Four employees recognized as May's Spirit of Excellence recipients

Four employees have been recognized as Spirit of Excellence recipients for their contributions to Auburn University.

Ariel Rocker, Learning Resource Center (College of Education), Office Administration

“This past Fall, Ariel was assigned the duties of the office administrator in the LRC after that person resigned. She is now responsible for all the admin work for the department, assuming many tasks on top of her other duties that she already had. She did all this willingly and with a great attitude without ever complaining or saying that this wasn't her job,” Rocker’s nominator wrote. “I also wanted to mention the excellent service Ariel provides for faculty, staff and students in the College of Education. She provides document processing services, which includes preparing letters, envelopes, mail merge, name tags, manuscripts, reports and journal articles. She also prepares accessible documents that meet accessibility accommodations, which is a very important task. She is known by faculty and staff to be knowledgeable and helpful.”

John David Gowan, Industrial Design (College of Architecture, Design & Construction), Service/ Maintenance

“David is diligent in whatever tasks he is assigned to do, and the work he does is of unmerited quality. When he promises anything, he delivers and in a timely manner. He is a self-starter and does not need to be told what to do, he has a working awareness of time-sensitive issues and handles them accordingly,” Gowan’s nominator said. “David's work can go unnoticed because he seamlessly does things. He is the glue to things that occur in our program. He is behind the scenes doing things that show his attitude of servitude and commitment to the job he does and to our school. He is courteous and professional to faculty, staff and students. He lends a helping hand to anyone who asks of him.”

Holly Davenport, Engineering Administration, Administration/ Professional

“The mission of Engineering Student Services is to provide support and encouragement to students leading to their academic success. Holly has contributed to a culture that exemplifies the values of Auburn University. Holly is the typically the first person students, guests, parents and other encounter in the office, and she sets the example and tone in the office through her positive interactions and welcoming spirit,” Davenport’s nominator wrote. “Holly volunteered to serve as a representative for Engineering Student Services and advising during the college browse sessions. Parents frequently commented on Holly's welcoming demeanor and breadth of knowledge about Auburn, Auburn Engineering advising and other services provided through the college.”

David Crane, Auburn University Libraries, Technical/Paraprofessional

“David has helped the Auburn University Libraries IT Department meet and exceed its internal maintenance deadlines, despite being down one full-time position since July 2021. David's work on LOCKSS and ADPNet is especially praiseworthy. On his own initiative, he developed and debugged a network management dashboard for ADPNet, thereby allowing managers to see the status of the network at a glance and quickly identify and fix problems,” Crane’s nominator wrote. “He has also installed a test version of the new LOCKSS software. His support of the libraries’ digital preservation efforts has consolidated our reputation as a national and international leader in this field.”

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