Purdue trustees approve faculty promotions and transfers, reaffirm commitment to academic freedom and tenure

HAMMOND, Ind. — The Purdue University Board of Trustees on Friday (April 5) approved the promotion of 153 faculty across the West Lafayette, Northwest, Fort Wayne and IUPUI campuses for the 2024-25 academic year, and an additional eight who have been granted tenure in West Lafayette units effective upon their transfer from IUPUI on July 1, 2024. 

Trustees annually approve promotions in April, per the Purdue academic tenure and promotion policy.

In conjunction with the approval of other faculty promotions and transfers, 46 faculty members in Indianapolis, who will join Purdue on July 1, will have “university tenure in Indianapolis” — the faculty tenure home established in August 2023.

Purdue trustees voted to reaffirm the university’s commitment to academic freedom and faculty tenure, as initially outlined in the Purdue Reaffirmation Statement made Feb. 27, 2024.

In addition, trustees voted to delegate certain authority to develop plans for compliance with the requirements of Senate Enrolled Act 202, which is set to become law on July 1, including with respect to post-tenure review. Following this exercise, and as has long been true in granting tenure at Purdue, only very rarely will a review be directly assessed by the Board of Trustees.

The Board of Trustees, as has always been the case, will continue to cast the final vote on tenure cases, but “never in Purdue history has the Board of Trustees turned down a proposed promotion submitted by the chief academic officer,” board chairman Michael Berghoff said. “Faculty, across all ranks and tracks, are the backbone of the university, and Purdue will continue to grow our support for faculty success.”

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research institution demonstrating excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top four in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, including nearly 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the new Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business, and Purdue Computes — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.

Sources: Michael Berghoff

Patrick Wolfe