Purdue University Global

School of Business and Information Technology

Faculty Newsletter

Issue: May 2024

SBIT Dean's Office

SBIT Website

SBIT Strategic Focus

Four Key Pillars

Dr. Jeffrey Buck, Dean

College of Business and Information Technology

Our strategic focus is centered around four key pillars that align with the Purdue Portfolio. Through these strategic focuses, we aim to provide a meaningful educational experience for all stakeholders involved.

We prioritize Reputation, and recognize the importance of maintaining a strong standing in the academic community and beyond. Collaboration is crucial, as we foster partnerships and alliances that enhance our collective potential and promote innovation.

We are committed to Student Results and Support, ensuring that every student receives the guidance and resources they need to excel.

Program accessibility and Relevance are fundamental, enabling us to reach diverse audiences and offer education that aligns with current and future needs.

We emphasize Differentiation and Social Responsibility, striving to be distinctive in our offerings while remaining mindful of our impact on society and the environment.

Updates from the Dean's Office

We continue to have lots of great things happening in SBIT. Through your excellent work, we are making a difference in the life and future of thousands of individuals!

Looking Forward:

Over the past several weeks we have engaged the school in an assessment of current environments, as well as brainstorming activities investigating the many possible futures we will face. These efforts have been highly productive and have resulted in the identification of strategic areas of priority for the next three years.

I am excited about our future as we transition to our next three-year strategic plan. In alignment with a set of three-year strategic priorities, we will be dedicated toward having successes associated with the following objectives in the upcoming year:

Enhancing institution-level marketing efforts through school specific communication initiatives focused on highlighting offerings and achievements in the school.

Ensuring program quality and relevance through accreditations and credentials where appropriate, engaging with partners, and continuous assessment of market demands.

Supporting faculty via initiatives that acknowledge performance and longevity. Providing faculty and administrators access to valuable data and materials.

Developing initiatives that result in improved success rates among students that underperform or have identifiable challenges.

Reducing operational expenses through appropriate resource management and effective use of relevant technologies.

Over the next few weeks, we will be engaged in the process of communicating specific areas of emphasis tied to these objectives and establish individual goals that will give all of us the opportunity to contribute toward our successful fulfillment of these important objectives.

Your partner in service,

Jeff

SBIT Faculty Updates

If you have a story you would like to share related to Industry, Community, or Academic Development & Publication - Please send to

Dr. Blake Escudier: bescudier@purdueglobal.edu

Faculty Remembered

Diane Sykes

Diane Sykes passed away on March 12, 2024, after a long battle with cancer. Diane was an Adjunct Marketing Instructor in the School of Business & Information Technology for the last 15 years. Her students loved her. One student noted that Diane was “great at describing things and has a real love for teaching and it shows.” Outside of Purdue Global, Diane was a banker, holding the office of Assistant Vice President/Trust Officer. She also worked with her husband in the family-owned, biker friendly, Steel Steeds Motorcycle Campgrounds near her home in Milton, PA. Diane was most proud of the campground and had several journal publications reporting on research that she had collaborated with colleagues on. Diane was always cheerful and easy to work with, even to the end. The last term that she taught, 2403C, she asked to take an Excel Track section because she could no longer do the Seminars. At the end, she let me know that she was entering hospice care, and we knew that the end was coming. Diane will be dearly missed by her colleagues in the School of Business and Information Technology.

Dana Leland

It is with great sadness to share that Dr. Dana Leland passed away on March 12 due to injuries suffered in a February 22 car accident. Dana was a life-long Texan and a huge San Antonio Spurs fan. She gave many hours volunteering in her community. Most importantly, she was the mother of four children – a teenage son, twin boys, and a young daughter.

Dana joined our team June of 2022 as an adjunct professor and was promoted to full-time faculty in July 2023. In her short tenure with Purdue Global she made a huge impact on our department and with our finance students. Dana was always a bright light of energy and purpose who sought ways for our students to learn, grow, and succeed. Most recently she was working with the SBIT Newsletter with a segment focus on finance student success and professional goals.

Her positive, can-do attitude was contagious for all who knew her. She taught both graduate and undergraduate courses in finance. Her drive for lifelong learning propelled her to earn four certifications in the past six months: Private Equity Certification, Corporate Finance Certification, Principles of Sustainable Finance certificate, and Innovative Finance certificate. In addition, when she learned of the need for economics instructors, she enrolled in a Master of Economics program and had only three courses remaining.

Dana will be greatly missed at Purdue Global, but we are confident that her spirit will live on through the many students who learned from her during her time with us.

Industry

Dr Stanley Self

Stanley Self Honored with 2024 ACBSP Teaching Excellence Award

Stanley Self, Professor of Accounting at Purdue Global, has been recognized as a distinguished recipient of the 2024 ACBSP Teaching Excellence Award by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). This prestigious accolade is bestowed upon educators who demonstrate outstanding teaching prowess within the academic realm. Read more about this honor.

We asked Dr. Self to talk about the award and he said:

The ACBSP Teaching Excellence Award for Region 4, 2024 was truly a team effort. The only way I could have been able to succeed is because of the tremendous support from all of our administration and colleagues.

The work environment has been made more effective through the guidance by my department chairperson, Tonjua McCullough, our Assistant Dean Pam Delotell, and Dean Buck. And without the superior efforts of the faculty for GB518 and GB519, the award would not have been achievable. So, in very real terms, and with sincerity and gratitude, I must view the achievement as a total group effort.

One of the criteria the selection committee requires is to explain my “Philosophy of Teaching.” My approach is very simple. Over the years, I have had many mentors and teachers who have poured their educational, and life experiences into my personal, academic, and professional development. As a means to celebrate what they have done for me, I now desire to honor their memory by passing their lifetimes of knowledge on to a new generation of learners.

The deep respect and admiration I hold for my mentors and teachers is made even more effective with the efforts I make to honor, respect, and value my students. It is with a heart dedicated to providing my students with the very best version of myself and to pass my knowledge and experience, as well as that of my mentor’s lifetimes of knowledge, commitment to educational excellence, and deep respect for the academic community on to my students.

My teaching philosophy further envisions the classroom as an inviting, safe harbor. I am committed to creating a learning environment in which all students feel comfortable asking questions. Within my class, I encourage students to view others as colleagues, despite any real or perceived differences.

That teaching philosophy also demands individualized, personal feedback and guidance, which is vital to a student’s academic, personal, and professional growth. One of my goals with feedback is to explore new perspectives. In turn, students are encouraged to express their views openly, without fear of reprisal. My students’ varied perspectives are valued and acknowledged in all aspects of feedback.

My teaching philosophy further includes implementation of a variety of techniques to expand concepts and to encourage students to use their interests and academic curiosity to explore real-life examples. An individuals creativity is a valued and vital component in any subject matter.

I think that teaching involves so much more than merely conveying the subject matter. In accordance with my teaching philosophy, I am motivated to empower students.

Community

Dr Lisa Gallagher & Supporting a Student

Overall, this is a story of connectivity. I had a student that did very well in my courses. Each assignment they exceeded expectations and I made sure to make note of their exceptional work - letting them know my opinion of their willingness to put an extraordinary effort into their studies, making the most of their Purdue Global education. Once they graduated, they reached out and asked for a letter of recommendation. We discussed the degree that they wanted to pursue and the potential colleges they wanted to apply to for their future studies. At Purdue Global, it doesn't have to be an on-line relationship, you have the capability of creating a connection with students.

In the letter of recommendation, I emphasized the student's dedication to their classwork, their diligence in putting their utmost effort into each of their assignments. The student kept me abreast of their progress and I am proud to say that they were accepted into four different, very prestigious universities. As a result, the student and I plan to connect as he told me that he is eager to share his progress at these universities and his future success. For me, this is why I want to be a professor at Purdue Global because even though we are on-line, we still have the ability to make meaningful connections with our students - a little effort goes an amazing way in a student's life!

Academic Development & Publications

SBIT Faculty Publications Home

Dr. Carrie Stringham & Dr. Susan Pettine

Earlier this year, Carrie Stringham, Susan Pettine (both Purdue Global faculty in the SBIT) along with Susan Dana published a paper titled "Recruiting Professionals into Careers in Post-Secondary Academic Faculty Positions" (Dana et al., 2024). This is the published paper Abstract.

Academia, in its quest to attract and hire qualified faculty, can capitalize on recent trends as reflected in career trajectories. One such trend includes practicing professionals, who make the decision to engage in a career pivot from industry into academia. Two recent shifts in academia highlight the importance of attracting practicing professionals into higher education: faculty shortages and the demand for more experiential learning in programs. To understand why practicing professionals might engage in a career pivot from industry into academia, research was conducted through a survey with recruitment for respondents taking place within a leading online university, an on-ground state university, a community college, and a LinkedIn group focused on education. By concentrating on the reasons why professionals pivot into academia, institutions of higher education can restructure their recruitment strategies to more effectively target professionals to create a bigger source pool that should lead to a more successful search and, ultimately, filling the faculty position (Dana et al., 2024, Abstract).

We became interested in this topic several years ago. Before our most recent publication, we published a related article titled "Career Shifts of Professionals Who Transitioned into Careers in Academic Organizations" (Knapp et al., 2023). While we addressed career shifts in our first article, we did not address how professionals could best be recruited into post-secondary academic faculty positions.

We found that academic institutions may be more successful in the recruitment of practicing professionals if they emphasize opportunities that candidates will have to give back and experience meaningful work, along with increased flexibility as compared to non-academic positions. As universities continue to seek ways to provide experiential learning to students, practicing professionals may be able even more valuable to post-secondary education.

Dana, S., Stringham, C., & Pettine, S. (2024). Recruiting Professionals into Careers in Post-Secondary Academic Faculty Positions. Research in Higher Education Journal, 45, 1–8. https://aabri.com/manuscripts/233774.pdf

Knapp, S., Pettine, S., Stringham, C., Dana, S., & Pettine, K. (2023). Career Shifts of Professionals Who Transitioned into Careers in Academic Organizations.

Updates for Faculty Work

Faculty Term Checklist

(Click heading link)

Please note this checklist follows general university guidance and best practices. Check with your department for any additional requirements and guidelines. Contact Faculty Support (866-348-1196) if there are any issues with the course in Brightspace. Contact your manager/chair if you have any questions about course content.

Using LibGuides in Classes

(Click heading link)

This site exists to assist curriculum and faculty interested in replacing or supplementing a traditional course textbook with a combination of links to materials in licensed library databases, permitted file uploads of PDF copies of content to the LMS, and links to appropriate OER (open educational resource) materials, which can be thought of as a digital reading list or electronic coursepack.

SBIT Steering Committee News

SBIT & DBAC - Diversity and Belonging Action Committee

SBIT DEIB Updates

The Diversity and Belonging Action Committee (DBAC) has been busy determining goals for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. One of the DBAC goals will be to develop a faculty-student mentoring program. Stay tuned for further details.

DEIB Resources

Did you know you can find a diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging calendar on the Organizational Culture and Institutional Excellence (OCIE) website? You can also learn about Employee Resource Groups (ERG), heritage and affinity celebrations, and find valuable resources. Be sure to visit the OCIE (google.com) for details.

DEIB Training and development

LinkedIn Learning provides hundreds of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging training courses. Participating in these courses supports our commitment to ourselves and our students to create an inclusive and equitable environment where we learn and work with a sense of belonging and inclusion for all. The good news is that taking these courses helps fulfill our SBIT professional development requirements. Once you have completed the LinkedIn Learning courses, they are reported in APL; therefore, faculty and staff will not self-report these courses.

Bea Bourne, Chair DBAC Committee

SBIT Steering Committee links

SBIT Faculty / Staff Website