The winner of the 2022 Audrey Newcomb & David Garraghty PBS Staff Recognition Award, Roger Rhodes began his connection to PBS over 50 years ago as an undergraduate majoring in psychology. A work-study position in the lab of Professor Emeritus James Craig quickly made Rhodes indispensable as one who could stay ahead of the curve on the newly evolving computer technology that was becoming integral to the field.
So impressed with Rhodes’ work, Craig offered him a full-time position as lab manager, where he remained for over 30 years before joining the PBS Technical Support Group in 2009, where he now serves as IT manager.
The award recognizes Rhodes for much more than his extraordinary IT skills. It also recognizes him for his incredible diplomacy, his leadership across an evolving IT landscape, his equanimity in times of crisis, a supportive attitude that never flags, not to mention an abiding loyalty to PBS and its mission.
As chair Bill Hetrick says, “Roger’s work is quite simply foundational to the department. Roger and the two other staff members that he supervises are responsible for the IT access of over 100 fulltime faculty and staff, 100 grad students, and 52 research labs. You cannot oversee that magnitude of work effectively without being extraordinary.”
As for Rhodes, he says, “I am proud to be a member of one of the best support staffs at IU, and humbled to join the ranks of the previous awardees. My thanks go to our staff, faculty, and leadership for helping to create the community we have in PBS and to the generosity of Lori and Preston Garraghty, who created this award.”
Rhodes is the sixth PBS staff member to receive the award. Others include Lana Fish, Jesse Goode, Cherlyn Crees, Melissa Ritter and JeanneMarie Heeb.
The College of Arts