Purdue University
ER-19: Interdisciplinary Research in Tenure and Promotion

Purdue’s New Synergies strategic plan states “Purdue University will set the pace for new interdisciplinary synergies that serve citizens worldwide with profound scientific, technological, social, and humanitarian impact on advancing societal prosperity and quality of life.” Interdisciplinary efforts are important and Purdue, recognizing this, has provided physical space for such efforts (Discovery Park) and formed the Interdisciplinary Initiatives Committee to address the role of these efforts in promotion cases. A recent report of the Provost’s Task Force on Promotion and Tenure recommended that Purdue formalize its policy on recognizing interdisciplinary work in the promotion and tenure process. Involvement at the Purdue Discovery Park, a national model of interdisciplinary work, is highly valued when considering faculty performance. All Research Faculty appointed through Discovery Park are engaged in interdisciplinary research and each is evaluated for promotion with evaluation by an interdisciplinary committee. Purdue also has interdisciplinary degrees such as the Purdue University Interdisciplinary Life Science (PULSe) provides Training Groups, or interdisciplinary research areas, which consist of over 170 faculty members from 27 different departments. Other interdisciplinary programs include Ecological and Environmental Engineering, and in the College of Liberal Arts alone, there are 15 interdisciplinary programs including African American Studies, Asian Studies, Comparative Literature, Film and Video Studies, Global Studies, Latin American and Latino Studies, Peace Studies, Philosophy and Literature, Religious Studies, and Women’s Studies, to name a few.