Purdue response to Inside Higher Ed regarding Indianapolis faculty

July 24, 2023

As you can see in the attached, which was sent to IUPUI faculty yesterday, there will be (1) no reduction of workforce; (2) no change to rank, compensation, or the location and type of research and teaching; and (3) even though the tenure cases were voted on by IU, after the transition to a different university, Purdue has chosen to still provide tenure, i.e., what many refer to as “lifetime job security,” to those currently holding IU tenure, and tenure-track assistant professor positions to those currently on tenure-track.

In many cases where a university dissolves and some of the programs are moved into a new university, there tends to be a reduction in workforce, rank and tenure. 

Not in this case. 

Purdue has made that clear in the definitive agreement signed on June 14 and posted publicly for over a month now: https://www.purdue.edu/bot/meetings/past-meetings/2023/06.%20june%2014/Program%20Transfer%20Agreement%20IUPUI.pdf 

The individual listening sessions I mentioned last week continue through the end of next week, and at their completion, further communication will be provided about the timetable between July 2023 and July 2024, when the transition takes place.  

July 25, 2023:

Purdue University in Indianapolis will not officially exist until July 1, 2024, and no official offers have been extended yet to the 74 interested faculty members. In the individual meetings, we’ve presented an array of potential options and have listened to faculty. 

Teaching duties and research support will not change.  

Furthermore, as you have read in the signed agreements released in public:

• Purdue has elected to honor the tenure of faculty after this transition from one university to another university, even though their tenure resides currently with IU.
• Compensation will remain the same or higher. 

Purdue University and IUPUI are two different universities, with different hiring and tenure standards. Purdue departmental votes on lifelong job security are based on the same standard as in any such Purdue departmental votes. The timeline will be the same too: Departmental votes are to be followed by college votes, followed by annual university votes (Feb 2024) followed by annual BOT votes (April 2024).

Any accusation of discrimination at departmental votes is ridiculous and patently false.

The following message was sent to IUPUI faculty on July 24 

Dear Colleagues,

First, thank you for your patience as we all take on the important year-long work that follows the June 14, 2023, signing of the definitive agreements for Purdue University in Indianapolis to be created in July 2024. I appreciate the chance to meet each of you individually and hear your thoughts and concerns directly, in a process that started this month and continues over the next two weeks.  

I know this is an anxious time, and I urge you to read the agreements here, if you haven’t already. Importantly, please note section A.1. of ARTICLE III, which makes it clear that faculty will retain the same academic rank and tenure and promotion status if they choose to move from IUPUI to Purdue University in July 2024: “Purdue will offer employment, effective as of the Realignment Effective Date, to all full-time and part-time academic faculty of IUPUI who are working in a Purdue Realigned Academic Unit as of June 30, 2024 (collectively, the “IU Transferred Faculty”). To the greatest extent practicable, Purdue will offer, honor and provide the same faculty appointment classification (e.g., clinical, research, tenured or tenure-track), academic rank designation, current tenure probationary period credit, and tenure and promotion status of each IU Transferred Faculty as of the Realignment Effective Date.” 

In short, there will be (1) no reduction of workforce, (2) no change for current tenured and tenure-track faculty to rank, compensation, or the location and type of research and teaching, and (3) even though the tenure cases were voted by IU, Purdue has nonetheless elected, as part of its agreement with IU to facilitate a transition to a new university, to provide tenure to those currently with IU tenure, and tenure-track assistant professor positions to those currently on tenure-track.  

Some individual listening sessions have taken place while others are about to take place this and next week. At the end of next week, as my listening sessions conclude, we will provide further information regarding a timetable leading to the July 2024 effective date and faculty placement opportunities.

We promise to continue to work alongside each of you as we move toward positive outcomes for Purdue and its people. 

Please do not hesitate to work with me if you have questions or concerns.

David Umulis

Senior Vice Provost