A meeting of the Academic and Student Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees convened at 3:39 p.m. on Thursday, June 11, 2020, on the Purdue University campus in West Lafayette, Indiana. The meeting was held in Stewart Center, Room 214, to allow for social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Restrictions were placed on the number of visitors in the room, and members of the media and the public who wished to observe the meeting virtually were provided such instructions. Everyone in the room was wearing a mask.
All committee members were present: JoAnn Brouillette, chair; Vanessa Castagna; Malcolm DeKryger; Noah Scott; and Professor Deborah Nichols (ex-officio). All other trustees were present: Sonny Beck; Michael Berghoff; Michael Klipsch; Gary Lehman; Thomas Spurgeon; and Don Thompson. Trustee Castagna attended by video pursuant to Article III, Section 3, of the Bylaws and the Electronic Meeting Policy.
Officers and administrators in attendance were: Mitch Daniels, president; Jay Akridge, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity; Chris Ruhl, chief financial officer and treasurer; Jim Almond, senior vice president, assistant treasurer, and assistant secretary; Steve Schultz, general counsel; Trent Klingerman, deputy general counsel; Janice Indrutz, corporate secretary and senior executive assistant to the Board; and Ron Elsenbaumer, chancellor of Purdue University Fort Wayne.
I. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Upon proper motion duly made and seconded, the Academic and Student Affairs Committee voted unanimously to approve the minutes of its April 2, 2020, meeting.
II. APPROVAL TO AWARD POSTHUMOUS DEGREE
Provost Akridge respectfully recommended approval to award a posthumous Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science to Steven Andrew Camp, who passed away on January 8, 2020, due to medical issues. Provost Akridge informed the Committee that Steven was a student in the Purdue School of Science on the campus of Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis and had met the requirements for a posthumous degree. Provost Akridge also shared anecdotes from Steven’s professors. Upon proper motion duly made and seconded, the Academic and Student Affairs Committee voted unanimously to recommend full Board approval to award the posthumous degree. Supporting materials were filed with the minutes.
Chairman Berghoff remarked that the degree was a reminder of the significance of the loss, as Steven was only three credit hours away from graduating in May 2020.
III. APPROVAL OF TO APPOINT THE W.C. FURNAS PROFESSOR IN ENTERPRISE EXECELLENCE
Provost Akridge respectfully requested approval to appoint Dr. Alejandra J. Magana as the W.C. Furnas Professor of Enterprise Excellence in the Purdue Polytechnic Institute. He informed the Committee that Dr. Magana had achieved both national and international recognition in discipline-based education research, seeking to discover new knowledge about how students learn as they engage with modeling and simulation for STEM education, and he said Dr. Magana had been recognized with many early career awards, including the prestigious Faculty Early Career Development Award from the National Science Foundation. Provost Akridge also cited one of seven letters received in support of Dr. Magana’s appointment.
Upon proper motion duly made and seconded, the Academic and Student Affairs Committee voted unanimously to recommend full Board approval of Dr. Magana’s appointment. Supporting materials were filed with the minutes.
IV. APPROVAL TO APPOINT THE BROCK FAMILY CHAIR IN STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
Provost Akridge respectfully requested approval to name Dr. Richard J. Makadok as the Brock Family Chair in Strategic Management in the Krannert School of Management. He informed the Committee that Dr. Makadok was an internationally known strategic management researcher, with a focus on empirical analysis of strategy questions, theory development, and empirical testing, and he said that, at Purdue, Dr. Makadok had been recognized as a distinguished teacher at the graduate level and was well-known for innovative teaching. Provost Akridge also cited one of seven letters received in support of Dr. Makadok’s appointment.
Upon proper motion duly made and seconded, the Academic and Student Affairs Committee voted unanimously to recommend full Board approval of Dr. Makadok’s appointment. Supporting materials were filed with the minutes.
V. APPROVAL TO NAME THE ROBERT H. BUCKMAN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING ONLINE EDUCATION PROGRAM
Provost Akridge respectfully requested approval to name the College of Engineering Online Education Program for Robert H. Buckman in recognition of a gift from his wife and him to support the program. Provost Akridge informed the Committee that Mr. Buckman was a 1959 alumnus of the Davidson School of Chemical Engineering, and Mr. Buckman’s generosity would allow for the development of a high-quality online undergraduate engineering curriculum, including virtual labs.
Upon proper motion duly made and seconded, the Academic and Student Affairs Committee voted unanimously to recommend full Board approval to name the Robert H. Buckman College of Engineering Online Education Program. Supporting materials were filed with the minutes.
VI. APPROVAL OF M.S. IN GRADUATE STUDIES
Provost Akridge respectfully requested approval of a new Master of Science degree in Graduate Studies on the West Lafayette campus. He said the proposed degree would provide an innovative, flexible degree structure which would enable departments to nimbly create new majors to support their rapidly changing needs. He added that any new majors must be interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary, and the proposed degree would have a default major of Interdisciplinary Studies which, he said, would allow for stackable credentials to be used for partial completion of the degree. In response to questions from Trustees DeKryger and Klipsch, Provost Akridge further explained that most all of the graduate degrees were currently housed within a specific college and there was no structure for degrees to span disciplines, and new majors would be based on interest by the faculty and students.
Upon proper motion duly made seconded, the Academic and Student Affairs Committee voted unanimously to recommend full Board approval of the new degree. Supporting materials were filed with the minutes.
VII. FOR IUPUI: APPROVAL OF PH.D. IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
Provost Akridge respectfully requested approval to offer a Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Engineering at the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI. He explained that what had been a joint program between IUPUI and Purdue West Lafayette would become a site-approved degree offered by IUPUI, just as other programs had been converted in recent years. He said it would better align the BME department with IUPUI’s strategic plan, and it would benefit students by making them eligible for fellowship opportunities, eliminating travel to West Lafayette for coursework, and removing co-enrollment registration fees. Provost Akridge assured the Committee that the collaboration between IUPUI and the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering on the West Lafayette campus would continue.
On behalf of Dean Russomanno, Dr. Paul Salama, associate dean for graduate programs at IUPUI, thanked Provost Akridge for his support as the proposal was being developed, and he reiterated that the site-approved degree would allow students to compete for resources and also elevate the program. Provost Akridge responded to a question from Chairman Berghoff, and President Daniels interjected that the unwinding of this third and final joint program addressed the number one concern expressed by faculty at IUPUI, which was to alleviate students’ travel to West Lafayette for courses, meetings with advisors, etc. Provost Akridge concluded the discussion by saying the joint programs had now matured into site-approved programs.
Upon proper motion duly made and seconded, the Academic and Student Affairs Committee voted unanimously to recommend full Board approval of the new degrees. Supporting materials were filed with the minutes.
VIII. REPORT OF THE UNIVERSITY SENATE
Dr. Deborah Nichols, new chair of the University Senate, introduced herself as a professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies in the College of Health and Human Sciences, and she discussed her research interests. Professor Nichols began her report with a review of actions taken at the April Senate meeting. She informed the Committee that the civics literacy resolution did not pass, which she attributed to shifting priorities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and she said Professor Joseph Camp was commended on the eve of his retirement for 17 years of service to the University Senate as secretary of faculties.
Professor Nichols shared the results of a university-wide town hall and survey both conducted to address concerns of faculty, staff, and students relative to safely reopening campus in the fall. In response to questions from Trustee Thompson and DeKryger, Professor Nichols discussed how the survey responses were compiled and expressed her belief that the confidence of faculty and staff was rising. Trustee Brouillette thanked Professor Nichols for the Senate’s work on the goal of safely reopening in the fall while more is being learned about COVID-19. A copy of Professor Nichols’ report presentation was filed with the minutes.
IX. REMARKS REGARDING BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT
Trustee Scott expressed his desire to comment on the national Black Lives Matter movement, which had been further propelled by the death of a black man named George Floyd on May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, while Mr. Floyd was forcefully detained by a white police officer. This human tragedy resulted in national protests and civil unrest which lasted for approximately six weeks, and the police officer was charged with second-degree murder. A printed history of these events was filed with the minutes.
Trustee Scott commended Ms. Assata Gilmore, the new president of Purdue Student Government, and said he echoed the letter she sent to students regarding the national events surrounding Mr. Floyd’s death. He shared an analogy which he hoped would help others gain perspective of the events, and he firmly stated, “Black lives matter.” Trustee Scott concluded his remarks by saying, “I stand with you, we stand with you, and we, together, will need to come together as a campus and a country to build a better world for tomorrow.”
President Daniels endorsed Trustee Scott’s comments and said he looked forward to working with him to make it happen. Chairman Berghoff then shared that the Board members had discussed their personal reactions to the tragedy and civil unrest and they had agreed that Purdue University needed to do everything possible to ensure that every student had an opportunity to experience all the university offered regardless of students’ race, rural/urban background, etc. As a result, he announced that a committee would be sanctioned to address these issues, much like the Safe Campus Committee and subsequent Protect Purdue Implementation Team had been sanctioned to address COVID-19 pandemic issues faced by the university.
Trustee Thompson remarked that he had served on the Board for over ten years and said, “I’ve not been more proud of any conversation than the ones we were having last night and today…because they spoke about us moving toward action…” He continued, “I think it’s time for us to move forward. I think this body can exhibit the kind of leadership that Noah talked about. Yes, Noah, my life matters. My black life matters…I need you to show me. Words are cheap…so I’d ask that we serve the way I know we can, and we take the message that Noah just gave us, and we act like the Board we are, and we lead and we try to make honest, substantial changes with integrity the best we can…we do it for the kids to show that, yes, black lives do matter.”
A copy of Ms. Gilmore’s letter and a complete transcript of the Black Lives Matter conversation was filed with the minutes.
X. ADJOURNMENT
By consent, the meeting adjourned at 4:27 p.m.