This week’s ‘Thumbs Up’ recipients

Purdue Today’s “Thumbs Up” series gives faculty and staff members the opportunity to recognize, thank and congratulate others for their outstanding service, support and performance across the Purdue system. This week’s “Thumbs Up” recipients are:

Anne Weiss

Anne (Institutional Data Analytics + Assessment) organized and led a summer book club for IDA+A centered on the topic of smart universities and digital surveillance. The initiative provided colleagues from different teams with a valuable opportunity to connect and exchange perspectives on how the subject matter intersected with their respective areas of work. She also arranged a conversation with the book’s author, which added meaningful context and depth to the group’s discussions. Her efforts in coordinating this cross-team learning experience reflect a strong commitment to collaboration and professional development within the unit. — Margaret Ascolani (Institutional Data Analytics + Assessment)

Jessi-Alex Brandon

Shoutout to Jessi-Alex (Honors College) for planning and facilitating the inaugural John Martinson Honors College Honors Mentor orientation workshop for the school year. You kept your cool when technological difficulties happened and instilled confidence in our mentors as they spend the school year mentoring our incoming freshman class. You are appreciated! — Onyx Uzomah and Maddie Ringer (both Honors College Advising)

Jennifer Cutter and Raven Wiegand

I would like to recognize Jennifer and Raven (both Vice Provost for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars) for their outstanding support and dedication during our Graduate Gold Rush (GGR) registration efforts. Jennifer and Raven went above and beyond by working student messaging queues every day, providing timely responses and assisting graduate students who encountered challenges throughout the registration process. Their commitment to helping students and ensuring a smooth registration experience played a critical role in the success of GGR. They consistently demonstrated professionalism, patience, and a genuine willingness to support both students and the team. Our event simply could not have taken place as successfully as it did without the hard work, collaboration and positive attitude of these two amazing individuals. Jennifer and Raven exemplify excellence in student support, and I am grateful for all they contributed to making GGR a success! — Alli Loy (Vice Provost for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars)

Vicki Arnett

I would like to recognize Vicki (Finance) for going above and beyond to ensure an order was received in a timely manner. An order was being delivered on a Friday from a local box store. It was close to quitting time; I reached out to Vicki asking if she could grab the package once delivered so it wouldn’t sit out over the weekend. Without hesitation, Vicki said, “Yes.” Not only did she ensure the package was secure, she even went over to the Horticulture Building, as the package was delivered to the wrong location. Vicki is always willing to stop what she is doing and assist me when I have questions or issues. Vicki does this with a pleasant and professional attitude, no matter how heavy her load. This is greatly appreciated. — Patrice Castillo (Finance)

Debbie Stevenson

Debbie (Veterinary Clinical Sciences) has been a blessing in the continued care of our family’s dog throughout his oncological clinical trial. She goes above and beyond to make him feel comfortable and safe during his weekly exams, and she’s always transparent and honest when we have questions. Experimental treatment with a family pet comes with a lot of emotional weight, and Debbie has made that weight so much easier to carry. Our whole family is so thankful to have her shepherding us through our dog’s journey! — Zach Shupe (Purdue Communications)

Scott Haan, the College of Agriculture’s academic advisors and Office of Academic Programs

A big thank-you to faculty and staff for putting on a great College of Agriculture Boiler Gold Rush carnival. The students had a great time, and it was a fun way to cap BGR week. A big thanks to all who attended and helped make the event impactful for the students. A big shoutout goes to Scott Haan (Agriculture — Academic Programs) for planning, coordinating and seamlessly executing the event. — Office of Academic Programs

Alex Honicutt, Victor Lopez, James Warwick and Matthew Best

I would like to recognize Alex, Victor, James and their supervisor, Matthew (all Building Services), for their outstanding support in preparing Forney Hall of Chemical Engineering, Room G060D, to return to active use. The room required a significant deep cleaning, and the team was responsive and collaborative from the beginning, meeting with us to understand the needs of the space and moving quickly to address them. Alex, Victor and James went above and beyond, completing an extensive amount of work in a remarkably short time frame and even coming in over the weekend to ensure the job was completed. Matthew was supportive throughout the process and helped ensure the team had what they needed to move the work forward. The results are exceptional — the room is now spotless and ready for occupancy. Their dedication, teamwork, and willingness to go above and beyond are wonderful examples of the Boilermaker spirit and the exceptional staff members who support Purdue. — Joshua Gonzalez (Chemical Engineering)

Purdue Bands & Orchestras team members

The faculty and staff of the Purdue “All-American” Marching Band are second to none, and your work during the 2026 Band Camp was nothing short of incredible. It’s such a grueling schedule, and you deserve praise for not just taking care of your own areas but also working as a complete team to assist everyone else around you. Thank you to Pam Nave, Lucas Petersen, Doug Fletcher, Morgan Loetz, Natalie Hess and Jef Furr. The 398 students in the AAMB are so lucky to have you! — Matt Conaway (Bands & Orchestras)

Austin Manion

Austin (Civil and Construction Engineering) has been filling in at our front desk, and his helpful attitude and willingness to learn new tasks have been a true asset to our department. He has saved the advising team so much time since we don’t have to keep popping up to answer the bell, and he has provided a welcoming face and attitude for people coming into the Lyles School’s main office. Thanks so much, Austin! I look forward to continuing to work with you! — Melody Carducci (Civil and Construction Engineering)

Izzy Salazar, Emmett Davis, Suzzanne Hauntz and Jonathan Miller

I want to give a big thank-you to Izzy, Emmett, Suzzanne and Jonathan (all Operations and Maintenance) for being there and troubleshooting the issues with recent flooding in Windsor Halls. Izzy, Emmett and Suzzanne answered all of my calls and were quick to respond to all issues that were caused by the torrential rains. There were multiple departments collaborating, and the communication was great, leading to a successful resolution. They provided great follow-up information on their corrective action taken after all was completed. — Melissa Paxton (Building Services)

Environmental Health and Safety crew members

Recent severe weather produced torrential downpours that caused some massive flooding in Windsor’s Wood and Shealy halls. My staff and I had started cleaning the water, and not two minutes after we started, Edward Parker and Dave Strange appeared with equipment in hand to assist with the cleanup. Their help with this was very much appreciated and saved my team hours of work. I wanted to give a big kudos to Ryan Tyson’s team for the quick flood response. I know it was one of many that day. — Melissa Paxton (Building Services)

Want to recognize someone for a job well done? View the submission form and guidelines on the “Thumbs Up” webpage.