This week’s ‘Thumbs Up’ recipients

Iris Butterfield

I’d like to thank Iris (IT End User Experience) and her team for their fantastic customer service. The Daniels School of Business needed a new plotter as poster requests kept coming in. We found one and requested a rush service. Iris responded immediately, informing us the request would be processed the same day. Five days later, I bothered Iris with another rush order — this time for five iPads needed on short notice for a competition. I really didn’t expect to have these in time and was already planning a workaround, but Iris responded immediately again, letting me know they would get the order placed today and informing me of the delivery range so they likely would get here on time. The new plotter was delivered the next business day, and we had posters coming off of it that same day! The iPads arrived multiple days before the event, giving us plenty of time to have them ready! The school is so thankful for this incredible turnaround time that I couldn’t help but submit this Thumbs Up for the rock-star service received. — Jeff Deitrick (IT End User Experience)

Rachel Mirkin and Alicia Asa

Thank you, Rachel and Alicia (both Purdue Conferences), for covering the PURA Conference while I was out of state with another conference. I have heard nothing but great things and appreciate your hard work. — Amanda Shields (Purdue Conferences)

Cuneyt Altinoz

A huge thank-you to Cuneyt (Purdue Global — Graduate School of Business and Management) for presenting to the Department of Faculty Operations staff on working smarter with AI. He expertly guided our team from foundational AI concepts to advanced prompt engineering and demonstrated new Google Workspace Studio flows for workflow automation. By showing us how to collaborate with AI as an experienced consultant, Cuneyt has empowered us to automate repetitive tasks and improve our daily workflows. We are incredibly excited to incorporate these real-world AI applications into our current work. Thank you, Cuneyt, for sharing your time and expertise to keep our team ahead of the curve! — Betsy Tomei (Purdue Global – Academic Administration)

Jennifer Scruggs

Occasionally, invoices require prompt payment or items must be ordered quickly to meet important deadlines. Jennifer (Finance) is someone the Purdue Extension 4-H office can always rely on to ensure bills are handled and orders are placed efficiently and on time. She consistently goes above and beyond and communicates exceptionally well. Jennifer makes certain our vendors are paid promptly and that we receive even last-minute items without issue. I connect with Jennifer, provide the details and the task is completed. Thank you, Jennifer, for helping our office run smoothly and for always being available. You truly make my job easier. — Teresa Evans (Purdue Extension)

The LIDER conference team

I wanted to give a shoutout to the Leadership Institute for Developing Excellence in Research, Education and Administration conference team for all the amazing work that has been put into preparing for this event in a few weeks. With such amazing people behind it, I know this conference is going to be a success! — Samuel Day (Global Engineering Programs and Partnerships)

Kevin Gillenwater

A huge thank-you to Kevin (IT Enterprise Solutions) for his outstanding help in getting Purdue Fort Wayne’s HR report changes fixed and successfully running again under a new user. His quick support saved us an immense amount of time and effort that would have otherwise gone into reconstructing a widely used report. Kevin is always helpful and fun to work with. We truly appreciate all that he does. — Kim De Leon (Purdue Fort Wayne – Student Information Systems)

James Markworth and Xinyue Lu

I’d like to thank James and Xinyue (both Animal Sciences). During last week’s severe thunderstorm and tornado warning, our building lost power. Xinyue notified her advisor, James, who came to campus late that night to help. Together, they made sure all freezers were on proper emergency power outlets, preventing any samples from being lost. They also checked our third-floor labs to confirm equipment was properly running. Even after 10:30 p.m., James kept the affected PIs and me updated. Thank you both! — Emma Welsh (Animal Sciences)

Kimberly Luna Orellana-Vi

The Purdue Polytechnic Institute recently held a Friday afternoon family weekend fair for students and their families. It was a huge success. On Tuesday of quiet week, Purdue Polytechnic altered its traditional Techie Tuesday to offer a study break depot for students to relax and focus on themselves. Neither of these events would have taken place if it were not for the dedication and support of Kim (Purdue Polytechnic). Her coordination of campus organizations, outside vendors and numerous volunteers made these a memorable experience for all. Great job, Kim! — T.R. Oneal (Purdue Polytechnic)

Lisa Lawson

In preparation for this summer’s All Aboard Purdue, Lisa (Purdue Polytechnic) reviewed BoilerConnect availability and created two types of campaign shells for all 29 Polytechnic advisors. Over the summer, she will maintain Purdue 101 completion records and initiate appointment notifications for over 900 new beginner and transfer students for registration appointments. She has a detailed process and supports the advisors as best she can. We’re grateful for her hard work in supporting our Polytechnic students. — Statewide, Indianapolis and West Lafayette Polytechnic Advising