A meeting of the Academic and Student Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees convened at 8:56 a.m. on Friday, August 7, 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; Theresa Carter; Michael Klipsch; Gary Lehman; and Don Thompson.
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 (virtually); Janice Indrutz, corporate secretary and senior executive assistant to the Board; Ron Elsenbaumer, chancellor of Purdue University Fort Wayne; and Tom Keon, chancellor of Purdue University Northwest (virtually).
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 June 11, 2020, meeting and July 30, 2020, executive session.
II. APPROVAL TO AWARD POSTHUMOUS DEGREES
Provost Akridge respectfully recommended approval to award a posthumous Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering degree to Anirudh Vasudevan, who was a student on the West Lafayette campus. He shared a quote from one of Anirudh’s fellow students and said, having completed 88% of his degree at the time of his death, Anirudh would have been a candidate for graduation in December 2020. Provost Akridge also requested approval to award a posthumous Bachelor of Science in Mathematics degree to Elefteria C. Onwuaduegbo, who was a student in the Purdue School of Science at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. He shared a quote about Elefteria from a professor and chair of the department, and he said, having completed 98% of her degree at the time of her death, Elefteria would have been a candidate for graduation in May 2020. Upon proper motion duly made and seconded, the Academic and Student Affairs Committee voted unanimously to recommend full Board approval to award the posthumous degrees. Supporting materials were filed with the minutes.
III. APPROVAL OF TO APPOINT THE DEAN’S CHAIR IN REMOTE SENSING
Provost Akridge respectfully requested approval to appoint Dr. Songlin Fei as the Dean’s Chair in Remote Sensing in the College of Agriculture. He informed the Committee that Dr. Fei was a quantitative ecologist who specialized in forest ecology, invasion ecology, and geospatial analytics, and he shared that Dr. Fei was leading Purdue’s Integrated Digital Forestry Initiative, the goals of which were to revolutionize forestry and build a globally competitive, next-generation workforce for the information age. Provost Akridge also cited one of five letters received in support of Dr. Fei’s appointment, with one author stating that Dr. Fei was the leading scholar in the country with regard to remote sensing and macrosystem biology. Upon proper motion duly made and seconded, the Academic and Student Affairs Committee voted unanimously to recommend full Board approval of Dr. Fei’s appointment. Supporting materials were filed with the minutes.
IV. APPROVAL TO APPOINT THE MARI HULMAN GEORGE ENDOWED PROFESSOR OF APPLIED NEUROSCIENCE
Provost Akridge respectfully requested approval to appoint Dr. Riyi Shi as the Mari Hulman George Endowed Professor of Applied Neuroscience in the College of Veterinary Medicine. He described Dr. Shi as a biologist, biomedical engineer, neurosurgeon, and teacher, and he discussed Dr. Shi’s well-respected, pioneering research, which included working with a research team to create a drug which had been approved by the Federal Drug Administration for patients with multiple sclerosis. Provost Akridge also noted that Dr. Shi held 12 U.S. patents and currently served as the director of Purdue’s Center for Paralysis Research. To conclude his recommendation, Provost Akridge cited a letter authored by the Mari Hulman George Chair of Neurological Surgery at the Indiana University School of Medicine, one of six letters received in support of Dr. Shi’s appointment. Upon proper motion duly made and seconded, the Academic and Student Affairs Committee voted unanimously to recommend full Board approval of Dr. Shi’s appointment. Supporting materials were filed with the minutes.
V. APPROVAL TO APPOINT THE JERRY M. AND LYNDA T. ENGLEHARDT PROFESSOR IN CIVIL ENGINEERING
Provost Akridge respectfully requested approval to appoint Dr. Pablo D. Zavattieri as the Jerry M. and Lynda T. Englehardt Professor in Civil Engineering. Provost Akridge informed the Committee that Dr. Zavattieri’s research focused on the development of novel materials for applications in infrastructure and lightweight structural materials, applications which included earthquake engineering and safer football helmets, and he said Dr. Zavattieri had developed modeling tools which had been adopted by General Motors Corporation and Velcro Companies. Provost Akridge noted that Dr. Zavattieri held ten U.S. patents, and he cited one of six letters received in support of Dr. Zavattieri’s appointment, with the author contending that Dr. Zavattieri was one of the top and undisputed leaders of his generation in his field. Upon proper motion duly made and seconded, the Academic and Student Affairs Committee voted unanimously to recommend full Board approval of Dr. Zavattieri’s appointment. Supporting materials were filed with the minutes.
VI. APPROVAL TO APPOINT THE RON AND DOTTY GARVIN TONJES PROFESSOR OF ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING
Provost Akridge respectfully requested approval to appoint Dr. Alexandra Boltasseva as the Ron and Dotty Garvin Tonjes Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He discussed Dr. Boltasseva’s research in nanophotonics, nanofabrication, and optical materials, which Trustee Brouillette described as impressive, and Provost Akridge shared that Dr. Boltasseva had received numerous research awards, one of which, from MIT, honored innovators under the age of 35 whose work promised to change the world. Provost Akridge also highlighted Dr. Boltasseva’s professional service and he cited one of five letters received in support of her appointment, the author of which pointed to Dr. Boltasseva’s high-profile editorial and leadership roles. Upon proper motion duly made seconded, the Academic and Student Affairs Committee voted unanimously to recommend full Board approval of Dr. Boltasseva’s appointment. Supporting materials were filed with the minutes.
VII. APPROVAL TO APPOINT THE SILICON VALLEY PROFESSOR OF ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING
Provost Akridge respectfully requested approval to appoint Dr. Anand Raghunathan as the Silicon Valley Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He informed the Committee that Dr. Raghunathan was widely recognized as a leading scholar in hardware for artificial intelligence, brain-inspired computing, and hardware security, and he said Dr. Raghunathan was a pioneer in the field of hardware security. Provost Akridge discussed Dr. Raghunathan’s leadership of two centers in which Purdue participated to enable a new generation of autonomous intelligent systems and to enable researchers to advance their discoveries in microelectronics on a global scale. He indicated that Dr. Raghunathan held 27 U.S. patents and 16 international patents, and he cited one of six letters received in support of Dr. Raghunathan’s appointment which was authored by a named professor of nanotechnology at the University of Notre Dame. Upon proper motion duly made seconded, the Academic and Student Affairs Committee voted unanimously to recommend full Board approval of Dr. Raghunathan’s appointment. Supporting materials were filed with the minutes.
VIII. APPROVAL TO APPOINT THE DALE AND SUZI GALLAGHER PROFESSOR IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION
Provost Akridge respectfully requested approval to appoint Dr. Matthew W. Ohland as the Dale and Suzi Gallagher Professor in Engineering Education. He informed the Committee that Dr. Ohland was an internationally recognized expert in engineering education whose research-based tools had transformed the way in which student teams were formulated and the methodology by which individual student efforts were evaluated. These tools included an assessment tool used by instructors and institutions in 85 countries and a paradigm-shifting database of engineering student records. Provost Akridge highlighted Dr. Ohland’s professional associations, and he cited one of five letters in support of Dr. Ohland’s appointment, the author of which hailed from Texas A&M and expressed his belief that Dr. Ohland’s scholarship and service had changed the profession of engineering education substantially for the better. Upon proper motion duly made seconded, the Academic and Student Affairs Committee voted unanimously to recommend full Board approval of Dr. Ohland’s appointment. Supporting materials were filed with the minutes.
IX. APPROVAL TO APPOINT THE RANSBURG PROFESSOR IN MATERIALS ENGINEERING
Provost Akridge respectfully requested approval to appoint Dr. Nikhilesh Chawla as the Ransburg Professor in Materials Engineering, who, he said, had been recently recruited from Arizona State University. He informed the Committee that Dr. Chawla’s groundbreaking research, which focused on materials research in the areas of powder metallurgy, lead-free solders, and microstructural characterization with 4D materials science techniques, had garnered grant funding from a wide range of academic and industry organizations such as the National Science Foundation and NASA. Provost Akridge added that Dr. Chawla held five patents and invention disclosures and said the textbook Dr. Chawla co-authored had become a staple for both faculty and industry practitioners. Provost Akridge cited one of six letters received in support of Dr. Chawla’s appointment wherein the author discussed Dr. Chawla’s leadership to create significant and dramatic institutional change. Trustee Brouillette noted that Dr. Chawla had uniquely received two prestigious awards in the same year. Upon proper motion duly made seconded, the Academic and Student Affairs Committee voted unanimously to recommend full Board approval of Dr. Chawla’s appointment. Supporting materials were filed with the minutes.
X. REMARKS REGARDING NAMED APPOINTMENTS
Trustee DeKryger named the many different countries from which the seven professors recognized today had hailed and said, “I marvel at what a world we live in and how close we can all be together at Purdue University.” He thanked the professors for their service and said he was honored to be in their presence. Trustee Brouillette added that the Board was very proud of the professors and said the strength of the faculty had a tremendous impact on the university’s reputation. Turning to the professors, she said, “Please know we are grateful.”
XI. APPROVAL OF M.S. DEGREE IN CORPORATE TRAINING AND COMMUNICATION LEADERSHIP ONLINE PROGRAM
Provost Akridge respectfully requested approval of a new interdisciplinary major in corporate training and communication leadership in an online format. He explained that the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Education would collaborate to deliver the new interdisciplinary program, in which students would learn best practices in learning system design, messaging development and strategy, and the use of communication and learning technologies to support organizational performance needs. Provost Akridge further explained, in response to a question from Chairman Berghoff, that the program would be housed under the new M.S. in Graduate Studies degree, which the Board had approved on June 11, 2020, and which became the home for these kinds of interdisciplinary programs. Upon proper motion duly made seconded, the Academic and Student Affairs Committee voted unanimously to recommend full Board approval of the online degree program. Supporting materials were filed with the minutes.
XII. FOR PFW: APPROVAL TO CHANGE THE NAME OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC POLICY TO THE DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND PUBLIC ADMINSTRATION
On behalf of the College of Professional Studies at Purdue Fort Wayne, Provost Akridge respectfully requested approval to change the name of its Department of Public Policy to the Department of Criminal Justice and Public Administration. He explained that changing the department’s name would reflect its curricular modifications and improve the visibility and marketability of the criminal justice program. Upon proper motion duly made and seconded, the Academic and Student Affairs Committee voted unanimously to recommend full Board approval to change the name of the department. Supporting materials were filed with the minutes.
XIII. REPORT OF THE UNIVERSITY SENATE
Professor Deborah Nichols, chair of the University Senate, discussed the series of surveys being administered to all faculty, staff, and students employed by the university in order for them to share their concerns and questions about reopening the campus for the fall semester during the pandemic. She presented data collected from the surveys and expressed her belief that the national situation influenced how people responded to the questions. She suggested that it would be important to support mental health and emotional well-being when students, faculty, and staff on campus begin to test positive for COVID-19. Professor Nichols reviewed the benefits and barriers to working remotely as indicated by the survey respondents.
Provost Akridge interjected that Human Resources recently communicated Flexible Work (Telework) Guidelines, which Mr. Bill Bell, vice president for Human Resources, summarized for the Board as including access to equipment and how to set up a home office workspace. Trustee Thompson observed that the surveys provided a baseline and said it was “important to understand where people are coming from.” He encouraged the administration of a survey once the fall semester was underway, to which Professor Nichols had alluded during her report.
A copy of Professor Nichols’ report presentation was filed with the minutes.
XIV. ADJOURNMENT
By consent, the meeting adjourned at 9:47 a.m.