University Innovation Alliance

Purdue University is a founding member of the University Innovation Alliance, a national consortium of 18 large public research universities working together to improve outcomes for all students across the socioeconomic spectrum, particularly low-income students, first-generation students, and students of Color. Since its launch in 2014, the University Innovation Alliance has transformed a theoretical concept for collaboration into a nationally recognized community of practice that is driving both institutional transformation and improved student outcomes. Our work is based on the simple proposition that when universities share ideas, experiences, and challenges, and work together, they can accelerate innovations that help students graduate with a college degree. For additional information visit  The University Innovation Alliance.

Purdue's UIA Executive Leadership Team is convened by:

Key campus stakeholders include:

• Dan Carpenter, Assistant Vice Provost for Student Success Innovations
• Rita Clifford, Executive Director for IT Relationship Management
• Jeff Elliott,  Executive Director, University Undergraduate Academic  Advising
• John Gates, Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion
• Cherise Hall, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management
• Sheila Hurt, University Registrar
• Beth McCuskey, Vice Provost for Student Life
• Katie Sermersheim, Senior Associate Vice Provost & Dean of Students
• Renee Thomas, Associate Vice Provost for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging
• Institutional Data Analytics + Assessment (IDA+A)

Current UIA Scale Initiatives @ Purdue

Learning Innovation Project

The Learning Innovative Project is focused on identifying and scaling innovations that can improve outcomes and equity in STEM Courses. It will involve 1) a landscape inventory of teaching and learning innovations at UIA campuses 2) a convening of faculty/administrators from UIA campuses to share challenges and opportunities in key courses, and 3) cultivation of a faculty community of practice.  Faculty Fellows from each campus will participate in a summer 2024 retreat, commit to redesigning courses for delivery in fall 2024 and spring 2025, and engage in an ongoing virtual community of practice. At Purdue, the Math department has agreed to be involved. 

Listening Laboratory for Student Success

A collaboration between Teaching and Learning and IDA+A, the aim of this initiative is to design, implement, and scale a systemic approach to leveraging qualitative data to recommend policies and programs to enhance student success. We will develop a method for deriving trustworthy, focus group-centered findings, with attention to translating findings into policy and program solutions supporting student success. The model we design will build upon existing surveys (e.g., SERU, Gallup) to deepen their findings, explore nuance and identify patterns across student groups, and uncover themes unlikely to appear in quantitative datasets.

Academic Recovery Initiative

The Academic Recovery Initiative at Purdue is titled Purdue Accelerator. This retention initiative provides targeted supports to Indiana residents who earned a D, F, or W in critical gateway courses (e.g., MA 153) within the pervious academic year. The Accelerator is a three-year scale project that expands existing academic retention initiatives such as Purdue's Spring Forward Initiative housed within the Office of Summer and Winter Session.

Student-Centered Redesign Initiative

The Student-Centered Redesign Initiative at Purdue is titled the Inclusive Advising Initiative (IAI). The aim of the IAI is to develop and implement an educational framework for Purdue academic advisors that will improve the experience and success of all Purdue students-- with an initial focus on Black Boilermakers. The framework consists of eight (8) curated learning opportunities developed in collaboration with the advising community, campus partners, and undergraduate Boilermakers. For more information visit the IAI website.

Contact Purdue UIA Fellow, Nicole Wilson wilso561@purdue.edu for additional information about current scale projects.

Previous UIA Scale Initiatives

Using predictive analytics to enhance student success

Purdue did not participate right away, choosing to spend time investigating internal capabilities as well as vendor solutions. In July 2016, Purdue decided to adopt EAB’s Navigate platform, which at Purdue is called BoilerConnect

Bridging the Gap from Education to Employment

The UIA engaged regional and national employers and career services units on campus to ensure students have meaningful experiences prior to graduation and are able to articulate them to employers. At Purdue, the "Mentoring Moments" faculty initiative aims to provide students with broader exposure to mentors and to encourage student's early engagement with career development activities and conversations. For more information contact Stephen Roach roach23@purdue.edu.

Monitoring Advising Analytics to Promote Success

This project centered on understanding the effect of proactive, intensive academic advising on the retention and progression of first-generation and low-income college students through the MAAPS supplemental advising program and accompanying research study.

Completion Grants

Based on retention grant programs at other member institutions, the UIA developed a grants program and accompanying implementation study to provide assistance to low-income students who are approaching graduation but face financial hurdles restricting their ability to enroll, persist, and graduate.  View the UIA Completion Grant playbook.