University Spotlight
Purdue Global to Offer New Military Physician Assistant Preparation Concentration
The U.S. armed forces is known for its frontline soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and Guardians. Behind the scenes, medical personnel are critical to keep those service members healthy, and upskilling personnel for positions such as physician assistants in medical units is essential.
To help address that need, Purdue Global has launched a new military physician assistant pathway, thanks in part to feedback from active-duty service members.
The new Military Physician Assistant Preparation (MPAP) concentration will be offered through Purdue Global’s Bachelor of Science in health science degree program. Learn more about this new program.
PG News and Updates
Purdue Global Welcomes New Executive Director of Innovative Learning Technologies
Purdue Global welcomes Sam Weber as the new Executive Director, Innovative Learning and Technologies. In this new role, Sam will oversee customized and innovative learning experiences and develop and implement the Purdue Global learning technology plan while managing and aligning with developing industry partnerships and technology trends. Prior to joining Purdue Global, Sam spent 15 years in educational technology, and has a deep understanding of the latest emerging technologies and how they can be leveraged to deliver improved learning outcomes to students and faculty. Welcome to Purdue Global, Sam!
Mark Your Calendars for 2024 Benefits Enrollment
It's time to get ready for your annual benefit selections! From Oct. 24 to Nov. 7, the 2024 open enrollment period is your chance to evaluate your current benefits and make important choices that impact you and your family.
We know these decisions matter, so we're here to support you every step of the way. Starting this week, we'll be sharing weekly updates to help you explore your options and find the best plans for your needs.
For 2024 benefits, here are a few key changes or things you can expect:
No employee premium increase
Changes in medical plan deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums, as well as plan design changes for the Health Fund and Select medical plans (Watch for details in future emails)
Vision benefit offered separate from medical plan
We highly encourage you to carefully review all your benefits and actively enroll for 2024 benefit coverage. Although some benefits will automatically roll forward if you don't take action, there are certain benefits that require you to provide additional information on an annual basis, including contributions to health care spending accounts.
Please refer to the email communication that was shared via the benefitshr@purdue.edu account on August 16 for more information and details.
Curriculum and Innovation Team Restructure
As of August 1, 2023, the Curriculum and Innovation Team was restructured into two teams. While we remain committed to the collaborative nature of our teams, it is important to utilize distinct names to emphasize the specialized functions of each team.
The teams are being renamed as follows:
Curriculum Design Team: This team, led by Executive Director Lisa Wallace, will focus on PG’s instructional design processes, including new course development and revision. Members of this team include Assistant Deans of Curriculum, Curriculum Specialists, Multimedia Developers, and the Curricular Initiatives Team.
Curriculum Operations Team: This team, led by Interim Director Anna Lane, now reports to Sam Weber, Executive Director - Innovative Learning Technologies, within the Purdue Global Information Technology Group. This team focuses on the execution of the technology that supports the PG instructional design and teaching and learning infrastructure. Members of this team include Curriculum Content Editors and Coordinators, LMS Technologists, Content Management System Developers and Accessibility professionals.
This renaming is a strategic move to better represent the distinct functions and responsibilities of each team, fostering clarity and synergy in our efforts. Our focus remains on delivering a high-quality educational experience and fostering innovation in the learning process.
Thank you,
Judy Lewandowski
Vice President for Adult Teaching and Learning
Tim Werth
Chief Information Officer
To Do: Faculty Feedback Survey
Starting August 23rd, the Curriculum & Innovation Team will begin collecting information about your curriculum development experience. Faculty who completed a revision or new course development will receive an email to complete a short anonymous survey on the experience and support received. The input and feedback are valuable to our team.
Thank you in advance for your continued commitment to our curriculum and student experience.
Across the University
Seeking ExcelTrack Focus Groups
ExcelTrack is unique to PG. Though it has been a part of our catalog for many years, it looks much like it did when it began. So, in a spirit of continuous improvement, we are conducting focus groups to begin to gather important perspectives of all kinds. To begin, we will invite faculty and staff to offer their perspectives.
Faculty: Julie Torres-Roman, of MAPs and Faculty Senate President will be leading sessions on Monday, August 28 at 1 pm ET and on Tuesday, August 29 at 8 pm ET.
Staff: Mike Lorenz, VP of Academic Operations will lead sessions for staff on Monday, August 28 at 2 pm ET and on Thursday, August 31 at 12 pm ET.
All perspectives are needed, so please make an effort to attend. To do so, please RSVP here. Both PG and KNA staff are encouraged to participate.
Making the World a Better Place with a Purdue Global MBA
Andrea Mattingly saw value in a Purdue Global degree to help move her career forward. She’s sharing how earning an online master’s in business administration has contributed to success.
I’ve always wanted to earn an MBA. For me, it was never with a specific professional goal in mind. I really wanted the knowledge. Education opens doors. As the director of communications for Student Success Programs at Purdue University, I’ve seen firsthand how learning new things has an exponential impact. Through education, you can meet people, go places and encounter opportunities to make the world better.
Purdue Global was the perfect way for me to fill business gaps in my knowledge while still being present in my life. I have a full-time job and three children, so this program really checked every box. Read more about Andrea and her Purdue Global come back story.
Purdue Global Attends Education Fair at Vandenberg
Jody DeKorte, Dean and Vice President of the School of Multidisciplinary and Professional Studies, and Kelvin Gumbs, Executive Director for Educational Partnerships, recently represented Purdue Global at an education fair hosted by Vandenberg Space Force Base. When asked to describe the experience and impact the fair had, Kelvin had this to say, "the awesome attendance by the community was indicative of the great efforts put on by the Vandenberg Space Force Base Education Center, but also a great indicator of the success we as a university will enjoy onboard the Space Force base. I personally could not be more humbled and excited about the opportunity to serve more of our military community, and do more to meaningfully fulfil their educational goals."
Upcoming Events
Check out more information about upcoming events on the Purdue Global Calendar.
Monday, August 21
11:00 am ET
Join this Purdue Global-wide meditation session to help foster self-care to better serve your family, students, and colleagues. Meditation sessions are open to all at Purdue Global; experience is not required. Students may access the link to enter via announcements in PG411 Help! Student Success Connection.
12:30 pm ET
New Brightspace Instructor Permissions*
Tuesday, August 22
3:00 pm ET
New Brightspace Instructor Permissions*
* These training sessions will provide an overview of the new instructor permissions in Brightspace that will launch on August 23, 2023. The new permissions provide faculty the ability to create and edit content modules/items and discussion forums/topics. The permissions are a part of the Classroom of the Future Purdue Global Move. The change will empower faculty with new ways to support student success in their Brightspace classrooms. Students will benefit from the added perspective of faculty expertise shared within unique content items and discussion topics in their classes.
Wednesday, August 23
1:30 pm ET
Pride@Purdue Global ERG Presents: Ally Coffee Talk
Join the Pride@Purdue Global ERG for our monthly Ally Coffee Talk. This month, we will discuss the article “Why Representation Matters and Why It’s Still Not Enough: Reflections on growing up brown, queer, and Asian American” by Kevin Leo Yabut Nadal, Ph.D. Click here to access the article to be discussed.
Thursday, August 24
2:00 pm ET
Accessibility: Announcements and Discussion Threads
This second session in the series will share accessibility opportunities, challenges, and tools for announcements and discussion boards in the Brightspace LMS.