IUPUI demonstrates integrity in its practices and relationships.
Policies
Handbooks for students and faculty that describe their rights and responsibilities and methods of redress are available on the IUPUI Web site. (Click here for the IUPUI Supplement to the Indiana University Academic Handbook.) Staff handbooks are distributed at orientation sessions for new staff and are available at the Human Resources Administration office. The campus Affirmative Action Office is committed to promoting a working and learning environment free of discrimination. This office is responsible for ensuring that the university is in compliance with all applicable federal and state nondiscrimination requirements and serves as the institution"s official liaison with governmental civil rights enforcement agencies.
The Office of Academic Policies, Procedures and Documentation (APPD) functions as the operational arm of the Office of the Dean of the Faculties on matters pertaining to faculty and academic policies and procedures. These activities include the interpretation, implementation, evaluation, and communication of such policies to faculty, staff, administrators, students and others. APPD is responsible for handling processing related to faculty employment matters such as appointments, promotion, tenure, sabbatical leaves, other leaves, retirements and resignations, to name but a few. APPD manages the logistics of the campus promotion and tenure process, the sabbatical leaves process, the annual review process and the post-tenure review process and oversees the recruitment of new faculty. In order to ensure compliance with law and policies, APPD works closely with Payroll, Human Resources, Budget and University Counsel in the smooth and consistent application of employment policies and procedures.
In recent years, APPD has been on the cutting edge of efforts to implement new technologies to enhance its own operations as well as those of the campus and university. APPD has assumed a leadership role in the development and implementation of a new human resources management system throughout Indiana University . Likewise, APPD has been working with a variety of other groups on campus to automate the Faculty Annual Summary Report (FASR), the campus promotion and tenure review process, the offer packet process and the course and degree approval process. APPD has also developed and collaborated in training programs for academic employment processes and policies.
The unified Indiana University record follows practices outlined by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. The major elements of the transcript may be viewed online.
Communication and Collaboration
Publications and advertising portray aspects of the institution fairly and accurately. Communications and Marketing is a service and information unit that provides expertise and advice to help promote and market IUPUI through media relations, publications, electronic communications, and events . As a part of this service, the office advises campus units to enable them to portray their characteristics, as well as those of the institution, clearly and accurately.
IUPUI maintains close ties with Indiana and Purdue Universities . In addition, for over a decade IUPUI has been developing a collaborative relationship with the Indianapolis campus of Ivy Tech State College. Now that Ivy Tech is a campus of the newly formed Community College of Indiana (CCI), the number of CCI students transferring annually to IUPUI for further study has increased four-fold, from approximately 50 in 1992 to approximately 200 in 2002.
The seven public and private colleges and universities in the Indianapolis area also enjoy collegial and productive relationships. The presidents of these institutions meet at least once a year and the vice presidents for academic affairs have established a working consortium entitled the CUE (Council for Urban Education) Deans. Under the auspices of a well-established cross-registration program, students may register for one course a semester on another CUE campus at no additional cost to the student beyond tuition at the home institution. (The course must not be offered on the home campus during the semester a student cross-registers , and the host institution will not accept the cross-registered student if the desired course section has been filled with students from the host campus.) For the past year the CUE Deans organization has focused its collaborative efforts on planning required to offer to area students multiple years of instruction in strategic languages such as Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic.
Athletics
In 1999 IUPUI underwent certification for the move from NCAA Division II athletics to Division I. The campus does not support a football team, but has quickly become a contender in Mid-Continent Conference basketball and soccer in particular, as well as other women"s and men"s sports. IUPUI was recently recognized by USA Today for increasing the graduation rates of student athletes.
Contracts
Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance Robert M. Martin oversees contractual arrangements related to purchase of materials and land acquisition. Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education Mark L. Brenner implements IU policies related to research-related contracts and grants.
Research
As required by the Department of Health and Human Services, all studies involving human subjects conducted by faculty, students, or staff at IUPUI must be reviewed and approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) prior to initiating research. There are two IRBs , one of which reviews protocols involving primarily biomedical research and one that reviews protocols involving social-behavioral research. In compliance with the recommendations of the Association of American Universities Task Force on Research Accountability, IUPUI requires that individuals involved with the design or conduct of human subjects research demonstrate that they understand the basic principles and procedures related to protecting human research subjects. To accomplish this goal, a Web-based instrument to test this knowledge has been developed. All researchers must provide proof of passing the Human Subjects Tutorial/Test at the time they submit an application for IRB review. This tutorial/test is available online.
The Advanced Research and Technology Institute (ARTI) was created in 1997 by Indiana University to act as a liaison with the private sector for the University. ARTI is authorized to negotiate licensing agreements for university-owned intellectual property.
Conflicts of Interest
The IUPUI Policy on Conflicts of Interest is designed to: (1) identify conflicts of interest arising from relationships between faculty and staff and external entities; (2 ) assist faculty and staff in avoiding conflicts of interest; (3) establish a system for disclosure and review of relationships with external entities; and (4) avoid or resolve conflicts of interest. Faculty and staff members are responsible for disclosing (1) their financial interests and those of their family members that would reasonably appear to be affected by the research or educational activities in which they are engaged, including those funded or proposed for funding by an external entity; or (2) their and their family members" financial interests in external entities whose financial interests would reasonably appear to be affected by their research or educational activities. Disclosures are to be made in accordance with the procedures established under approved specific school policies .
Diversity
IUPUI is strongly committed to diversity in all aspects of its operations. In 2000, Chancellor Bepko articulated a
Vision for Diversity that was subsequently adopted by faculty governance. His annual
IUPUI State of Diversity address provides an update to the IUPUI and Indianapolis communities on our progress in accomplishing that vision. The
Diversity Cabinet advises the chancellor and works with him to develop strategies for supporting that progress.
Much of our work on diversity is reported in the learning and teaching and civic engagement self studies. For example, retention efforts have included strategies aimed at engaging and retaining students of color; in 2001 retention of regularly admitted new African American students reached parity with that of "all other" regularly admitted students. The Office for Multicultural Faculty Development provides services intended to help faculty of color advance in their careers and to help departments recruit and retain these faculty. The Diversity Inquiry Group works to encourage and support faculty in creating an inclusive campus and classroom climate and in developing inclusive curricula. Our Principles of Undergraduate Learning include "Understanding Society and Culture," defined as "the ability of students to recognize their own cultural traditions and to understand and appreciate the diversity of human experience."
Numerous department-and school-based programs provide opportunities and support for students of color both before they enter college and during their studies at IUPUI. Professional schools, such as the Schools of Nursing and Social Work, have incorporated culturally sensitive practices into their curricula and learning outcomes. Clinical placements, internships, and service learning programs allow students to gain experience in culturally diverse settings as they prepare to become professionals and citizens in Indianapolis" diverse communities or elsewhere.
Our business practices also reflect our commitment to diversity. For example, the Minority Business Enterprises (MBE) Program supports and encourages diversity in the supplier network for IUPUI, identifies and integrates MBEs into the supplier base, and maximizes opportunities for MBEs.
Student Complaint Files
The Offices of the Chancellor, Executive Vice Chancellor and Dean of the Faculties, and the Vice Chancellor for Student Life and Diversity maintain records of formal written student complaints and actions taken to resolve each complaint.
Federal Compliance Program/Third Party Comments
Credits, program length, and tuition
IUPUI operates on a semester system with Fall (beginning in August) and Spring (beginning in January) semesters and two summer sessions. Courses are also offered during expanded and contracted sessions with approval of the dean of the school. The policy on determining units of academic credit at IUPUI can be found at the Registrar"s Web site. The policy states that "IUPUI guidelines for the academic calendar require a 3-credit lecture class to meet for a minimum of 2,250 minutes excluding the final examination period. Emerging delivery methodologies may necessitate determining a unit of undergraduate credit with non-time based methods. These courses shall use demonstration of competency, demonstration of proficiency, or fulfillment of learning outcomes to insure these courses are equivalent to traditionally delivered courses."
Tuition and fees are set by the Indiana University Board of Trustees. Policies concerning charges, refunds, and fees are published in the online and printed bulletins and the schedule of classes. As is common practice among universities, costs vary for students based upon their class standing, school, and major.
Institutional compliance with the Higher Education Reauthorization Act
IUPUI is in full compliance with the requirements of Title IV, and copies of all documents relevant to Title IV compliance are available in the Office of Student Financial Aid Services. A Title IV compliance audit is conducted annually by the Indiana State Board of Accounts. The report findings and IUPUI"s responses can be found in the Office of Student Financial Aid Services, along with institutional program participation agreements, past and current fiscal operations reports and necessary applications for participation in federal student aid programs, official default rate information, and any other related federal program reviews conducted.
Our most recent default rate of 5.2% is below the national average of 5.9%. We have not had any negative review or audit findings on our Federal Family Education Loan Programs (FFELP) default rate. Although this is not mandated by the Department of Education, IUPUI is striving to maintain our low default rate. For this reason, IUPUI agreed to participate in a pilot project with USA Funds, our major student loan guarantor, by implementing their Life Skills program. During the course of this program IUPUI Financial Aid staff work in conjunction with University College academic advisors to discuss debt management and overall management of funds with new students in the Learning Communities.
Advertising and recruitment materials
The North Central Association"s Web site address and telephone number are published in IUPUI"s comprehensive online bulletin.
Professional accreditations
Individual schools and departments are accredited by specialized bodies, but IUPUI does not hold dual institutional accreditation or specialized accreditation with a single agency that covers one-third or more of either the institution"s offerings or its students. A list of current affiliations is available online.
Public notification of the comprehensive evaluation visit
IUPUI purchased advertising space in the Indianapolis Star and the Sagamore (the IUPUI student newspaper) to announce the reaccreditation visit. Additionally, the NCA visit was well publicized on campus through the portfolio Web site, targeted online and print campus newsletters, and announcements all of which solicited comments on the self-study process and documents. Publications that publicized the team visit include: JagNews , Inside IUPUI , CampusScape , and HR Update . Targeted emails were sent to Faculty and Staff Council email lists, and multiple committee email lists. Extensive conversations were held with community representatives who are members of the Board of Advisors. Presentations were given at numerous local and national meetings where the online self-studies were demonstrated.
Strengths include:
- a strong commitment to diversity, reflected in the policies and practices of IUPUI"s central administration, schools, and administrative units across the campus.
collaboration with other institutions of higher education in the greater Indianapolis area that enhances educational opportunities for all students in the region.
Challenges include:
- convincing 21 relatively autonomous schools, many of which identify themselves as units of the parent institution rather than IUPUI, to produce promotional materials that connect the school to IUPUI.
