As we wind down Employee Appreciation Month, we share gratitude for all members of the Drake community who have sustained a commitment to our mission during these challenging and uncertain times.

Commitment to Mission.

• We are united in service to students and our communities.
• We act with integrity and purpose.
• We are optimistic about our future.

Universities are unlike many other employers—we’re not providing an arm’s length service, we’re not creating a product that gets sold on the market, and we’re not temporarily serving a customer who may never return to our store.

We’re educating students and many of them live on our campus. We build life-long relationships with them with the goal of empowering each of them with the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for them to achieve their professional goals and contribute to society. Some words from President Martin’s email to campus in June of 2016 that still inspire:

Education opens minds and hearts – it creates understanding and union where none existed before. This is what we are about and we have our role to play in making the world a better place by becoming ever more engaged, locally and globally.

Put another way, there’s a lot at stake here. We all know this and it shows. We know that our work matters—there’s a larger picture here, a greater purpose. Drake faculty, staff, and student workers have moved mountains to sustain this commitment to our students during this roller-coaster ride of the past two years. We are so appreciative of the agility and determination of our employees that has allowed this institution to sustain our commitment to our important mission.

In many ways, the work of an institution of higher education has optimism built into it. We all know that we are contributing to something larger than ourselves. We are cultivating the next generation of professionals, thinkers, and doers. The research our faculty conduct contributes to their professions. The support and opportunities we provide students can have a life-changing impact. Our students will remember their time at Drake for the rest of their lives. And we do everything we can to assure those memories are meaningful and positive.

Thank you for your commitment to the institution, to the students we serve, and to each other. The road ahead will still have bumps and dips—all roads do—but we are headed in an exciting direction. Thank you for being here. Thank you for your hard work. Thank you for your contributions. Thank you for caring about what we do and how we do it.

— Maureen De Armond, Human Resources; Nate Reagen, Office of the President