PNW Pridecast: Study Away Opportunities Relaunch, Core Enrollment Holds Steady

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Episode Script

Hello, Purdue Northwest colleagues!

Welcome back to the next episode of the PNW Pridecast, bringing you the latest internal faculty and staff news.

I’m Kale Wilk, Communications Specialist in the office of Marketing and Communications. In this episode we’ll visit topics including fall 2023 enrollment, the growth of Study Away opportunities, and one professor’s research on LGTBQ representation in children’s books.

Core Enrollment Holds Steady for 2023-24

PNW’s fall 2023 enrollment figures show steady core enrollment, including notable increases in graduate-level and international student enrollment.

Although the total number of undergraduate students decreased slightly compared with fall 2022, total graduate students increased by 5.7% and international students increased 43%. International students at PNW this academic year total 489 and represent 50 different countries. The total is the highest since 2018. As COVID-19 restrictions ease, more students from around the world are again able to take opportunities to attend PNW and further their career aspirations.

Multiple graduate program cohorts grew in size, including Biological Sciences; Business Administration; Computer Science; Education; Nursing; and Technology. Graduate-level enrollment is also expected to be supported by new students in pending doctoral and master’s level Psychology programs and existing Doctor of Technology and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs.

PNW continues to grow as a diverse, welcoming, and inclusive environment. Over 25% of the undergraduate student population self-identifies as Hispanic or Latino and over 11% as Black or African American. PNW’s Honors College also remains the most diverse honors college in Indiana. The college admitted 293 new students this academic year. The new admits include 124 first-generation students; 171 who self-identify as non-white or multiracial; and 33 who are Indiana 21st Century scholars.

Study Away Programs Relaunch

While opportunities for international students to attend PNW have recently increased, so too have the chances for domestic PNW students and faculty to engage abroad and elsewhere in the U.S. through Study Away programs.

PNW Study Away programs were relaunched during spring 2023 to again provide students with unique experiences of traveling abroad and domestically to apply classroom lessons in new, unfamiliar environments. Guided by faculty mentors, students in the spring journeyed to several locations in Europe. A Biological Sciences class centered on an interdisciplinary approach of ecology and the history of national parks also went to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee during the summer.

Ramesh Neupane recently joined PNW as the director of International Programs and Partnerships. In his role he will help coordinate Study Away opportunities by facilitating faculty proposals, engaging with PNW students to encourage interest and application, and help rebuild partnerships with other host universities around the world.

Prior to coming to PNW, Neupane earned his Ph.D. in Educational Administration and Higher Education at Southern Illinois University, and served as associate director of Study Abroad programs at the university. Studying abroad and earning experiences outside of the classroom is of high interest to many PNW students, and Neupane wants to foster a global mindset for intellectual growth and career outcomes.

I always say once a student steps onto the plane, they are learning different things.

Ramesh Neupane, director of International Programs and Partnerships

“It is a living and learning cultural academic experience,” said Neupane. “If you’re creating a proposal, we want those components in there. There should be an academic part, but there should be a component regarding culture too.

“It is a learning curve. I always say once a student steps onto the plane, they are learning different things. There might be people sitting next to them who are from different countries, states, or towns. You are learning how to be comfortable to travel with someone from a different country or state for 14 hours. You are learning something and adjusting with your environment. It is not all about tourist visits. It is about a learning curve for students.”

Faculty interested in submitting Study Away program proposals should visit pnw.edu/study-away and navigate to the Faculty Guide to read proposal requirements and deadlines. The priority deadline is Oct. 1 and final deadline is Oct. 15 to submit proposals for 2024 spring and summer Study Away opportunities. Again, faculty information and more about PNW’s Study Away programs can be found at pnw.edu/study-away.

Sociology Faculty Member Delivers Findings on LGBTQ Representation in Children’s Books

A PNW Sociology faculty member recently published research that took an extensive look at LGBTQ representation and themes in children’s books over a span of almost 50 years.

Hubert Izienicki, associate professor of Sociology, and student research assistants conducted a content analysis of 234 English-language LGBTQ picture books printed between 1972 and 2018. Izienicki, using queer theory as the research’s theoretical foundation, wanted to perform a more expansive look at these books’ themes to see what consistent or dominant messages were included and who was represented.

In Izienicki’s view, the research results showed encouraging signs, but also areas for constructive critique. He found there was diversity in human characters’ races, but an overall majority were white. Among the many characters featured, the majority identified as gay or lesbian, but only 16% had other identifications, such as bisexual, transgender or genderqueer. A substantial number of the books containing lesbian and gay characters had stories where the characters were secondary, or backgrounded, and were peripheral to the central themes. Three particularly consistent themes observed included gender nonconformity, gender identity and family diversity.

Izienicki says that in examining these social artifacts it produces more important information on how children, parents and guardians, librarians and educators can facilitate “windows or mirrors” that provide representation and identification with literary characters. As the research was being conducted, he too observed external attacks in some communities on LGBTQ books in libraries or schools. But, he hopes the research can additionally show that these literary works aren’t harmful to readers.

My research shows that these books are pretty benign. They’re not pushing any agenda. If anything, they’re about LGBTQ people being just like everyone else and fitting in.

Hubert Izienicki, associate professor of Sociology

“I have this sense that people have these imaginations about what these books contain,” said Izienicki. “But my research shows that these books are pretty benign. They’re not pushing any agenda. If anything, they’re about LGBTQ people being just like everyone else and fitting in. They focus on family, domesticity, parenting and family life. It’s about, to a large extent, families and how they function, how they go through their day.

“The important takeaway for students is that our perceptions can be misleading. In reality, when we systematically examine our social world, the conclusions might be quite different about what is actually going on rather than going by our instincts, feelings or little snippets of information.”

Recent News

Finally, let’s transition into a few faculty, staff and campus news items.

• Elizabeth Babcock Depew, Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, is one of 50 higher education professionals nationally selected for the fifth cohort of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) Leadership Academy/La Academia de Liderazgo.

  The cohort will participate in leadership development activities, with an emphasis on those representing emerging and current Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI). PNW has been a longtime partner of HACU. Through its HSI office, Latino students are annually sponsored for HACU conferences and networking around the country.

• Yu Ouyang, associate professor of Political Science, has co-authored a book with Michael Morgan, McCoy Professor of Political Science at Marrieta College in Ohio, titled Talking Tough on U.S. Foreign Policy. The research, just released in August, does an in-depth analysis of how U.S. presidents have used national emergency declarations.  The book looks at examples and factors of presidential language choice, executive authority in foreign policy decisions and patterns of executive branch crisis response and communications.
• PNW earned several recognitions in the annual 2024 best colleges rankings from S. News & World Report. PNW is again a top regional university in the Midwest, ranking 33 among public institutions. It is also again a top performer in social mobility, or how well a university graduates Pell Grant recipients.

  The School of Engineering ranked 58th among top engineering programs whose highest degree is a master’s. The College of Nursing ranked 86th among top undergraduate nursing programs, moving up 49 spots from last year’s rankings. PNW also ranked in top undergraduate programs in Computer Science and, in U.S. News’ first ever rankings for the discipline, Psychology.

• PNW Athletics recently announced the addition of its next varsity sport, STUNT. STUNT is a fast-growing collegiate sport that involves skills derived from competitive cheerleading. The sport is a head-to-head game between two teams that execute skills in partner stunts, jumps, tumbling, pyramids, tosses and team routines. The sport is the 21st intercollegiate sport added to Pride Athletics, and competition is expected to begin during the 2024-25 athletics season.
• Nominations are open for the 2024 PNW Alumni Hall of Fame class. The PNW Alumni Hall of Fame honors distinguished graduates from any time in the 77-year history of the university’s campuses. PNW seeks nominations of alumni who are high-achieving leaders in their fields, involved members of their community and those who have engaged with PNW well beyond their time as students.

  To submit a nomination, visit edu/hall-of-fame and complete the Qualtrics form. Nomination criteria can also be found at that link. Nominations will be accepted through Nov. 15. The next class is expected to be announced in December 2023 and inducted in April 2024.

• Finally, just a gentle reminder that Open Enrollment for benefits-eligible employees is coming up in a few weeks. The enrollment system will be open from Oct. 24 through Nov. 7. The open enrollment and benefits website is open at this time and will serve as your resource for information through the open enrollment period.

As a PNW employee, you can go to pnw.edu/human-resources, and then navigate over to the “Benefits” tab on the side, and then to “Benefits Open Enrollment.”

That’s all for this episode! You can catch up on past episodes and share your faculty and staff news with us by visiting pnw.edu/pridecast.

I’m Kale Wilk, signing off for now, and I’ll reconnect with you in a few weeks.