All posts by Aaron Jaco

Campus Announcements Archive

Tuition Exchange program update

As you may be aware, Drake University participates in The Tuition Exchange, a program with members from 630+ public or non-profit institutions of higher education. The list of participating schools is available at www.tuitionexchange.org.

If you are the parent of a high school senior, have a college-aged dependent, or have a dependent currently receiving a Tuition Exchange benefit, it is time to begin planning for 2016–2017.

The Tuition Exchange benefit is limited to dependent children of Drake employees as defined by Drake University’s Tuition Rebate policy. Application for Tuition Exchange export benefits can be made for both undergraduate and graduate programs at participating institutions. At Drake University, undergraduate export applicants will be given priority over graduate export student applicants.

If you wish to apply for Tuition Exchange consideration, print and complete the application found on the Employee tab in blueView in the Human Resources channel. 2015–2016 Tuition Exchange recipients are required to submit an application to be considered for renewal in 2016–2017.

All applications must reach the Office of Student Financial Planning by Friday, Oct. 2, 2015. This deadline applies to both new applicants and 2015–2016 recipients who wish to be considered for 2016–2017 renewal. The applications will be verified for eligibility by Human Resources and ranked according to Drake guidelines. Applications received after the deadline will be placed on the waiting list.

Drake University’s Tuition Exchange Policy utilizes a point system to rank applicants according to their years of service and prior use of Tuition Exchange benefits. The point system is used to determine those approved for Tuition Exchange benefits when there are more applicants than available export spots.

Applicants will be notified of their status (approved/not approved) beginning Nov. 2.

Please feel free to contact Brandy Eganhouse at X2906 with Tuition Exchange questions or for assistance in completing the application process.

—Submitted by Brandy Eganhouse, Administrative Assistant 1

Strategic Updates Archive

Drake community safety updates

Des Moines Police Patrol
In response to recent incidents in the Drake community, Drake has contracted for a uniformed Des Moines Police Department officer to be dedicated to the Drake campus in the evenings. The officer will patrol primarily from 25th Street to 34th Street on both Forest and University. The officer will primarily be here from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., seven days a week, for the next few weeks to help serve as a visible deterrent and expedite response time.

Safe Ride
As many of you know, Drake recently introduced the new Safe-Ride program, a Drake-owned bus that provides late-night transportation service in the immediate Drake neighborhood. The service has been very successful and demand in the evenings has exceeded capacity on some weekend nights. In order to increase visibility and provide additional capacity, a second bus will operate Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. It is our hope that students will choose to use the Safe-Ride service for travel around the Drake neighborhood at night. The location of the Safe-Ride bus can be found by visiting www.drake.edu/bus. The bus runs 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday–Wednesday and 8 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Thursday–Saturday. The two buses will travel opposite circuits around campus to maximize response time.

Drake Guardian App
Drake Public Safety would also like to remind students, faculty, and staff to download the “Drake Guardian” App. This app is available as a free download and enhances safety on campus through real-time, interactive features that create a virtual safety network of friends, family, and Drake’s Department of Public Safety. Features include a panic button that connects you immediately to Drake Public Safety and anonymous texting for crime tip reporting. The app also allows your network to monitor your location when you set a safety timer. For more information, visit the Drake Public Safety site. The app is also available in the App Store and through the Android App by searching for Rave Guardian. Once the Rave Guardian is downloaded and you enter your drake.edu email, the app becomes the “Drake Guardian.”

Timely warnings vs. Bulldog Alerts
The Director of Public Safety or a designee will develop Timely Warning Notices for the University community to notify campus about serious crimes against people that have already occurred on or near campus, where it is determined that the incident may pose an ongoing threat to members of the University community. Timely Warning Notices may be distributed for other crimes as determined necessary by the Director or his or her designee in his or her absence.

Bulldog Alerts are issued for an emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees that is currently occurring on or may imminently affect the campus.

As always, if you see something, say something. If you see something you feel is out of ordinary, no matter how trivial it may seem, contact Drake Public Safety at 811 (emergency) or 515-271-2222 (non-emergency). DPS has 21 sets of eyes, but with the campus community, we have more than 5,000.

—Submitted by Scott Law, Director, Drake Public Safety

Strategic Updates Archive

From the Provost: Sept. 21

Fall 2015 Enrollment
Last week we took the official enrollment census for the Fall 2015 semester. This fall, we welcomed 803 first-year students and 117 transfer students to Drake. They are among the 3,338 full- and part-time undergraduate students at Drake (compared to 3,364 in 2014). In addition, we have 1,653 full- and part-time graduate students distributed across various programs: graduate (887), law (330), and Pharm.D. (436). Overall, our student population is 4,991, compared to 5,062 last year, continuing a downward trend in total headcount over the past few years. This trend can be attributed to the dip in first-year students (which we knew about last spring) and continued lower enrollments in law and graduate programs. However, law appears to be stabilizing, and has seen an increase in part-time enrollment due in part to the new Master of Jurisprudence. Our first- to second-year retention rate continues to be strong. For the second year in a row we are above 88 percent—88.4 percent to be exact. This is good news, and it shows the impact of special efforts we are making, such as proactive advising and working with open-enrolled students.

Drake Social Club—Reminder
I am pleased to invite you to the inaugural Drake Social Club, sponsored jointly by the Offices of the Provost and the Chief Financial Officer. The event will be held this Thursday, Sept. 24, 4–6 p.m. in Shivers Hospitality Suite, adjacent to The Knapp Center. Attendees will receive two complimentary tickets for beer or wine. Water, soda, etc., are also on the house. Nearby parking is available in Lot 2 east of Shivers at the NE corner of Forest and 25th Street.

There will be no speeches, no presentations, no power points, no need to register or RSVP, and no agenda other than casual conversation and better acquaintance. Please feel most welcome, even if you can only come for a short while. Depending upon the response, this is an event we hope to repeat periodically throughout the year.

Open Office Hours
This week appearing at the Cowles Café, 2–3:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 25

—Submitted by Joe Lenz, Interim Provost

Strategic Updates Archive

From President Martin: Sept. 10

Good morning,

Since the last time Drake’s accreditation was renewed through the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) a good deal has changed—both at Drake and with accreditation standards. One of the more significant changes at Drake is the effort to start the process of accreditation much earlier. Nearly two years ago, members of the Drake community began addressing the new accreditation standards by analyzing the alignment of the University’s academic activities, operations, and priorities with these criteria.

Thanks to the hard work of many, led by Craig Owens and Kevin Saunders, several opportunities for improvement have been identified as we move toward reaccreditation by the HLC in 2017–2018. You can learn more about these priorities and the steps being taken to address them in the forthcoming BlueLine newsletter. Thanks to the proactive approach we have taken to accreditation, Drake is well positioned to meet, if not exceed, HLC criteria.

In conjunction with the reaccreditation effort, I, along with the President’s Council and the Dean’s Council, am striving to create a planning culture that supports continuous improvement at Drake. While this culture shift goes hand-in-hand with accreditation, it is not simply a project that is undertaken every 5 or 10 years—it is a constant, flexible improvement framework driven by our desire to provide the very best education to our students and fulfill our mission promise. This continuous improvement approach is a fusion of traditional strategic planning and accreditation efforts, and offers an innovative strategy to drive the University forward.

You’ll have the opportunity to learn more about accreditation and continuous improvement initiatives at Drake as we continue through the fall term. Every member of the campus community has a role to play in these efforts. By being more flexible and responsive, we will not just survive this time of tumult in higher education—we will thrive.

Best regards,

Marty

Campus Announcements Archive

CNN coming to campus

Cowles Library is pleased to announce that the Reading Room will be the site of a CNN focus group following the Republican debate on Wednesday, Sept. 16. Portions of the building (including the Reading Room and Atrium) will be closed to public access from Tuesday, Sept. 15, through the morning of Thursday, Sept. 17. All library services and study facilities will continue as normal throughout the event window.

You can learn more about CNN’s visit to campus here.

—Submitted by Marc Davis, Coordinator, Program Staff Services, Planning & Projects

News & Achievements Archive

Drake news: Week of Sept. 14

Last week in the news …. For the seventh consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Drake University third for overall quality among Midwest master’s institutions. Two of Drake’s professional pharmacy fraternity chapters have been named among the best in the nation by their national organizations. Drake’s Phi Delta Chi and Kappa Psi chapters both earned third-place chapter awards—a reflection of members’ commitment to service, philanthropy and scholarship. Also of note, Drake was named among the top 50 colleges in the nation for Greek Life.

News & Achievements Archive

Suicide Prevention Week at Drake

Suicide Prevention Week is Sept. 14–18, and the Counseling Center has planned a variety of activities to promote suicide prevention:

Wall of Remembrance—Post a photo or other tribute to your loved one lost to suicide. The wall will be up Monday through Friday in the walkway of Olmsted.

Chalking—Use sidewalk chalk to write messages of hope and encouragement to your classmates on Friday, 10 a.m.–noon.

“Help a Friend, Save a Life ”—View The Truth About Suicide Video, learn to recognize the warning signs of depression, and how you can help a friend, family member, or even a stranger when they are in need—Friday, 10 a.m.–noon., Olmsted Center

Out of the Darkness Walk—Sept. 20, DMACC Ankeny Campus

—Submitted by Diane Eischeid, Therapist, Drake University Counseling Center

News & Achievements Archive

Volleyball season tickets—just $30!

The Bulldogs continue their home season on Friday, Oct. 9 against Missouri State. With 7 home matches remaining, you can take advantage of discounted pricing this season for just $30 per person. All seating is general admission. To purchase your season tickets, click here or contact the Drake Athletics Ticket Office at 515-271-3647 or by emailing tickets@drake.edu.

—Submitted by Tom Florian, Assistant Director, Ticket Operations and Donor Management

News & Achievements Archive

Get your caucus fix

A new website provides comprehensive information and analysis of presidential campaigns in Iowa leading into the state’s first-in-the-nation caucuses. The Iowa Caucus Project, www.iowacaucusproject.org, is one of the most comprehensive interactive resources ever created for caucus and campaign information, including event listings, candidate bios, voter demographics, original campaign analysis, and multimedia.

Drake University’s Iowa Caucus Project and The Harkin Institute for Public Policy and Citizen Engagement created the website, which is updated daily by a team of faculty members and students and will continue to expand in the coming months.

—Submitted by Rachel Paine Caufield, Associate Professor of Politics

News & Achievements Archive

School of Journalism & Mass Communication news: Week of Sept. 14

  • Students in advertising professor Dorothy Pisarski’s Concepts in Consumer Awareness class met with Oakridge Neighborhood Chief Executive Officer Teree Caldwell-Johnson during a visit to the Oakridge Neighborhood on Sept. 8. Students will be crafting a strategy and executing tactics for supporting fundraising initiatives for preschool and afterschool programs at Oakridge. The Oakridge Neighborhood is celebrating its 45th year in Des Moines, providing affordable housing to the most vulnerable populations.
  • SJMC faculty counted 21 Drake alumni among the nominees in the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ 2015 Midwest Regional Emmy Awards. Winners will be announced at a gala in Minneapolis in October.
  • Drake SJMC students and recent graduates are finalists in two major national contests that honor the best of collegiate journalism. The Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) and College Media Association (CMA) contests recognize reporting and writing, multimedia, design, photography, and video. Winners of both contests will be announced at the joint ACP/CMA student media convention in Austin, Texas, in late October. For more information, see the SJMC website.

—Submitted by Kathleen Richardson, Dean, School of Journalism and Mass Communication