Purdue University Northwest > Faculty Senate > News > Senate Meeting Minutes > Faculty Senate Minutes, December 13, 2024

Faculty Senate Minutes, December 13, 2024

January 27, 2025

Faculty Senate Minutes, December 13, 2024

10:00 AM-12:00 PM: Hammond – Alumni Hall

Minutes

Voting Members Present:
Ali Alavizadeh, Khair Al Shamaileh, Gokarna Aryal, Geoffrey Barrow Shreya Bhandari, José Castro-Urioste, 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, Pam Saylor, Diane Spoljoric, George Stefanik, Pitparnee Stompor, Nicolae Tarfulea, Kathy Tobin, Sarah White, Donna Whitten, Cheng Zhang

Voting Members Absent:
Lee Artz,

Non-Voting Members Present:
Tony Elmendorf, Alan McCafferty

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

  1. Determination of quorum.
    • Quorum determined at 9:58 AM
  2. Call to order.
    • Meeting called to order at 10:03 AM
  3. Approval of the agenda.
    • Motion for approval by P. Ludwig-Beymer
    • Seconded by D. Kozel
    • Approved by voice vote
  4. Approval of the minutes from November 8, 2024
    • Motion for approval by P. Ludwig-Beymer
    • Seconded by D. Kozel
    • Approved by voice vote
  5. Remarks by the Senate Chair
    • The Chair recapped the Nursing Pinning ceremony yesterday evening. She encouraged Senators to attend commencement.
    • She thanked those who brought a donation and said she would also accept cash donations.
    • She wished everyone the best and encouraged them to participate in their respective traditions.
  6. Remarks by the Chancellor
    • The Chancellor was away on business. Catharine Olsen provided the report.
      1. The Chancellor apologizes for being unable to attend. He is currently in PUWL, presenting to the Board of Trustees.
      2. The Board of Trustees has approved the construction of phase three of the dorms. Construction will begin in fall 2025 and is expected to be completed by fall 2026 to welcome new residents.
  1. Remarks by the Provost/VCAA
    • Provost Mora thanked the Senate and the Senate Chair for their inspiring words. She also thanked those who donated to the student food pantry.
    • Dean search updates
      1. For the College of Engineering and Sciences (CES), the deadline for full consideration was Dec 2. Over 80 applications were received, and the search committee will narrow the list to 8-10 candidates for semi-final interviews via Zoom after the break. Finalists will be on campus in mid to late January.
      2. For the College of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences (CHESS), the deadline for full consideration is January 8th. The search committee was given its official charge last week, and campus interviews are expected to be held in late January or early to mid-February.
    • Strategic Planning
      1. The steering committee and working groups for the goals and core values have continued to meet. The next steps will be discussed with the ULT on Monday and the steering committee later that afternoon.
      2. The implementation phase will begin after the planning process winds down in February.
    • Faculty/Staff Recognition
      1. 13 faculty and staff from Purdue Northwest were recognized at the Seeds for Success Acorn Awards ceremony at Purdue West Lafayette, the most PNW has ever had.
    • Collaboration with University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez (UPR Mayagüez):
      1. The Chancellor and Provost met with the Chancellor of UPR Mayagüez to discuss potential collaborations like faculty/student exchanges and research.
      2. This connection was initially made by Dr. Antonia Novello, the former U.S. Surgeon General, who had visited the Purdue Northwest campus a few months prior.
      3. The Provost expressed excitement about further developing these collaborations, particularly given that the UPR Mayagüez campus has a strong specialty in engineering.
    • Women Faculty Networking
      1. Provost Mora organized on December 6 a networking meeting for women faculty, which had a great response from all five academic colleges. A second meeting will be scheduled in Westville.
      2. She mentioned that they are working to draft bylaws to institutionalize the Women’s Faculty Network, which would be open to all faculty who support the mission of that group.
    • Announcement from the Faculty Research Board
      1. There is a new initiative for HSI seed grants. There was an excellent response, with funding provided for two projects out of more than a dozen applications.
    • The Provost said she looks forward to seeing faculty at commencement, which means a lot to students and their families.
    • She thanked the Senate for their work during the Fall 2024 semester.
    • The Chair asked about Dean search presentation access.
      1. The Provost said she anticipates there will be a Zoom option. Faculty and staff will have the opportunity to participate.
  1. Student Government Association (SGA) Report (Chloe Belford)
    • Belford thanked the Senate for having her.
    • She shared initiatives for the spring semester.
      1. Brighter lights on campus for safety and comfort. Students reported that outdoor lighting on campus at night is not bright enough. Working with facilities on getting brighter bulbs for parking lots and outdoor areas.
      2. SGA is looking into installing public charging stations in the lounges across campus.
      3. The student senator representing the College of Nursing (CON) is working on a CPR training event. CPR is required for some students, but it’s not offered here.
      4. SGA plans to offer a snack cart for those studying in the Mane Zone. Students don’t remember to pack lunches and can’t afford snacks on campus. These snacks will be free.
        1. The Chair asked about funding for the snack cart. C. Belford said the SGA would fund it.
  • SGA was able to get the library hours extended during finals week, which was well-received by students.
  • The FRC is going to be open on evenings and weekends.
  1. Unfinished Business
    • none
  2. New Business:
    • Curriculum Documents Approval
      1. The Chair said L. Artz is out on business.
      2. Deadlines coming up. Program changes should be completed and submitted in Curriculog. Look at deadlines on the Senate website.
  1. For Action:
    • FSD 24-02_Resolution on office hours
      1. Hallock presented and explained the document, which recommended a standard of 4 office hours per week for full-time faculty, with proportional reductions for part-time faculty.
      2. The resolution was amended to include the clause about proportional reductions for part-time faculty, including limited-term lecturers.
      3. There was discussion about whether the resolution should specify that the office hours can be held in-person, online, or a combination. Still, it was noted that this was already covered in the existing AA6 policy.
      4. Motion for approval by R. Hallock
      5. Seconded by K. Tobin
      6. The amended resolution was approved by voice vote
  1. Discussion Items:
    • Student Service Fee Committee (K. Tobin)
      1. Tobin said she was recently appointed the Faculty Senate representative on the Student Service Fee (SSF) committee. She attended her first SSF committee meeting and wanted to share information with faculty advisors for student organizations.
      2. The Student Service Fee is collected from students, and a portion is set aside for student organizations to apply for funding for their programming.
      3. There is training available on the SSF application process, which K. Tobin felt would have been helpful for faculty advisors to know about.
      4. Cordova and J. Gordon from Student Life provided more details on the SSF application timeline and process:
        1. Cordova provided handouts about the SSF annual request process for student organizations and a tentative timeline.
        2. Student organizations must re-register in February to be eligible for the following fiscal year’s SSF funds. Re-registration can be done on MyPNWLife. All student organization officers and advisors will see a banner on MyPNWLife when they log in, and that banner will not go away until the group is re-registered.
        3. Cordova said The re-registration process will open on February 7, and students will be given until March 14 to complete the re-registration. In the meantime, RSO officers should be discussing their financial needs for the following year.
        4. An automatic minimum amount will be available, and organizations can request up to a maximum amount (both are yet to be determined) for additional funding. Last fiscal year, the minimum amount was $500, and the maximum was $3,000.
        5. The SSF committee does not want the funds to be used for fundraising or travel, only for on-campus functions. RSOs are encouraged to create fundraising efforts for travel purposes.
        6. Gordon said advisors will receive emails with important updates.
        7. The committee will meet on Fridays to discuss crucial information on Registered Student Organizations (RSOs). Trying to close the gap in all areas. Minimum and maximum numbers have not yet been set.
        8. It was confirmed that this information would be shared on the RSO Officers page, MyPNWLife, and via email.
        9. It was also confirmed that the process consists of a four-category form to be filled out for re-registration and to receive the minimum funding amount. This includes apparel, food, supplies, and giveaways. Anything beyond those four categories will require a written explanation for the request.
        10. It was clarified that the SSF committee comprises faculty, students, and student organization members. The SGA President and Vice President are required members. There is a faculty representative on the committee. Additional members come from the SGA, often including senators involved in other student organizations.
        11. The Office of Student Life serves in an advisory role on the committee but does not have voting rights.
  • Email migration
    1. The Chair said the email migration was poorly timed and caused significant disruptions. She suggested an “after-action summary” to identify how the process could be improved.
    2. Kramer said it might be advisable to create a space for communication beyond calling ext. 2888. The Vice-Chair noted he had the same issues but received assistance quickly by going to the Powers building. He said that the Chancellor and Provost also experienced problems, and he would communicate to DCIO Tim Winders that this was not an appropriate time to conduct the migration.
  • Search committee representation
    1. Provost Mora sought to ensure Faculty Senate representation on the CES and CHESS search committees, with the Senate representatives selected by the Faculty Senate. Those serving as Senate representatives will not be double-counted as department representatives.
    2. The goal was to have robust and committed search committees with representation from different departments/schools, faculty ranks, and campuses (Hammond and Westville).
    3. Provost Mora wanted to ensure at least one faculty member from each department/school served on each committee, recognizing that some may have multi-disciplinary representation. Those serving are expected to represent their entire department, not their discipline exclusively.
    4. The search committees are chaired by Deans, who can provide insights into the role and responsibilities of a dean at Purdue Northwest. Both deans said they enjoy getting to know the new candidates.
    5. For the CHESS search, the Chair of the College Council was also invited to serve on the committee.
    6. Check with your department to determine your representative.
  1. Reports from Senate Standing Committee Chairs
    • Curriculum (Lee Artz)
      1. Curriculum Committee Chair L. Artz was not present at the meeting.
      2. The Senate Chair noted that the Curriculum Committee will have two meetings in January 2025 with documents for consideration at the February Faculty Senate meeting.
      3. She also mentioned that L. Artz agreed to continue serving as the Curriculum Committee chair for the next academic year.
    • Faculty Affairs (Rob Hallock)
      1. Hallock thanked committee members for their assistance with developing FSD 24-02 – Resolution on Office Hours.
        1. Gokarna Aryal (’25) (CES)
        2. Masoud Fathizadeh (’25) (COT)
        3. Shontrai Irving (’26) (COB)
        4. Patti Ludwig-Beymer (’27) (CON)
  • Gen Ed & Assessment (Amlan Mitra)
    1. Dormant Gen Ed Courses:
      1. Mitra said he previously discussed speaking with B. Stankowski. He said the committee received the list of dormant Gen Ed courses, and their college reps have communicated to their assessment coordinators about the number of dormant Gen Ed courses (140 out of 180).
      2. Departments and colleges must decide whether to delete these dormant courses. Many courses have not been offered in 5+ years.
      3. More work on this next semester.
    2. FYE Course Credit Hours:
      1. The committee reviewed a list of FYE courses offered in the last 5 years, with variable credit hours from 1-3.
      2. The FYE Committee recommended standardizing the credit hours.
      3. The Gen Ed committee believes it would be best for the Senate to hear a presentation from the FYE subcommittee chair on this topic. Will decide later today and inform Senate leadership. It would be no more than a 10-minute presentation.
    3. Experiential Learning Course Review:
      1. Saylor provided an update that the Experiential Learning Committee is working on reviewing and deleting courses from the list.
      2. An email was sent to department chairs asking them to review the list of all EXL courses currently in the catalog. The goal is to ensure that all EXL courses are correctly listed, as some courses may have been added but got lost or are otherwise missing.
      3. Saylor emphasized the importance of departments checking the list and contacting her or the committee if they have questions about their EXL course listings.
      4. The committee will assess the EXL courses to ensure they meet the criteria. Still, the initial focus is compiling a comprehensive and accurate list of all the EXL courses across the university.
    4. Accreditation Reporting:
      1. The committee submitted to B. Stankowski’s office a report for the HLC self-study and is awaiting additional requirements.
    5. Committee Appreciation:
      1. Amlan thanked the Gen Ed committee members for their hard work this semester.
        1. Ali Alavizadeh (’25) (COT)
        2. Hassan Naji (’25) (CES)
        3. Laurie Parpart (’26) (CON)
        4. Pitparnee Stompor (’26) (COB)
        5. Kathy Tobin (’26) (CHESS)
      2. The Chair commended the committee on their work and upcoming work.
      3. The Vice-Chair advised that when the Gen Ed committee reviews the Gen Ed curriculum, they should look at what other universities are doing and specifically see what Purdue West Lafayette and Purdue Fort Wayne are doing, as they are under the same constraints. He advised the Gen Ed committee to examine the ICHE and HLC requirements that Purdue Northwest must satisfy and how potential Gen Ed changes could impact all academic programs, especially those with structured curricula like engineering and nursing. He also advised they work to ensure the curriculum is easily assessable so that it can be appropriately evaluated in the future, rather than creating issues for the next group reviewing it.
      4. Mitra noted that many courses have still not been assessed from the 2022-23 assessment cycle. The Gen Ed committee has reminded assessment coordinators to submit their assessment reports, but many are still missing. He suggested that having dedicated staff to help facilitate the submission of assessment reports across the colleges could be a helpful approach, similar to what his department has done.
      5. The Gen Ed committee is also still having difficulty accessing certain reports in TaskStream, which is creating issues for assessing Gen Ed courses, and he indicated they are exploring moving to Curriculog instead. Still, this transition may create challenges in producing the necessary accreditation reports that rely on the TaskStream data.
  • Nominations, Elections, & Awards (John Durocher)
    1. Durocher stated that an announcement was sent out on November 19 about the Founders Day awards. However, he noted that he did not receive that email announcement, even as the Nominations committee chair, due to the email migration. Nominations are open until January 10th for the categories of teaching, scholarship, and engagement.
      1. March 7 is the Founders Day event.
    2. Durocher reported that the committee has filled 13-14 committee positions this fall and thanked everyone who has volunteered.
    3. Durocher noted a need for a Senate representative from any college to serve on the Academic Program Review Committee. This committee meets once at the start of the semester to organize and then has a 3-hour virtual presentation meeting in the middle of the semester, along with some reading and scoring of self-study reports. Term duration is two years.
      1. Isaac-Lam said anyone interested can speak with her. The next meeting is in January.
    4. Regarding the policy on sabbatical leave, J. Durocher clarified that if serving on an awards review committee would interfere with the terms of a faculty member’s sabbatical, they should consult with the Office of Academic Affairs.
    5. The Parliamentarian noted that an important upcoming duty for the Nominations Committee will be to solicit candidates for the Vice Chair-Elect position, which must be a current Senator. There is no other qualification.
      1. The Chair explained that the chair of the Faculty Senate finishes their term at the end of the academic year when the Vice Chair becomes the new Chair. Still, the chairs of the Faculty Senate committees continue to serve until the start of the new semester. She noted that the committee chairs may be convened over the summer.
    6. The Chair noted that D. Nalbone, the previous Purdue West Lafayette Senate representative, has been selected as the new College of Behavioral Sciences Department Chair, leaving this representative position open, which she described as a valuable opportunity to learn about Purdue West Lafayette through monthly Zoom meetings without the need to travel.
  • Ed Policy (Yun (Tom) Liu)
    1. Liu said the committee discussed a document from the Provost’s office regarding the process for changing academic organizational structures. The committee is currently collecting feedback and comments on this document from the chairs of the other Faculty Senate standing committees.
      1. Liu stated that the Education Policy Committee will have an extensive discussion about the document at their meeting today, and they plan to compile all the feedback to share with the full Faculty Senate in January.
      2. Dave Kozel suggested that the Education Policy Committee could invite the Provost to their meeting to discuss the document and answer any questions the committee may have.
    2. Mitra asked for clarification on whether the committee chairs should provide feedback from their committee members or just their feedback as committee chairs.
    3. Liu confirmed they are seeking feedback from the standing committee chairs and their committee members, which will be compiled and shared as an appendix when the document is presented to the full Senate.
  • Student Affairs (Jessica Ivy)
    1. Ivy reported that the committee recognized Maya Bell as the Student of the Month for October, and C. Fewer sent out a biography for her and previous Student of the Month recipients.
    2. The subcommittee is currently working on selecting the November Student of the Month, which may not be announced until the January meeting due to the process outlined in a previous Faculty Senate resolution.
    3. Ivy noted the Academic Integrity Committee, chaired by S. Batistatos, has been working hard and providing reports to the Executive Committee.
    4. Ivy mentioned the committee is still working on a more comprehensive student absence policy and may form a subcommittee to focus on this in January.
    5. Regarding the use of Turnitin and AI, J. Ivy explained that a system-wide committee has concluded its work. They proposed a process to gather more information and feedback from faculty across the campuses before making recommendations.
    6. Kratovil-Mailhiot asked Jessica Ivy if the Academic Integrity Subcommittee was working with the Academic Integrity Task Force. They said a group of students was recently recruited to help with this effort.
      1. Ivy clarified that the Academic Integrity Subcommittee specifically deals with grade appeals, following the process outlined in the Senate Document.
      2. Ivy stated the subcommittee is not working directly with the broader Academic Integrity Task Force but is focused solely on handling grade appeal issues.
    7. West Lafayette Report (David Nalbone)
      • Nalbone said he could not attend most of the West Lafayette Senate meeting due to scheduling conflicts with promotion and tenure decision meetings.
      • Based on the meeting notes, the West Lafayette Senate Chair discussed a study showing that about a third of scientists quit science within 5 years of their first publication, and almost half leave within a decade, which was concerning, especially for women in science.
      • The Purdue President’s remarks noted that West Lafayette is asking the legislature for $90 million for a new life sciences building.
      • The West Lafayette Senate passed SD 2404 for Senate reapportionment, which included the Agriculture Department having one fewer member and Purdue Indianapolis now having two representatives instead of being part of IUPUI.
      • Nalbone concluded by thanking the Faculty Senate for his time serving as the representative to the West Lafayette Senate, as he is transitioning to a new role as chair of the Psychology department.
    8. IFC Report (Geoffrey Barrow)
      • Barrow reported a fair amount of discussion at the IFC meeting about how the different Purdue campuses handle SB 202. He noted that some campuses, like Lafayette and Fort Wayne, have set up committees to address this, but Purdue Northwest has not yet been stimulated to do so.
      • The IFC also discussed a program called “Elements” that Purdue Lafayette has been looking at for the past 3 years as a potential faculty activity reporting system. G. Barrow suggested that Purdue Northwest may want to compare this to the current Interfolio system.
      • He mentioned that Purdue Lafayette will also review the principles and policies around their departmental program reviews, as they have not looked at this in 10 years.
      • Regarding Purdue Indianapolis representation, G. Barrow noted that Lafayette will continue to have the two existing Purdue Indianapolis representatives on their Senate without any immediate plans to change that.
    9. Open discussion (as time permits).
      • Ludwig-Beymer agreed with the earlier comments about the email migration issues, noting that it was poorly timed. She suggested that, similar to past practices when there were issues with information systems or power outages, the university should conduct an “after-action summary” to look at how the email migration process could have been handled better. She recommended that the Faculty Senate encourage Tim Winders, the Deputy CIO, to do this type of after-action review and analysis to identify areas for improvement in preparation, communication, and troubleshooting during the email migration process. The Provost agreed to make this recommendation.
      • The Chair mentioned that the university will be transitioning from Windows 10 to Windows 11 by fall 2025 and advised faculty to check the compatibility of their Purdue-issued computers.
        1. Durocher asked about getting permission to install Windows 10 on lab equipment that requires it despite the upcoming Windows 11 transition.
        2. Senate leadership suggested that J. Durocher contact Tim Winders and Jack Carrol for assistance with non-networked equipment compatibility issues.
      • She reminded faculty that the Faculty Annual Report (FAR) is due on February 17, 2025.
      • The Chair encouraged faculty to start thinking about ideas for the spring Faculty Senate convocation and to share their thoughts.
      • The Chair also noted the need to find replacements for the open positions on the West Lafayette Senate and the Academic Program Review Committee.
  1. Adjournment
    • Meeting adjourned at 11:44 AM