Pride of Indiana is a regular feature in IU Today where Indiana University faculty and staff can recognize their colleagues for IU-related work they’ve done that goes above and beyond their job duties or responsibilities.

 Submit a Pride of Indiana shout-out for a colleague who makes a difference in your department.

IU Bloomington

Todd Sampson, of the Department of Physics, whose nominator wrote: “Thanks to Todd Sampson for completing a very detailed and technically challenging project here in the Mechanical Instrument Service machine shop of the Department of Physics. Todd crafted a one-piece vacuum chamber frame, starting with a 172-pound solid block of aluminum and ending with a 24-pound finished frame. The job was done with precision, attention to detail and great enthusiasm. We thank Todd for his dedication and the outstanding work he does on a daily basis.”

Shruti Rana, of the Hamilton Lugar School Dean’s Office, whose nominator wrote: “Shruti Rana, assistant dean at the Hamilton Lugar School, is a fierce leader who continuously works at serving her staff and students. Through her dedicated work and leadership, we have been to develop initiatives and establish programs and partnerships that support and uplift diversity within the school.”

IUPUI

Lizeth Quinones, of the School of Liberal Arts Office of Development and External Affairs, whose nominator wrote: “Lizeth does her work well and with grace, as she often has immediate deadlines without full information. She often has to stop her work to put together quick event invitations into Salesforce or create a graphic for a Zoom meeting or new program. Lizeth is also tackling the process of filing years of photos into a data management system, which will help in the school’s 50th anniversary celebrations. She spent additional hours in the weekends and evenings to run the social media campaign for the “Become a Sportscaster in 1 year” through the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. In addition to her extraordinary work, she serves on three committees: DEI, Ad Hoc Staff Strategic Planning Committee and Ad Hoc Committee on SLA Events, building better awareness. Lizeth is a gem of a worker and person.”

IU Kokomo

Cynthia Lipken, of the Library, whose nominator wrote: “Cynthia Lipken is the administrative assistant in the Library, but she is so much more than that. She creates amazing displays in the library for various events in history. She devotes so much of her own time doing research, gathering documents, pictures and artifacts to make her displays phenomenal. She organizes fun activities and contests for the campus and provides prizes for participants, many times provided from her own pocket. She has a genuine concern for each and every student on campus. She loves interacting with them and helping them find what they need in the Library. It makes her day when students come to her just to chat. She’s a kind and caring person who is compassionate about her job and loves making others happy. To know Cynthia is to love her! Thank you, Cynthia for all the selfless things you do for everyone on the Kokomo campus!”

IU East

Joy Maupin, of University Information Technology Services, whose nominator wrote: “Very appreciative of Joy for her tireless work assisting with the migration to a new cloud storage vendor. Without her willingness to provide countless hours of one-on-one support to users, the migration would not have been nearly as successful on our campus. Her calm and caring demeanor helped to alleviate frustration and anxiety for IU East faculty and staff.”