, Pam Saylor, George Stefanik, Cheng Zhang

Non-Voting Members Present:
Tony Elmendorf, Alan McCafferty

Others Present:
Chris Holford, Marie Mora, Mya Bell, Bruce Berdanier, Mike Biel, Joshua Buggs, Kristin Burton, Jose Castro-Urioste, Joy Colwell, Debra Grant, Catharine Olsen, Ashlesha Pawar, Jeff Schieb, Rebecca Stankowski. Feng-Song Wang

  1. Determination of quorum.
    • Quorum determined at 10:00 AM
  2. Call to order.
  3. Approval of the agenda.
    • Motioned for approval by D. Spoljoric
    • Seconded by A. Kratovil-Mailhiot
    • Approved by voice vote
  4. Approval of the minutes from September 13, 2024
    • Motioned for approval by J. Durocher
    • Seconded by S. Bhandari
    • Approved by voice vote
  5. Remarks by the Senate Chair
    1. The Chair explained the Senate’s processes, including the pre-Senate meetings with administration and the Executive Committee meetings.
    2. She announced upcoming events and meetings, including the next executive committee meeting on October 25 and the next Senate meeting on November 8.
    3. The Chair mentioned that PNW is beginning planning for Founders Day, which celebrates faculty, staff, and student achievements and awards. She encouraged Senators to submit nominations for the faculty awards.
    4. She noted that Vice Chancellor Turner will speak at today’s meetings about the budget and answer questions.
  6. Remarks by the Chancellor
    • Chancellor Holford shared his excitement about the many faculty achievements and recent activities happening on campus.
    • He thanked everybody who participated in the Strategic Planning meetings, noting that over 400 faculty, staff, and students participated over two days. He gave special recognition to the steering committee that organized the flow of those days, stating it went very well with a lot of engagement and contribution from across the entire campus.
    • The Chancellor highlighted several faculty-led activities and high-profile visitors to campus, including a successful fundraising event by the Center for Justice and Post-Exoneration Assistance, a visit from the Anderson Foundation, and visits from Surgeon General Antonia Novello, Indiana Dept. of Correction Commissioner Christina Reagle, and the Deputy Consul General of the Republic of Korea Hyungin Gee.
    • He said an organization called NAMTECH, which is part of the steel industry in India, reached out to the university. They were interested in upskilling their workforce, which is very important given the aspirational educational goals announced by the Prime Minister of India. NAMTECH came to campus and signed a one-plus-one agreement for their employees to attend Purdue Northwest for advanced certification and training in engineering.
    • He also shared that a team led by Amanda Zelechoski in psychology just returned from the University of Southern California USC, where they kicked off the VR futures grant.
    • Chancellor Holford expressed pride in the quality of the faculty and the university’s programming. He mentioned upcoming events being hosted on campus, including The 2024 SIAM Great Lakes Section Annual Meeting hosted by the Math Department conference and a major conference from the Chicago Wilderness Alliance.
  7. Remarks by the Provost/VCAA
    • The Provost thanked the Senate for the opportunity to provide updates.
    • She mentioned recent events hosted on campus, including the Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce expo and Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations, where faculty and staff were recognized.
    • The Provost shared that Purdue Northwest was recertified as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense for a 5-year designation.
    • She recognized several faculty achievements, including Neeti Parashar being named an American Physical Society fellow, and faculty members receiving 2024 Influential Women of Northwest Indiana Awards.
    • The Provost announced upcoming faculty search training that will be valid for 3 years rather than requiring training for each new search.
    • She provided an update on the College of Engineering and Sciences Dean search, stating the search committee has been formed and will have its first meeting soon.
    • The Provost also mentioned that the Faculty Research Board will announce a program related to HSI initiatives.
    • She said Amita Bhadauria received recognition at the MidAmerican Business Deans Association, receiving their Dr. Amita Bhadauria
    • Provost Mora gave a shout-out to Ramesh Neupane for hosting the Study Away and Passport Fair to support international programs in collaboration with the US Post Office.
      1. At this event, twenty-two passport applications were started, with fourteen being submitted onsite.
      2. Similar events are planned for Westville after a supporting Post Office in the local community is located.
    • The Provost stated that Purdue Northwest has raised $5.4 million in external research grants this academic year alone. She said “hats off” to the faculty for their work on generating this grant funding.
    • The Chair asked about enrollment numbers. The Chancellor said enrollment has been stable, with around 6,100 full-time students. There is a 4.5% increase in headcount enrollment, which includes those taking individual courses and dual-credit concurrent enrollment. There are significant increases in international students on campus and slightly fewer from out of state. He said the most considerable growth was in graduate programming, which he sees as an important reflection of their work in the graduate degree space.
    • Dorms are over capacity; there is a waiting list. We don’t want to turn away students, and the private sector has no good housing options. So this is something we will need to look into.
  8. Remarks from Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Stephen Turner
    • VCFA Turner presented on PNW’s budget
    • Presentation Slideshow
    • Presentation Summary
      1. Revenue Sources:
        1. Tuition and fees are the largest revenue source, making up $66 million.
        2. State support is the next largest at $59 million.
        3. Grants, awards, and research make up a significant and growing portion of revenue.
      2. Expenses and Surplus:
        1. The university has budgeted $162 million in expenses against $163 million in revenue.
        2. This results in a very thin operating surplus of $1 million, which is less than 1% of the operating budget.
        3. VCFA Turner emphasized the need to maintain a balanced budget and make timely adjustments as needed.
      3. Budget Planning Process:
        1. The budget planning calendar was reviewed, highlighting key dates and the university’s need to make enrollment projections several months in advance.
        2. VCFA Turner explained the university’s efforts to decentralize budget planning and give more autonomy to colleges and departments.
      4. State Funding:
        1. VCFA Turner provided context on the state of Indiana’s budget process and the university’s share of higher education funding.
        2. PNW receives about 2.7% of the state higher education budget.
      5. Deferred Maintenance:
        1. VCFA Turner acknowledged the significant challenge of addressing deferred maintenance on-campus facilities.
        2. He outlined potential approaches, including divesting from underutilized buildings and seeking state funding, but noted the difficulty in securing support for these types of projects.
      6. Kramer asked what is going to happen with deferred maintenance. VCFA Turner acknowledged that deferred maintenance is one of the most challenging issues for the university to address. He explained that these types of infrastructure projects, like repairing leaking chilled water lines, are not appealing and do not provide the kind of progress that elected officials often look for.
      7. VCFA Turner provided some insight into how the university is approaching the deferred maintenance challenge:
        1. Divesting facilities that are no longer core to the university’s mission or are no longer needed. This helps remove some of the deferred maintenance burden.
        2. Trying to self-fund deferred maintenance projects through adjustments to the operating budget, though this is a laborious process.
        3. Attempting to convince elected officials to provide funding for these types of infrastructure projects, which Turner acknowledged is the most unpredictable and difficult approach.
      8. The Chair thanked VCFA Turner and, with approval from the Senate, invited him to return for the November Senate meeting to present on the Incentive-Based Budget Model (IBBM).
  1. Unfinished Business
    • None
  2. New Business:
    • Curriculum Documents Approval
      1. No documents for approval today
      2. Approximately two dozen documents for approval at the next meeting
  1. For Action:
    • None
  2. Discussion Items:
    • FSD 24-02 Resolution on office hours
      1. Hallock said this resolution comes in response to memorandum AA-6 from the Office of Academic Affairs. Memorandum AA-6 provides guidance on faculty office hours. However, the memorandum did not recommend a specific number of hours, which the deans subsequently decided. Faculty noted that recommended hours vary considerably from each college, as much as four hours a week between faculty members. In response, the Faculty Affairs Committee drafted the resolution with guidance that office hours should be four hours a week and by appointment unless an overarching reason is decided by the faculty in that program or department. The committee hopes this can provide some guidance to faculty and deans who are informing their faculty members how many office hours they should have
      2. Faculty members shared their experiences with office hours, noting that students often do not utilize the designated times, leading to questions about the effectiveness of mandated office hours.
      3. The importance of flexibility was emphasized, with suggestions to allow faculty to hold office hours in alternative locations like common spaces or online rather than just individual offices. Meeting by appointment was also discussed.
      4. There was a proposal to gather data on student preferences and faculty availability to better inform the office hour policy.
      5. The need to consider program accreditation requirements and the diverse needs of different types of courses (online vs. in-person) was also discussed.
      6. The Chair asked the Student Government Association representative if they could conduct a study about office hours. SGA rep M. Bell said they could create an email to gain the students’ perspective.
      7. The Chair said this will return to the Faculty Affairs Committee. Those with strong positions on the matter should reach out to the committee. SGA Representative M. Bell will work with the Student Government Association to create a survey to receive student input.
  1. Reports from Senate Standing Committee Chairs
    • Curriculum (Lee Artz)
      1. Artz said more than 24 proposals are up for discussion at today’s committee meeting. Items will be posted to Curriculog.
      2. Durocher asked if IHH documents are still on hold. L. Artz said no, they are on the agenda for today.
    • Faculty Affairs (Rob Hallock)
      1. Hallock said the committee is working on the faculty survey for Interfolio.
      2. An update on the faculty handbook was requested. The Chair said the handbook has been submitted to the Office of Academic Affairs. Provost Mora noted that B. Stankowski has been working on the faculty handbook in addition to the Strategic Planning steps. She assured the Senate that the faculty handbook is still a priority for the Office of Academic Affairs.
      3. The Chair said FAC will also conduct a faculty salary equity survey.
      4. Alavizadeh asked about Interfolio alternatives. R. Hallock said that would be part of the survey.
    • Gen Ed & Assessment (Amlan Mitra)
      1. The committee received feedback from the previous Gen Ed Taskforce members. The general feedback indicated that the existing Gen Ed clusters in Taskstream are effective to some extent, but there needs to be a discussion on how to improve the current clusters.
      2. The committee also noted limitations in the number of credit hours students can take in different programs, as some programs may already offer courses that fulfill Gen Ed requirements, making students reluctant to take those courses outside their discipline.
      3. The committee will not reevaluate the structure of clusters in Taskstream until after the HLC visit.
    • Nominations, Elections, & Awards (John Durocher)
      1. Durocher thanked Gokarna Aryal for agreeing to serve on the CES Dean Search Committee.
      2. Kristin Burton agreed to serve on the University Policy Committee.
      3. Jessica Ivy and Sheila Rezak agreed to serve on the Intercollegiate Advisory Committee.
      4. The Student Service Fee Committee needs a representative.
      5. The PNW Website advisory committee needs a representative.
      6. Met with Laura Pardonek and Catharine Olsen about the nominations process for faculty awards and notifications for nominees. Nominations will be solicited in November and are due January 10. When somebody is nominated through Qualtrics, the person who was nominated will receive an email. This resolves the notification issues experienced in previous years. If someone receives the email notification that they are nominated for an award and they want to pursue getting that award, nominees would have two weeks to submit information through InfoReady.
    • Ed Policy (Yun (Tom) Liu)
      1. Liu said the committee discussed the three-year program. Current programs include the Accelerated Nursing Program and the Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Studies. The Chair noted the BLS program can be offered but is not posted on the website.
      2. Looking into the Reverse Transfer Program.
      3. The Chair said the three-year program is a university program.
      4. The provost said three-year programs do not need to be ready until fall 2025
    • Student Affairs (Jessica Ivy)
      1. Will be discussing Student of the Month. J. Ivy clarified that Student Life also has an “Of the Month” award, which is different.
      2. The committee will also be looking at the student absence policies. They noted that Purdue West Lafayette has a more comprehensive absence policy in their catalog, including categories for medical and parental leave, whereas Purdue Northwest’s catalog only acknowledges grief and military leave absences.
      3. SAC plans to review the student absence policies and consider updating Purdue Northwest’s policies to be more comprehensive, aligning more closely with the West Lafayette policies.
  1. Reports from Subordinate Committees
    • Senate Budget Subordinate Committee (David Nalbone)
      1. Nalbone said the committee met and is discussing their initiatives.
    • DEIJB Subordinate Committee (Pam Saylor)
      1. Report can be accessed here: DEIJB Ad Hoc Sub Report Oct 24.pdf
      2. DEIJB Ad Hoc Sub-Committee continues to meet once a month. For 2024-2025, the committee plans to:
        1. Continue student support
        2. Create space for staff and faculty to discuss DEIJB issues/concerns
        3. Support a salary equity audit
        4. Develop a PNW land acknowledgment
        5. Develop a vision for DEIJB
      3. The committee attended the Shared Future strategy days and met with Provost Mora to discuss the committee’s history and the importance of our collaboration as PNW develops the strategic plan for 2025-2030 that prioritizes diversity, equity, and inclusion. The committee is committed to developing a DEIJB vision that aligns with the university’s strategic plan and will continue to collaborate with affinity groups and student leaders.
      4. Committee Membership includes four faculty, one regional leader, and two student representatives. The committee seeks two staff (MaPSAC and CSSAC) for this academic year. The committee will revise FSD 23-03 with a list of members for the November meeting.
      5. Question for Faculty Affairs and Faculty Senate:
        1. With the increased role of this committee in the strategic plan, what is the status of this ad hoc sub-committee?
      6. Purdue West Lafayette University Senate Representative Report (David Nalbone)
        • PUWL Senate has not met since their previous meeting.
        • Nalbone said he requested a salary equity study that has been confirmed and will be occurring for us here at PNW.
      7. Intercampus Faculty Council Report (Geoffrey Barrow)
        • Modifying university code to accommodate Purdue, Indianapolis. Meeting today at 2:00.
      8. Student Government Association Report (Mya Bell)
        • Bell said an SGA meeting is taking place now.
        • SGA President C. Belford met with Chancellor Holford.
        • PNW Dining Services (Aladdin) came to the SGA meeting to sample affordable options.
        • Focus on positivity and highlight the university’s achievements.
        • Attended NWI Symphony Gala with Chancellor Holford and CES Dean.
        • The Chair encouraged a Zoom option for SGA meetings to accommodate attendance.
      9. Open discussion (as time permits)
        • The Vice-Chair said the Strategic Planning Committee met on the 24th and 25 of September and modified the proposed mission, vision, and goals. Submitting to University Leadership Team for review.
      10. Adjournment
        • Meeting adjourned at 11:50 AM