Recap of University Senate's Jan. 26 meeting
February 5, 2015
Here is a recap of the University Senate's meeting held Jan. 26.
Autism treatment coverage
President Mitch Daniels announced that Purdue will expand autism coverage for its future health insurance options for employees.
The announcement came after the Senate unanimously passed a resolution endorsing an autism health insurance benefit expansion. Senator Stephen Beaudoin, professor of chemical engineering, submitted the resolution.
In addition to receiving the Senate's support, the resolution to expand autism coverage unanimously was sponsored by the Administrative and Professional Staff Advisory Committee (APSAC), the Clerical and Service Staff Advisory Committee (CSSAC), three senate committees and the entire autism cluster faculty in the College of Health and Human Sciences.
A presentation about the topic from Beaudoin, whose son is autistic, is available here. The approved Senate resolution is available here.
Daniels said the estimated cost of the autism insurance benefit is $1.6 million. Of that, the University expects to pay about $1.4 million.
Testing of student intellectual growth
Patricia Hart, Senate chair, raised several questions and concerns on behalf of the faculty about the University's plans to begin measuring Purdue students' intellectual growth.
The Student Intellectual Growth Task Force was created in February 2013 and consists of faculty and staff members from across the West Lafayette campus. It was scheduled to present a final report to the Board of Trustees in February.
After Hart's remarks, Daniels addressed the Senate. He extended the task force's reporting deadline to the Board of Trustees by two months; the report now will take place in April. Daniels also said that the University will provide the resources that faculty have requested to further study the question.
Daniels said the goal remains administering a student intellectual growth test to freshmen in fall 2015.
Promotion and tenure documents
Alyssa Panitch, vice provost for faculty affairs, announced that draft documents related to efforts to update Purdue's faculty promotion and tenure policies are available.
In November 2011, the Office of the Provost appointed a Promotion and Tenure Task Force to examine Purdue's promotion and tenure policy and to suggest modifications for an update based on national trends, contemporary faculty work life and Purdue traditions. The task force issued its report in November 2012. The University held public forums following the report's completion and solicited feedback broadly.
Three documents are available: one regarding procedures for granting academic tenure and promotion, one regarding academic tenure, and one regarding criteria for recognition of academic achievement.
Panitch encouraged senators to review the documents and submit feedback through the Senate.
Once the Office of the Provost has incorporated the feedback into the documents, the Executive Policy Review Group and the University Policy Committee will review them. Then, the Board of Trustees will review and approve the documents before they go into effect, Panitch said.
Scheduling of evening exams
The Senate discussed a proposed revision to the University's examination scheduling regulation. The proposal is intended to provide students with a clear path to advocate on their own behalf when faced with scheduling conflicts resulting from evening exams, said Senator Hal Kirkwood, associate professor of library science.
The proposal can be found here. The Senate is expected to vote on the matter in February.
Scholastic delinquencies and readmissions policy
The Senate discussed proposed changes to the policy governing the Committee on Scholastic Delinquencies and Readmissions.
The changes are intended to streamline the reapplication process for students initially approved for admission and to reduce the burden on faculty members who serve on the committee, Kirkwood said.
The proposal can be found here. The Senate is expected to vote on the matter in February.
Senate term limits
Senator Christopher Kulesza, president of Purdue Graduate Student Government, presented a proposed amendment to the Senate's bylaws that would eliminate term limits.
The proposal can be found here.
Several senators offered comments in support of or in opposition to the amendment. The Senate is expected to vote on the matter in February.
Writer: Amanda Hamon Kunz, 49-61325, ahamon@purdue.edu
