Awards

W. George Pinnell Award for Outstanding Service - 2010

About Lynda D. Narwold

As a clinical specialist in school health, Lynda Narwold knows how difficult it can be for children with asthma and diabetes to live an active lifestyle. That's why the IU Kokomo clinical professor of nursing has co-founded and coordinated camps for children with these chronic medical conditions.

For over a decade, Camp Eeze-the-Wheeze and KIDDS Kamp -- Kids with Insulin Dependent Diabetes -- have helped hundreds of children from north-central Indiana take part in fun summer activities while learning to manage their medications and symptoms.

Susan M. Hendricks, assistant dean in the IU Kokomo School of Nursing, says the get-it-done approach is characteristic of Narwold, a longtime leader in the school who has provided exceptional service to Indiana University and the nursing profession at the local, state, national, and international levels.

"Perhaps what I have appreciated most is her unwavering positive attitude," Hendricks says. "For Professor Narwold, giving is not a burden but a delight. Working with her makes even a challenging task seem light."

Narwold has been a mentor to IU Kokomo faculty and graduate students and a reliable leader for administrative and committee assignments. She directs the R.N. to B.S.N. program, serves on the school's administrative council, and has worked with other IU Schools of Nursing on curriculum revision projects. She also engages with students, helping sponsor events and fundraisers and even playing the role of the Cowardly Lion in the school's "Follow the Yellow Brick Road to Success on the NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination for Nurses)" production.

As a school health specialist, Narwold has arranged clinical rotations for nursing students at area schools and organized large, complex school health fairs that integrate student learning and community service. In the Kokomo area, she has served on the boards for several United Way agencies, including the Mental Health Association, and taken a leadership role in organizing community events such as the Chocolate Celebration, a major fundraiser for Samaritan Caregivers.

"I value all the 'things' I do," Narwold says. "I don't see them as service, but as a responsibility. I believe they are all integrated into who I am and what I can offer to make this institution and the community a much better place for the students and the profession."

Appointed by Governor Mitch Daniels to the Indiana State Board of Nursing, she takes part in monthly meetings that start at 8:30 a.m. and sometimes last past midnight. "Despite the length of the meetings and the frustration of dealing with some rather troubling situations (particularly in the disciplinary proceedings), Ms. Narwold is a calm, thoughtful, and steady presence on the board," says Sean Gorman, director of the Indiana State Board of Nursing.

At the national level, Narwold serves as an accreditation site visitor for the National League for Nursing and has been an academic leader facilitator for the medical program of People to People, an organization created by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in a belief that ordinary people make the best ambassadors for peace. Her international service includes working with the School of Nursing's exchange program with Jeonju, South Korea, teaching for a semester at Korea's Margaret Pritchard University, and helping the IU Kokomo Ambassadors for Children organize a service visit to Guatemala.