The Office of Academic Affairs supports the following strategic initiatives.
Current Initiatives
Coaching and Mentoring Coalition: IU Indianapolis has a strong culture of mentoring and coaching that has drawn national recognition for its contributions to professional development. A coalition of faculty, staff, and students has formed that provides equitable access to coaching and mentoring experiences for anyone who is interested.
COACHE Faculty Satisfaction Survey: IU Indianapolis is participating in a national program called the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) to participate in a survey of faculty job satisfaction. Full-time faculty will be invited to participate in the survey in spring 2024.
The database is currently unavailable. Please contact ude[dot]ui[at]aao if you need a roster of leaders.
Emerging Leaders Database: This searchable database of leaders includes faculty and staff who have completed leadership programs and trainings offered by Indiana University. Use the database of these emerging leaders to populate searches, committees, special projects, or anything needing leadership expertise.
LIFT Mentoring Circles: LIFT is a new mentoring opportunity for faculty regardless of appointment type or demographic characteristics. It is designed to support institutional goals for faculty retention and success and to further the institutionalization of high-quality mentoring as a distinctive feature of IU Indianapolis. It builds upon formal and informal mentoring opportunities hosted in schools and departments.
Review and Modifications to Promotion, Tenure, and Merit Criteria (Integrative DEI Case Type): At their May 4, 2021, meeting, the IU Indianapolis Faculty Council voted to approve the addition of an integrative diversity, equity, and inclusion case to the IU Indianapolis Promotion and Tenure Guidelines. This historic measure is the first in the country to allow promotion based on engagement in activities that advance diversity, equity, and inclusion. It also recognizes the work our faculty do to reinforce our campus values and makes our campus a more welcoming and inclusive place for all.
Read the background documentRead the circular on Integrative DEI Case Type - Changes to the P&T Guidelines
Additional Initiatives
ASPIRE: The National Alliance for Inclusive and Diverse STEM Faculty (The IChange Network): In 2019, IU Indianapolis was selected as a member of an inaugural cohort of institutions engaging in a three-year systemic change initiative aimed at cultivating a more inclusive and diverse campus culture by developing inclusive practices for all STEM faculty. A particular focus is directed at implementing effective recruitment, hiring, and retention practices that will help to ensure that underrepresented faculty thrive and advance in their careers at IU Indianapolis, improving the quality of research and strengthening support for our students. These efforts are being led by Dr. Gina Sanchez Gibau, associate vice chancellor for faculty diversity and inclusion, in collaboration with the Schools of Science, Engineering and Technology, and Informatics and Computing.
ASPIRE is a joint initiative by the Associate of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU) and the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL), funded through the National Science Foundation.
Expanding digital learning and adaptive technologies at IU Indianapolis: Technology and digital tools are ubiquitous in the lives of students and faculty. Yet these resources are often not utilized to their full potential in promoting meaningful learning, facilitating retention and degree completion, and enhancing student outcomes. The Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU), of which IU Indianapolis is a member, is gathering evidence through their Personalized Learning Consortium that digital pedagogies help to improve student learning outcomes, increase affordability, and provide faculty with data that enable them to better design more effective in-class activities. Perhaps most importantly, they significantly benefit the learning and success of students from underserved groups, helping to help to close persistent achievement gaps. Expanding the use of digital courseware and adaptive technologies at IU Indianapolis was added to the IU Indianapolis strategic plan as an important new student success initiative. College Algebra (Math 15300), using ALEKS technology, was piloted by Dr. Patrick Morton, professor of mathematical sciences, in fall 2018 and then a statewide Digital Learning Summit was held in February 2019 at the Plater Institute on the Future of Learning. A Faculty Digital Fellows program for IU Indianapolis faculty and statewide communities of practice for faculty teaching in similar disciplines was launched in January 2019, and classrooms in Hine Hall will be renovated in fall 2019 to facilitate expanded use of ALEKS technology across multiple mathematics courses.
Faculty Crossing: In 2019, Faculty Crossing was launched, adjacent to the Center for Teaching and Learning in Room 1125 of the University Library, as a physical extension of the Forum Network. Faculty Crossing provides a welcoming, technology-rich collaboration space for faculty and teaching staff holding any type of appointment.
IU Indianapolis Next Generation 2.0: The IU Indianapolis Next Generation 2.0 program is an initiative that brings together women and/or racially/ethnically-defined faculty and staff to engage in leadership and professional development, with the goal of addressing current disparities in leadership positions and succession planning for the institution.
The Forum Network: In December 2016, a task force met with the goal to reimagine how IU Indianapolis can support advances in the work of the Center for Teaching and Learning while also expanding to a more holistic approach to the support of faculty and other educators to achieve their professional goals. Recommendations from the task force included the creation of physical space to support learning, instruction, leadership, and innovation. The resulting outcome of this work is a coordinated "one-stop-shop" for faculty support known as the Forum Network.
The Profiles: In August 2017, a task force of faculty and staff was charged with examining the Principles of Undergraduate Learning (PULs) to make sure that they continue to represent the knowledge, skills, values, and competencies that we aspire for our students to acquire during their time at IU Indianapolis. The Profiles of Learning for Undergraduate Success enables our students to leave IU Indianapolis with a deepened understanding of what it means to be a well-rounded, well-educated person prepared for lifelong learning and success. The Profiles include competencies of Communicator, Problem Solver, Innovator, and Community Contributor.
Transforming the student experience: APLU's Powered by Publics initiative: IU Indianapolis has long been a leader in developing programs to support undergraduate student learning and success. In 2019, IU Indianapolis became part of an initiative, together with 129 other public research institutions, aimed at testing and scaling initiatives that improve college access, advance equity, and ultimately increase the number of college degrees awarded. This network, led by the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities is called Powered by Publics. IU Indianapolis is part of the Metropolitan Cluster, together with Old Dominion University, Portland State University, University of Texas at Arlington, University of Albany, University of Cincinnati, University of Houston, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Louisville, University of Missouri-Kansas City, University of New Mexico, and Wichita State University. The Metropolitan Cluster is focused on scaling efforts to provide integrated and coordinated campus services and to improve intrusive advising, mentoring, and financial counseling. The ultimate goal is to eliminate equity gaps in student outcomes related to retention and graduation and to share promising practices across the network. Efforts at IU Indianapolis are being led through the Strategic Information Council.
