I write on behalf of the members of ASEE. As the voice of academic engineering, we were pleased to feature you in the May 2014 issue of our Prism magazine and honored...
to have you as the keynote plenary speaker at our June 2014 Annual Conference.
Thus, it is with some confusion that we seek clarification of your remarks of May 19, 2020 on CNN’s OutFront segment in which, in response to remarks attributed to Professor Alice Pawley of Purdue’s School of Engineering Education, you indicated the remarks were “. . . not from the most scientifically-credible corner of our very STEM-based campus . . . .”
Were your comments meant to cast doubt on the academic integrity of Dr. Pawley, an eminent and tenured researcher whose work was recognized by the White House with
a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in 2011?
Alternatively, was it your intent to cast doubt on the value of the School of Engineering Education, the first such department in the nation, recognized internationally, and a
ground-breaking leader in discipline-based education research?
Or, did you mean to cast aspersions on the entire College of Engineering and its globally recognized research, innovative instruction, and respected faculty and alumni - including Neil Armstrong for whom the engineering building is named?
It would seem nonsensical to us that the answer to any of the questions above would be “yes.” Therefore, we hope you would clarify your remarks, because we are confused
about the point you were attempting to make and assume you always seek to protect the honor and reputation of Purdue as an institution of higher education.
Respectfully,
Stephanie G. Adams, Ph.D.
President
