Recap of University Senate's March 23 meeting

Here is a recap of the University Senate's meeting of March 23.

University policy on leaves

Patricia Hart, Senate chair, began her remarks by thanking the chairman of the Leaves Committee and Human Resources for responding quickly and attentively to the criticisms of the newly unveiled policy. The Senate leadership recommended that all major academic and budgetary policies be considered broadly and publicly. For collaborative decision-making, transparent and inclusive procedures are necessary. The leadership asks that such committees meet openly, take minutes, and post the minutes online so that all of the governing organizations of faculty and staff can examine and discuss them.

Academic space

The Senate leadership asked for more information about the plan to move management of academic spaces from the purview of the provost to the treasurer. The leaders recommended against managing all academic spaces centrally, and pointed out that units need flexibility in order to carry out basic academic business, and these needs are inconsistent with having every seat in every classroom filled at all times. They suggested that the deans are essential in placing space needs into context, and should work with the provost. It was also asked whether the new initiative was part of a desire to increase enrollment, or to commercialize some spaces, as was done when the Amazon store was located in the Krach Leadership Center

Deba Dutta, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, responded as the top administrator at the meeting. He said he has discussed this plan with academic deans, and he believes that if decision makers remember and meet the objectives as delineated by the deans, the assignment at the executive level doesn't matter.

Faculty salaries

The chairperson again spoke about salaries, stressing that the single most important question is, “Are these salaries what the market demands in order to recruit and retain top faculty and remain preeminent?” One way of looking at this is by comparison with the other public institutions in the Big Ten. She distributed a table and graphs that compared raises over the past five years. Staff and faculty need raises and this should never be presented as competition, as all employees are part of the academic mission of Purdue. She also mentioned that graduate stipends are relatively low, and that needs and merit-based scholarships for underrepresented minorities fall far below our Big Ten peers.

Provost Dutta showed several slides indicating that among the 34 public institutions in the Association of American Universities -- research leaders in academia -- Purdue is competitive in general. In fact, after adjustment for cost of living, Purdue is seventh in salaries and fifth in compensation in that cohort. He also showed figures to indicate that new hiring is focused on the core missions, meaning faculty hiring.

The chair repeated the request made in February that the deans and provost have a candid discussion of their successes with searches, and that reliable data showing a more nuanced picture, and data should be publicly available, easy-to-find and regularly updated.

Classroom improvement resolution

The Senate approved a resolution encouraging the University to increase the pace of improvements to existing classrooms. The aims are both general refurbishment and conversion to use in active learning styles. Frank Dooley, vice provost for teaching and learning, noted that relevant documents reflecting ideas from an architect consultant may provide some guidance in this area. The vote was 48 yes, 5 no, 1 abstaining.

Senate vice chair election

Four candidates were announced, one withdrew, and after several rounds, David Sanders, associate professor of biological sciences, was elected vice chair for 2015-16.

Kirk Alter, associate professor of building construction management, is current vice chair. By Senate rules, he will serve as Senate chair during 2015-16.

Professor Michael Hill, for the Nominations Committee, reminded senators that self-nominations for seats on Senate committees will be open for a time at the Senate website; click Committee Sign-up.

Electronic student course evaluations

The Senate defeated a proposal for changes in student evaluations of courses. The proposal, for which a friendly amendment was accepted, would have removed the mandate for end-of-term evaluations and set a mandate for midterm evaluations. Some questions for that evaluation would have been universal, and they would have focused on learning, not on the instructor per se. Concerns were raised about the objections to the current system, about the role of the syllabus as a contract if midterm adjustments were to be made, and about the use of such evaluations in promotion/tenure processes. The vote was 19 yes, 25 no, 5 abstaining.

Promotion and tenure policy

The Senate approved a resolution endorsing a clearer document on promotion and tenure policy and procedures. The resolution came through the Faculty Affairs Committee. A concern was raised about the tension between academic freedom and the stated expectation of collegiality and civility. The documents received by senators include a change addressing a concern about confidentiality. Alyssa Panitch, vice provost for faculty affairs, and others stated that changes represent a strong improvement and it would be valuable to have them in place. The vote was 32 yes, 17 no, 2 abstaining.

Related documents, which have been receiving small changes, cover the Policy on Academic Tenure and Promotion, Procedures for Granting Academic Tenure and Promotion, and Criteria for Tenure and Promotion for the West Lafayette Campus. The documents now go to the Executive Policy Review Group and the University Policy Committee for review. The Board of Trustees must then approve the documents before they can go into effect.

Policy on intellectual property

Peter Dunn, Purdue's research integrity officer, presented an update on the policy as a matter of information. The primary substance of the policy is unchanged. Changes are to be made to clarify some points including definitions of roles and the advisory committee, make the content conform to the current policy format including separate documents for policy and procedure, clarify requirements for assignment of intellectual property, assure timely decisions, add to the allowable types of supporting organizations and address matters related to created software and industrial contracting. Related documents are the Policy on Intellectual Property and Procedures for Disclosure, Assignment and Commercialization of Intellectual Property. Both are draft documents and may be revised in response to comments and concerns before submission to the EPRG.

English Language Center

Initial discussion took place on a resolution for this proposal from the Student Affairs Committee. Purdue is unusual, even unique, among universities with sizable international enrollment in not having a comprehensive program or center of this sort. Two other leaders in international enrollment have long-established programs. The main purpose would be to help international students who meet English language requirements for admission but will benefit from additional English language instruction. The center would support the development of language skills that would allow international students not only to graduate in a timely manner, but graduate with the English language skills that would enhance opportunities after graduation. Core center courses would focus on students with TOEFL iBT scores between 80 and 100. The Senate is expected to vote on the matter in April.

Embedded outcomes in the undergraduate core curriculum

Initial discussion took place for this proposal to revise the makeup of the embedded outcomes list, reducing it from 11 to three by synthesizing the existing list. The three would be 1) communication, 2) ways of thinking, and 3) interpersonal skills and intercultural knowledge. The concept is to make the embedded outcomes more malleable at the departmental level without raising or lowering standards. The Senate is expected to vote on the matter in April.

Term limits for senators

This proposal, postponed from February's meeting, would amend the Senate bylaws to eliminate term limits. Discussion focused on a potential compromise between maintaining the current two-term limit and deleting it. The compromise would be to have a three-term limit; terms are three years apiece. Other configurations were suggested. The Senate is expected to vote on the matter in April.

Term limits for chair and vice chair

This item, added to the agenda, would change the terms of the chair and vice chair from the current one year to two years. The proposal brought discussion about how the chair can best have effective relations with the administration and the perceived problems of "lame duck" status. Several variations were suggested. The Senate is expected to vote on the matter in April.