News Archive

IU McKinney students have selected this year's Cane Award winners for outstanding professors and administration members.

The Black Cane for most outstanding professor went to Professor Lahny Silva (at left in the photo), making this the fifth time she has been so honored. She received the Black Cane in 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2020. Professor Silva also was honored with the Red Cane in 2013. She joined the faculty at IU McKinney in 2011, and is a Dean's Fellow. She was the William H. Hastie Fellow at the University of Wisconsin Law School in Madison, where she received her LL.M. She received her juris doctor from the University of Connecticut School of Law, and her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Boston University.

The Red Cane for Best New Professor went to Professor Brad Desnoyer. He joined the IU McKinney faculty in 2018 after teaching for several years at the University of Missouri. Professor Desnoyer earned his Bachelor of Journalism, magna cum laude, and his Juris Doctorate, with honors, from the University of Missouri – where he also served as a senior editorial member of the Missouri Law Review. He was named the lead editor of Legal Communication & Rhetoric: JALWD, where he previously served as associate editor.

The White Cane for Best Administrator went to Associate Director of Student Recruitment Lauren Peña, ‘13. Peña has served on IU McKinney’s diversity committee, admissions committee, and over a dozen hiring committees. She is part of the current cohort of IUPUI Next Generation 2.0, a program that focuses on developing leadership skills and understanding contemporary issues in higher education. She was recently named by Governor Eric Holcomb to the Indiana Statewide Independent Living Council.