The following message was sent to campus from President Martin on Monday, Feb. 11.

Good afternoon,

In November, we launched the Big Ideas initiative to collect multidisciplinary, bold, ambitious, ideas from faculty, staff, and students that, if given the necessary resources, have the potential to dramatically transform Drake and positively impact the world. The deadline for submitting a Big Idea is this Friday, Feb. 15. So far, we have received fourteen proposals that span several disciplines and address issues facing the University, our Greater Des Moines community, and the world. In addition, I have heard from several individuals who are in the final stages of developing and defining their submission. It is important to remember that it is okay for ideas to be conceptual in nature at this stage. Ideas chosen to move forward will be expanded, investigated, and developed into white papers later in the process.

To everyone who has taken the initiative to participate in this process and shown great enthusiasm in advancing Drake’s future, thank you. The Big Ideas initiative is a reflection of our Core Values and collaborative culture: going all in on ideas that can truly further Drake and the greater good.

Following Friday’s submission deadline, the Big Ideas Steering Committee – comprised of faculty, staff, administrators, students, and Board representatives – will diligently review and discuss all ideas based on the scoring criteria: transformative impact, increases institutional recognition, fosters campus collaboration, builds off current strengths and potential, and aligns with the Continuous Improvement Plan. As part of the review, the Steering Committee may make recommendations to combine or re-envision proposals to increase their feasibility and impact. The Board of Trustees will evaluate the scored and recommended ideas during their April meeting. The Steering Committee will then notify and provide comprehensive and personal feedback to submitters on whether their idea was chosen to advance to the next stage in the process.

Ideas moving forward in the process will be announced to campus in May and then further developed into white papers. Once refined, the ideas will undergo feasibility studies and be marketed to external stakeholders, including prospective donors. Those ideas that demonstrate funding potential will become a priority in the next comprehensive fundraising campaign.

Throughout the course of the review, the Steering Committee is committed to a thorough and transparent selection process. Please reach out to a member of the Steering Committee for questions or utilize the comments form on the Big Ideas website. Thank you to everyone involved in this important effort.

Sincerely,

Marty