Roberta Thompson
Roberta Thompson
By Cole Willis | Staff Writer
With an organization as large as a university it can be easy to get caught up in the big picture.
You might think about the departments, the athletics, or maybe even the school radio station and newspaper. But what about the “moving pieces” that make everything work.
The people behind the scenes that do the little things that you never see, but are essential to the success of the university. One of those people is Roberta Thompson.
Communication majors know exactly who Thompson is. She is the person to go to when they need something, or when there’s a question they can’t find an answer. She watches over everyone in the communication department as if they were her family. Thompson is the person who makes the communication department work.
Thompson has been at the University of Indianapolis for the past 19 years. She spent the first 10 years of her career in the business office and then transferred to the communication department in 2000. Everyone who knows her has a kind story or memory about Thompson, and that’s why she will be missed when she retires at the end of this year.
“I’m leaving with so many mixed emotions,” she said. “I am really looking forward to spending more time with my grandchildren and working on an inspirational book.”
Thompson has written inspirational messages for WICR-FM, the university radio station, and is looking to turn those into a book. Her last day at the University of Indianapolis will be June 30.
According to Dr. Billy Catchings, chair of the communication department, when Thompson leaves, she will leave more than an open position at the front desk in the communication department, she will leave an empty spot in a lot of peoples’ hearts.
“The one thing that she does is she truly loves us,” Catchings said. “Because of that, she does an amazing job watching over us and caring for us.”
Thompson’s official title is administrative assistant for the communication department, but she fills many different roles.
“I’m sure there will be someone that will come along and take over the administrative position,” said General Manager of WICR-FM and Instructor of Communication Scott Uecker. “But she is such a vital asset to our department that I’m not sure how we will ever find someone that could fill all the other little roles that she does.”
Uecker said that Thompson is one of those moving pieces that help everyone else do their job. By managing the communication department and helping with the overall organization of the teachers, she directly contributes to the education of students.
“We are going to miss her in a lot of ways,” Uecker said. “But the part we will miss the most is how she allows the faculty and staff to concentrate on the students. She takes care of the little things and really allows us to focus on our students.”
Thompson’s contribution to the university and its students is impossible to measure, but it is certain that as long as the people whose lives she has touched remain, she will not be forgotten.
