New leadership appointments announced for Purdue University in Indianapolis; committee for tenure working group established

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — David Umulis, senior vice provost for Purdue University in Indianapolis, has announced two new key leadership appointments.

Sharon Miller has been selected as the assistant vice provost for Purdue University in Indianapolis, working closely with Umulis to lead the academic enterprise in Indianapolis with a focus on curriculum and student experience. Miller will provide leadership and strategic direction in the areas of first-year curriculum development and educational planning for students. She will manage the transition strategy for continuing IUPUI students moving to Purdue. Miller will also serve as a resource for Purdue West Lafayette faculty, as she will work closely with the West Lafayette campus and Indiana University in Indianapolis (IUI) to implement the General Education and STEM Education faculty consortium agreements to help coordinate faculty between West Lafayette and IUI for course delivery.

Miller brings strong curriculum and program development experiences built from collaborative partnerships, most recently serving as the associate chair and director of the undergraduate program for the IUPUI Department of Biomedical Engineering, where she helped develop, implement and assess curricular changes that embed engineering design, ethics and technical communication within the biomedical engineering curriculum.

Christine (Chris) Krull has been selected as the inaugural director of teaching and learning programs in the Division of Teaching and Learning at Purdue University in Indianapolis. She will be responsible for leading and coordinating efforts of the various functions of the Division of Teaching and Learning in support of Purdue University in Indianapolis students. Her developing team will span multiple functional areas in the Office of the Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning and work closely with functional leads to ensure success in these areas, collaborate with all Purdue University in Indianapolis partners and units, and serve as a member of the Teaching and Learning leadership team.

Krull has extensive experience at IUPUI, most recently serving as the College of Engineering Technology’s assistant dean for career and student success. She plans to retain her responsibilities as assistant dean and continue leading her current team during the transition period.

“Purdue University in Indianapolis strives to be a catalyst for growth and accelerate an innovation-based economy for Indianapolis, our state and our nation,” Umulis said. “We are making outstanding progress in integrating teams with experts who will support the future and mission of Purdue University in Indianapolis and are fortunate to have Sharon and Chris as top leaders.”

Miller is the co-founder of the Biomedical Engineering Education and Design Lab at IUPUI. Her externally funded engineering education work focuses on learning how undergraduate student self-efficacy relates to design achievement. Further, her efforts to increase experiential learning for undergraduates in Indianapolis have helped secure funding for a National Institutes of Health-supported summer clinical residency program for engineers in training that challenges students to integrate socioeconomic considerations into clinically relevant design. Miller’s effective coaching of design teams has led to local and national design student awards, and her creative leadership has forged opportunities for students to connect with several Indianapolis companies and resources.

Miller received a Bachelor of Science in materials science and engineering from Purdue University and a Master of Science and PhD in biomedical engineering from the University of Michigan.

Krull is a scholar of organizational leadership and a proven administrator and educator. She received a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing from St. Joseph’s College and a Master of Education in adult and continuing education and teaching from Indiana University.

In addition to these two appointments, a committee for the Purdue University in Indianapolis tenure working group has been established. The charge for this group is to develop recommendations for the promotion and tenure, support and evaluation, and unit structure for Purdue University in Indianapolis tenured faculty. Committee members are:

• Corinne Renguette – Chair, Department of Technology Leadership and Communication in the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology, Associate Professor of Technical Communication, IUPUI
• Brian King – Chair, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, IUPUI
• Brandon Sorge – Associate Professor of STEM Education Research in the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology, IUPUI
• Razi Nalim – Executive Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs, Professor of Mechanical and Energy Engineering in the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology, IUPUI
• Sunil Prabhakar – Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, Professor of Computer Science in the College of Science, Purdue University
• Eckhard Groll – William E. and Florence E. Perry Head of Mechanical Engineering, Reilly Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University
• Tom Hacker – Professor and Department Head of Computer and Information Technology in the Purdue Polytechnic Institute, Purdue University
• Lisa Mauer (leading the working group) – Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, Professor of Food Science in the College of Agriculture, Purdue University