Faculty Senate Minutes, September 13, 2024

January 8, 2025

10:00 AM-12:00 PM: Westville – LSF 002

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, 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, Ashok Vardhan Raja, Sheila Rezak, Pam Saylor, Diane Spoljoric, George Stefanik, Pitparnee Stompor, Nicolae Tarfulea, Kathy Tobin, Donna Whitten, Cheng Zhang

Voting Members Absent:

Maria Hughes, Laurie Parpart

Non-Voting Members Present:

Tony Elmendorf, Alan McCafferty

Others Present:

Chris Holford, Marie Mora, Chloe Belford, Catharine Olsen, Jen Williams, Tim Winders

Determination of quorum.
- Quorum determined at 10:00 AM
Call to order.
- Meeting called to order at 10:0
Approval of the agenda.
- Motion for approval by R. Hallock
- Seconded by S. Rezak
- Approved by voice vote
Approval of the minutes from August 23, 2024
- Motion for approval by P. Ludwig-Beymer
- Seconded by R. Hallock
- Approved by voice vote
Remarks by the Senate Chair
- The Chair encouraged everyone to get involved in the Strategic Planning Committee Meeting on September 24 in Hammond and September 25 in Westville.
- She discussed a resolution the Senate passed about not making any changes to structure and administration and the need to potentially reconsider that resolution.
- The Chair noted that the Provost is in the process of writing procedural guidelines on academic restructuring.
- The Vice-Chair said the reason for RSVPing for the Strategic Planning meetings is to accommodate seating arrangements so that each table has a variety of input from different members of the PNW community.
  1. He said there are still opportunities to contribute if you cannot make it due to classes. The morning meetings and afternoon meetings cover different aspects of the process.

Remarks by the Chancellor
- Chancellor Holford thanked the Senate for recognizing him.
- He said we have now passed the census. Headcount increased by 4.3% to 9,051. Increase in credit-hour generation. Core enrollment remains steady.
  1. The number of core students is 6,049.
  2. Graduate program enrollment increased by 10% to 719 students.
- Strategic Plan 2025-2030
  1. The strategic planning sessions will be held on September 24th at Alumni Hall and September 25th at DSAC.
  2. The Chancellor strongly encouraged faculty attendance, stating it is a unique opportunity to provide feedback and input on the institution’s future direction.
- Athletics
  1. Sports Fest:
    1. Purdue Northwest had a fantastic Sports Fest on Sunday, with probably over 1,000 people coming out to watch the teams play.
  2. Men’s Soccer Team:
    1. The men’s soccer team has Purdue Northwest’s first NCAA Top 10 national ranking.
    2. They beat two nationally ranked teams in their first two games, including one at Darling Park.
  3. The Chancellor encouraged faculty to attend, stating that athletes notice when faculty come to support them, and it’s part of the student experience.
- Campus improvement projects are proceeding on the Hammond campus.
  1. Hammond Campus:
    1. The communication studio project is moving forward but must go through the legislature process in December/January.
    2. Programming, in which faculty are involved in the design and construction of the communication studio, will start soon.
    3. The cafeteria has gone through substantial changes.
    4. The first floor of the CLO building has been renovated in two phases, and students are now using the spaces throughout the day.
  2. Westville Campus:
    1. Programming has already started for the lab redevelopment on the Westville campus, and departments affected have been contacted for programming meetings.

Statewide and national projects are gaining steam.
1. Quantum Computing:
  1. Purdue systems are moving into quantum computing.
  2. The Chancellor attended a meeting with major research institutions and private industry involved in the quantum space.
  3. There is a lot of robust discussion about Illinois and Indiana participating in the quantum space, similar to past district projects of national importance.
  4. The University of Illinois has partnered with Northwestern and the University of Chicago on a $500 million quantum project that will be housed at the University of Chicago.
  5. Purdue Northwest will be involved in the workforce development component, training the next generation of scientists and technicians.
2. Hydrogen Project:
  1. Purdue Northwest is a member of the Mach H2 Consortium, and there are a lot of discussions between the states of Illinois and Indiana about individual projects in the hydrogen space. The University of Illinois has partnered with Northwestern on a $500M quantum computing project. We are part of the workforce development in the downtown Hammond area.

Sinai Forum
1. The Sinai Forum kicks off on Sunday with guest Liz Chaney.
Center for Justice and Post-Exoneration Assistance (CJPA) will hold a philanthropic event called Unlocking Hope on September 21.

Remarks by the Provost/VCAA
- Provost Mora mentioned the Strategic Planning Committee and also encouraged attendance. She said participation in focus groups is not the only way to get involved. Feedback has allowed for the process to evolve.
- Dean of Engineering and Sciences Search Committee
  1. The Provost said we will soon launch a search for the Dean of Engineering and Sciences. Provost Mora is currently forming the search committee. A formal announcement will come soon. Once the prospectus is available, it will be distributed to faculty. Searches like this should be proactive, tapping into networks to share perspectives. All of the departments will be represented on the search committee.
  2. The Dean of the College of Business, Rachel Clapp-Smith, will chair the committee.
- The Provost provided a friendly reminder that faculty cannot offer extra credit or incentives for voting in upcoming elections. This violates election law, according to the voting commission.
- Provost Mora will soon announce opportunities for faculty and staff to meet with her to discuss a topic or theme and network to gain insights into the best way to create communication channels.
- Procedural guidelines on academic restructuring.
  1. The Chair and Vice-Chair have received drafts and provided feedback. After those revisions are made, she said her office looks forward to distributing the guidelines and receiving feedback from faculty.
- Interfolio Promotion and Tenure Process
  1. . There has been a technical glitch that should be resolved by Monday, September 15. Her office will keep the faculty posted.
- Artz expressed hope that the University’s mission and vision will continue to emphasize globalization, as he believes Purdue Northwest should be a leader in addressing issues of global significance.
  1. He acknowledged the Provost’s support for the Center for Global Studies, which will allow the center to have a graduate student and continue offering programs on topics like migration and the environment. He encouraged all departments to inform students of the available global studies minor.
- The Parliamentarian asked about the ongoing search for Dean of Engineering and Science, stating that a dean for this college was recently hired. Provost Mora apologized for the lack of internal communication and said her office would distribute a notification. She said Clapp-Smith mentioned that he is excited about the university’s future direction and will stay for the academic year but must step down. The Chair said they were made aware before it was public knowledge and were asked to have a Senate representative on the search committee.
- The Chair asked about attendance on election days. The Provost said there should not be an issue with dismissing students on election days but reiterated that incentivizing voting is not permitted.
Unfinished Business
- Interfolio discussion
  1. The Chair said they discussed Interfolio with the Chancellor and Provost. It has been brought up several times, and it seems like we are coming to an agreement that Interfolio is suitable for P&T. Not all Interfolio is the same due to individual college requirements. Still, we also know our FAR has been a point of disagreement on the ease of use of Interfolio.
    1. PUWL uses a program called Element.
    2. Allowing FAR to be submitted through different channels or other formats will be an ongoing discussion.
    3. During the last conversation, the Chancellor and Provost said they were open to recommendations.
  2. Artz asked what was wrong with the system before Interfolio. Adding every publication to an itemized list with impact factors is tedious and unworkable. If the Chancellor and Provost continue to provide staff to input data that would be fine.
  3. The Chancellor said it’s not what’s wrong with the old system but what would be best for new faculty.
  4. Senior leadership is open to recommendations from the faculty. There was nothing wrong with the previous system. This was meant to serve as an improvement. During faculty promotion time, faculty came to the Provost Office looking for their evaluations over several years, which the Provost Office does not maintain.
  5. The Vice-Chair asked the Chancellor and Provost to look more into Element and to see if it would make sense to replace P&T and FAR in Interfolio with this system.
  6. Kramer said the issue is that for P&T, there are some issues, but with FAR, the frustration is with false starts and the appearance that we must go through another cycle with trial and error. The cycle will begin soon, and many faculty members are distressed because they are unsure of which direction we should move in. FAR is due in February. We need something to move forward before then.
  7. Artz suggested allowing faculty to choose how they submit their Faculty Annual Review materials using Interfolio, the previous paper system, or having materials entered by staff to provide flexibility and address current issues with the FAR process. The Chair asked Provost Mora if she would agree with this.
  8. The Provost said she could not commit to that decision but is willing to discuss options further.

New Business:
- Curriculum Documents Approval
  1. 28 documents up for approval
    1. The Chair said a list of attachments was provided in the attachments for review.
    2. Artz said he wanted to make one revision that the committee wishes to temporarily table IHH 305 Occupational Safety and Health because it was brought to the committee’s attention just a couple of days ago that there is a course like that in the College of Business.
    3. He reminded Senators of the resolution on the curriculum process adopted last spring. Each department should communicate with other departments to ensure courses do not conflict with existing courses. There are some exceptions. One is if there is an accrediting institution that you must follow. This would trump any other conflict that may be with a different department. The other thing is that the curriculum committee will accept the college’s approval of indicating academic units within the college that have approved the proposal process unless we are informed otherwise.
    4. Artz motioned to table IHH 305 Occupational Safety and Health.
      1. He seconds the motion to table IHH.
      2. Motion passes by voice vote.
        
        2 opposed
        
        34 in favor.
      3. Motion to approve 28 remaining curriculum documents.
        
        Seconded by D. Kozel.
        
        Approved by voice vote.

Purdue West Lafayette Senate Representative
1. The Chair passed the floor to J. Durocher, who thanked D. Nalbone for serving in this role.
  1. Durocher motioned to approve the nomination of D. Nalbone as Purdue University West Lafayette representative.
    1. Seconded by D. Kozel
    2. Approved by voice vote.

Chair of the Committee for Grade Appeals
1. Durocher said S. Batistatos volunteered to serve as Chair of Grade Appeals. S. Batistatos said he spoke with the previous chair and is ready to start.
2. New project in originality checking in AI detection and investigation. J. Ivy has volunteered.
3. The Parliamentarian said Senate Representatives must receive Senate Approval.
  1. Motion for approval by J. Durocher
  2. Seconded by D. Kozel
  3. Approved by voice vote.
4. For Action:
  - None
5. Discussion Items:
  - SEA 202 and SB 8
    1. The Chair said Senators received these documents for review. PUWL has made statements on the bills.
    2. The Provost Office is coordinating with Purdue West Lafayette on mandatory reporting requirements related to SEA 202.
    3. Public Law 94
      1. (three-year degree programs), she mentioned that PNW already meets the requirement through programs like the BLS and accelerated nursing.
      2. She asked senators to take these bills back to their colleges to consider what programs could offer three-year options for student benefit.
    4. Tobin said she was department chair when a three-year option was created for the BLS. It’s a flexible degree. When you have more prescriptive four-year plans and know when those courses are offered, it can be a matter of mapping and puzzle work.
    5. The Provost said B. Stankowski is coordinating the three-year degree.
    6. The Chair said we already meet the legal requirements for SB 8.

Reports from Senate Standing Committee Chairs
- Curriculum (Lee Artz)
  1. Artz said the committee will look at 17 IHH proposals. Departments are already in discussion. Hoping for approval so that courses can be added to the catalog before the end of the Fall.
- Faculty Affairs (Rob Hallock)
  1. Hallock said FAC would like all Senators to go to their departments and remind all faculty to read the accommodations for PAC and AIM. They asked this because the last reported numbers indicated that only 80% of the accommodations had been read. Of course, we must get that number 100%.
  2. Memorandum AA 6 – office hour policy.
    1. FAC will be working today to write a resolution for office hours.
    2. The Office of Academic Affairs is working on establishing an office-hour policy.
    3. FAC wants to clarify how many hours faculty should have. This was left up to the deans, and they have instituted faculty members to have between four and eight hours per week. The committee is not looking to supersede AA8; it is just providing further guidance that perhaps deans can use if they wish.
  3. The Chair clarified that the Senate has referred FAC to address the Interfolio issue.
- Gen Ed & Assessment (Amlan Mitra)
  1. Mitra said the committee met to discuss the best approach to HLC criteria on Gen Ed requirements. A task force was created in 2019 to revamp the Gen Ed. However, their work was incomplete. Faculty from the committee were contacted, and their feedback was collected.
  2. Gen Ed would like to bring efficiency to the process for departments. They are currently submitted through Task-Stream, with the approval process through Curriculog. They would like to change this so that both steps are through Curriculog. The Committee will discuss it later today.
  3. The committee also contacted Institutional Research to get a list of Gen Ed courses and the number of students in these courses for the last five years. We have about 300 Gen Ed forces, but only 10 to 15% are offered annually. So, the committee will meet today to discuss the next step.
  4. The Vice-Chair said Gen Ed requirements must also satisfy ICHE requirements.
  5. Artz asked what was meant by using the Curriculog process because the curriculum committee doesn’t make decisions about Gen Ed. A. Mitra said the committee was informed that the Curriculum Committee uses Curriculog, so they will discuss the use of Curriculog and decide if they will use it, too.
  6. Mitra said Gen Ed will decide after discussions with Academic Affairs and the Provost Office. There are many issues finding documents with Task-Stream. A platform could be created for Gen Ed in Curriculog, working with J. Williams.
  7. Saylor said she is on the EXL committee and would like to discuss with A. Mitra the use of Curriculog.
- Nominations, Elections, & Awards (John Durocher)
  1. Durocher said the committee discussed cleaning up the awards process.
  2. Must fill one more committee seat on the University Policy Committee. Meets once a month on the third Wednesday at 9 AM CDT via Zoom. Any faculty member is eligible and does not need to be a Senator.
  3. The Vice-Chair said the Chancellor also seeks to populate the Intercollegiate Athletics Committee. The Senate can elect up to three additional faculty members. The Chair of SAC has also served as a representative. Meets once per semester via Zoom.
  4. Isaac-Lam added that they seek a Senate rep for the Annual Program Review Committee. Meets once at the beginning of the semester. The challenge of the committee is writing the report. The term is two years.
  5. Ivy said she is willing to serve on the Intercollegiate Athletics Committee.
- Ed Policy (Yun Liu)
  1. Liu said they welcomed a new member and acknowledged D. Kozel.
  2. Will discuss Senate Enrolled Act 8.
- Student Affairs (Jessica Ivy)
  1. Ivy said the committee is seeking Student of the Month nominations. Working to finalize the subcommittee members. D. Nalbone asked about deadlines for submissions…
  2. The committee is delighted to have S. Batistatos as Grade Appeals Chair.
  3. Dean Colin Fewer shared with the committee about PNW administering the National College Health Assessment in 2023, which revealed a need for student wellness support across various areas. The committee wants faculty to know that much has been done with that. Some existing wellness programs have been consolidated under a Healthy Pride brand, which has been integrated with Wellness Badge.
  4. Partnered with Aladdin to provide diet and nutrition services to students. An event on September 17 is already full.
  5. Isaac-Lam said last year, a student of the month was chosen but never announced. Per the FSD, one will be announced in October and the other in November. The Dean of Students provides a gift. October nominations are also considered in November. M. Isaac-Lam said the second winner last year was never announced.

West Lafayette Report (David Nalbone)
- The first PUWL Senate Meeting was on Monday. Partnerships were discussed.
- $4M surplus.
- An issue was raised about free speech for lecturers. Provost Mora clarified.
- 49 and 235 tenure and tenure-track faculty.
  1. Topic-based and talent-based. Forty-one talent-based searches are no longer being pursued.
- Each college in PUWL does an annual salary equity study. D. Nalbone will follow up with our Provost.
IFC Report (Geoffrey Barrow)
- No report.
SGA Report (Chloe Belford)
- Belford said SGA is seeking a student Senator from the College of Nursing. Can offer nominations via email.
- The first official meeting will be this Friday.
- Scheduling table events to raise awareness of student government. Creating resolutions and events for both campuses.
- The Chair encouraged attendance at the Pumpkin Festival on October 5, 6-8 pm.
- the Trunk-or-Treat event on October 16.
- Haunted trail on the Westville campus on October 25, 7 -9 pm.
Open discussion (as time permits).
- Annual reminder of outside activity due September 15.
Adjournment
- Meeting adjourned at 11:45 AM