Indiana University of Pennsylvania celebrated 120 employees who reached milestone years of service in 2025, and IUP President Michael Driscoll presented the second “One IUP” Award to the Crimson Core Team during the annual Employee Service and Leadership Awards event on March 26.
Employees honored at the event have given a total of 2,250 years of service to IUP:
- 33 employees with 10 years of service
- 20 employees with 15 years of service
- 30 employees with 20 years of service
- 22 employees had 25 years of service
- 11 employees with 30 years of service
- Four employees with 35 years of service.
The One IUP award was initiated by President Driscoll in 2025 when he invited nominations from the IUP community to honor a team, department, office, or group of employees who have implemented a project and solved a problem that has made a positive impact.
From left, seated: Director of the Military and Veterans Resource Center Tedd Cogar; Professor of Organic Chemistry Justin Fair; Professor of Spanish and Director of Liberal Studies and First Learning Year Dawn Smith-Sherwood; Professor of Communication Disorders, Special Education, and Disability Services Lori Lombard. Standing from left, Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, Media, and Public Affairs Curt Scheib; Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Lara Luetkehans; Executive Director of Graduate and Special Admissions Rich Muth; Vice Provost for Academic Success and Dean of the University College Amber Racchini; Vice Provost for Research and Innovation and Interim Dean of the College of Health Sciences Hilliary Creely; Director of the Career and Professional Development Center Tammy Manko; Dean of the John J. and Char Kopchick College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Steve Hovan; Dean of the College of Education and Human Services Edel Reilly; Dean of the Eberly College of Business Prashanth Bharadwaj; IUP President Michael Driscoll.
To be considered for the One IUP Award, the group must demonstrate leadership, problem-solving, and collaboration in doing something that benefits one or more of the following: the university, students, alumni, friends of IUP, and the greater Indiana region. The inaugural One IUP Award in 2025 was presented to the Office of Financial Aid.
During the presentation of the One IUP Award to the Crimson Core Team, President Driscoll recognized that the group began its work in 2023.
“This group undertook the first major overhaul of our general education curriculum since 1989. They moved us to a modern, competency-based framework that ensures our graduates possess durable skills in areas such as civic readiness, leadership, and scientific reasoning,” he said.
“Launched in the fall 2025 semester, the Crimson Core centers on 10 key competency areas, such as Civic Readiness and Quantitative Reasoning, aligned with national career readiness standards. Aligned with the goals of the IUP Strategic Plan, the Crimson Core introduced innovative components like FLY (First Learning Year) to foster student belonging and SOAR (Sophomore Area Readiness) to formalize early career exploration while also prioritizing durable skills and life design principles,” he said.
President Driscoll also recognized the Crimson Core Team for creating “a flexible curriculum that better prepares students for the global workforce,” adding that the Team’s efforts achieved “high levels of shared governance and earned a formal endorsement from the Student Government Association for improving academic success and flexibility.”
- Lara Luetkehans, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs
- Prashanth Bharadwaj, dean of the Eberly College of Business
- Hilliary Creely, vice provost for Research and Innovation and interim dean of Health Sciences
- Steve Hovan, dean of the Kopchick College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
- Edel Reilly, dean of the College of Education and Human Services
- Curt Scheib, dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, Media, and Public Affairs
- Tedd Cogar, director of the Military and Veterans Resource Center
- Erin Conlin, associate professor of History and associate director for Academic Advising, Center for Teaching Excellence
- Chauna Craig, professor of English
- Rachel DeSoto-Jackson, associate professor of Music, Theatre, and Dance
- Melanie Holm, professor of English
- John Lewis, professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice
- Lori Lombard, professor of Communication Disorders, Special Education, and Disability Services
- Tammy Manko, director of the Career and Professional Development Center
- Rich Muth, executive director of Graduate and Special Admissions
- Amber Racchini, vice provost for Academic Success and dean of the University College
- Bill Sands, assistant director of Transfer Services
- Bryna Siegel Finer, professor of English and director of Undergraduate Writing Programs
- Dawn Smith-Sherwood, professor of Spanish and director of Liberal Studies and First Learning Year
- Justin Fair, professor of Organic Chemistry
- Stephanie Jozefowicz, professor of Finance and Economics
“We often talk about IUP in terms of its history, its traditions, or its bright future,” President Driscoll said in recognition of employees completing milestone years of service.
“But the soul of this university isn’t found in bricks and mortar. It’s in the collective dedication of people like you, the ones in the room today being honored. You ensure IUP doesn’t just function, but flourishes. Recognizing our success is more than a formality. It is a necessity. In the hectic busyness of our daily tasks, it’s easy to lose sight of the why. But every time you solve a registration bottleneck, mentor a struggling student, offer extra office hours, take out the trash, or send an important email to students, you are building a community. You are creating the environment where our students feel seen, supported, and challenged to grow. To our honorees who are being recognized for your years of service today: thank you for your loyalty, your expertise, and your unwavering commitment to the IUP family,” he said.
A complete list of employees honored for milestone years of service is on the IUP website.
Since its founding in 1875, IUP has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. As IUP celebrates its 150th anniversary during the 2025–26 academic year and through the Impact 150 comprehensive campaign, the university honors a legacy of educational excellence while looking to its next 150 years of student success, innovation, leadership in healthcare education, and public service.