J. Paul Robinson, Chairperson University Senate
It is a great honor to serve as Chair of the Purdue University Senate for the 2012-13 academic year. The Senate serves to represent the faculty and is empowered to determine academic policy. It also acts as an advisor to the administration regarding policies that sustain Purdue's missions in learning, discovery, and engagement. An integral part of that advice concerns how to optimize the working environment for faculty, staff, and students. To best fulfill these functions the Senate must promote the flow and exchange of accurate and timely information throughout the Purdue community.
The agenda this year is, as usual, crowded. Everything is important, but to do things well takes time. We have a new president and will no doubt have some significant administrative changes. One aspect on which the Senate leadership will focus is a review of administrative positions in light of the significant cuts in institutional funding sustained over the past few years. Implementation of the core curriculum is a significant task to be undertaken across every college. The impact of HB 1220 on the curriculum will also be felt this year; it is clear that the state legislature wants more control over how we deliver our product — education. This appears to clash with the concept of faculty establishing the standards — but we will see what happens over the next year or so.
The Senate leadership will make a significant effort to provide our newly appointed president with the knowledge and information that he will need as he leads the administration. The Senate has strong opinions when it comes to faculty governance, which in our belief leads to a positive and valuable educational experience for our students — our top priority. Our ultimate goal as the University Senate is to provide a strong body of individuals whose goal is the perpetuation of a leading–edge institution.
We encourage everyone to let us know your concerns and ideas. Please feel free to contact me or any member of the Senate leadership listed below.
University Senate Leadership:
Chair — J. Paul Robinson
Vice Chair — David Williams
Secretary of Faculties — Joe Camp
Steering Committee Chair — James Lehnert
Faculty Affairs Committee Chair — A. Charlene Sullivan
University Resources Policy Committee Chair — Richard Johnson-Sheehan
Educational Policy Committee Chair — Harold Kirkwood
Student Affairs Committee Chair — Sally Hastings
Nominating Committee Chair — Michael Hill
Advisory Committee Chair — J. Paul Robinson
We look forward to an interesting and productive year.