June 27, 2017 WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue president Mitch Daniels has appointed Marcy Towns, professor of chemical education, as the newest faculty athletic representative.
Towns has been appointed to the position for a three-year term, effective July 1.
"Purdue and the Big Ten have high academic standards for student-athletes, and faculty oversight is one key to meeting and maintaining those standards," Daniels said. "I am delighted that Marcy Towns, an award-winning teacher and, incidentally, a devoted Boilermaker sports fan, has accepted this responsibility."
The faculty athletic representative serves as part of the 18-member Athletic Affairs Committee, which reviews and makes recommendations on the sufficiency of academic-support resources available to the student-athletes; ensures that the highest standards of academic integrity are applied across athletic programs; monitors the time demands for practice and competition placed on the student-athletes; and oversees student disciplinary process when such cases arise.
"Faculty athletic representatives play a key role in the administration and governance of our athletic programs, with a primary focus on the overall experience of our student-athletes," said vice president and athletics director Mike Bobinski. "I'm certain that she will be a strong advocate for ensuring our student-athletes achieve their athletic goals while engaging fully in their academic pursuits."
In collaboration with the athletics director and his staff, the Athletic Affairs Committee frequently is called upon to review and monitor Purdue's compliance with guidelines issued by the Big Ten and the NCAA.
"I am delighted to be appointed as a faculty athletics representative for Purdue," Towns said. "I'm looking forward to working with Mike Bobinski, Ed Howat and other staff in the athletics department to assure we are serving the program and our student-athletes."
Towns' work focuses on using a variety of qualitative and quantitative research methods to investigate factors that impact how students learn chemistry. An ongoing research interest has been small-group learning, especially how it is constructed and implemented in an online environment.
Towns earned her bachelor's degree in chemistry from Linfield College and master's degree in chemical education and doctoral degree in physical chemistry, both from Purdue. She is a fellow of the American Chemical Society and an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She has received several Purdue honors, including a special Boilermaker Award, being named among the Distinguished Women Scholars, being named a Teaching Academy fellow, a recipient of the Learning Community Ambassadors Award and the Murphy Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching.
Towns replaces Christie Sahley, who had served as faculty athletic representative since 2000.
Towns has been appointed to the position for a three-year term, effective July 1.
"Purdue and the Big Ten have high academic standards for student-athletes, and faculty oversight is one key to meeting and maintaining those standards," Daniels said. "I am delighted that Marcy Towns, an award-winning teacher and, incidentally, a devoted Boilermaker sports fan, has accepted this responsibility."
The faculty athletic representative serves as part of the 18-member Athletic Affairs Committee, which reviews and makes recommendations on the sufficiency of academic-support resources available to the student-athletes; ensures that the highest standards of academic integrity are applied across athletic programs; monitors the time demands for practice and competition placed on the student-athletes; and oversees student disciplinary process when such cases arise.
"Faculty athletic representatives play a key role in the administration and governance of our athletic programs, with a primary focus on the overall experience of our student-athletes," said vice president and athletics director Mike Bobinski. "I'm certain that she will be a strong advocate for ensuring our student-athletes achieve their athletic goals while engaging fully in their academic pursuits."
In collaboration with the athletics director and his staff, the Athletic Affairs Committee frequently is called upon to review and monitor Purdue's compliance with guidelines issued by the Big Ten and the NCAA.
"I am delighted to be appointed as a faculty athletics representative for Purdue," Towns said. "I'm looking forward to working with Mike Bobinski, Ed Howat and other staff in the athletics department to assure we are serving the program and our student-athletes."
Towns' work focuses on using a variety of qualitative and quantitative research methods to investigate factors that impact how students learn chemistry. An ongoing research interest has been small-group learning, especially how it is constructed and implemented in an online environment.
Towns earned her bachelor's degree in chemistry from Linfield College and master's degree in chemical education and doctoral degree in physical chemistry, both from Purdue. She is a fellow of the American Chemical Society and an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She has received several Purdue honors, including a special Boilermaker Award, being named among the Distinguished Women Scholars, being named a Teaching Academy fellow, a recipient of the Learning Community Ambassadors Award and the Murphy Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching.
Towns replaces Christie Sahley, who had served as faculty athletic representative since 2000.