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Uthara Unnikrishnan wins Univ of Arkansas’s global campus honor
She was a part of the team that won the Global Campus Lightbulb Award for Innovation in the third quarter of 2025.
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Malvika Choudhary - Fri, 21, Nov 2025
- 11:56 EST
- 16
Uthara Unnikrishnan, center, accepts the Global Campus Employee of the Quarter award from Cheryl Murphy, vice provost for distance education and head of the Global Campus (left), and Jamie Loftin, assistant vice provost for distance education administration (right). / University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas Global Campus named Indian-origin data specialist Uthara Unnikrishnan its employee of the quarter.
Unnikrishnan, a data and innovation resource specialist with the Professional and Workforce Development (PWD) team, was recognized for her role in modernizing data systems and supporting workforce development initiatives.
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She received the award from Cheryl Murphy, vice provost for distance education and head of the Global Campus, at a staff meeting in October.
“I am truly honored and grateful to receive this award,” Unnikrishnan said. “I didn't really expect this. It really motivates me to show up every day and learn and grow every day. This award means a lot to me.”
Since joining the Global Campus in November 2024, Unnikrishnan has played a key role in developing and maintaining Slate, the university’s platform for registration, learner success tracking and outreach.
She was also part of the team that won the Global Campus Lightbulb Award for Innovation in the third quarter of 2025.
Her colleagues credited her with helping PWD transition to a standardized reporting and registration process, creating Slate-based tools for campus units, and organizing data required for the state workforce report submitted to the Arkansas Department of Higher Education.
“Uthara is an indispensable asset to our team and is leading the charge on a massive project that has huge, important implications for the university as a whole,” co-workers noted.
Eve Canty, director of PWD for Global Campus, said Unnikrishnan’s work has significantly improved the university’s data systems. “Uthara's work has truly been paradigm shifting, not just for Global Campus but for the University of Arkansas as a whole,” she said.
“Modernizing our systems has allowed us not only to collect data as painlessly as possible but also provide a higher level of service and a more responsive educational experience for our learners than ever before,” she added..
Unnikrishnan previously worked as a banker at South Indian Bank in Kerala and served as a graduate assistant at the University of Arkansas before joining the Global Campus. She holds a master’s degree in information systems from the University of Arkansas and a master’s in chemistry from St. Thomas College, Thrissur.
The Employee of the Quarter award recognizes staff who make significant contributions to Global Campus goals and the university’s mission. Recipients receive a certificate and monetary award. Quarterly honorees are eligible for the Employee of the Year recognition.
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