All posts by Aaron Jaco

HR Information Archive

Welcoming new Bulldogs: July 2017

Several faculty and staff joined the Drake family in July:

Jamie Pitlick, Associate Professor, Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (CPHS)

Christopher (Chris) Wing, Director of Assessment, CPHS

Stacy Gnacinski, Assistant Professor, Health Sciences, CPHS

Stanley Paul, Professor, Occupational Therapy, CPHS

Deborah Brewer-Cotlar, Program Coordinator, Robert D. and Billie Ray Center

Christine Black, Assistant Athletic Trainer, Athletics

Denis “Mark” Carroll, Director, Men’s & Women’s Track & Field, Athletics

Alexandra (Ali) Jensen, Residence Hall Coordinator, Residence Life

Kyle Nitz, Campus Public Safety Officer 1, Public Safety

Shannon Hilscher, Instructional Designer, Drake Online

Alma Berber Hernandez, Facility Maintainer III, Facilities Planning and Management (FP&M)

Bryce Bland, Facility Maintainer III, FP&M

Enisa Icagic, Facility Maintainer III, FP&M

Kenneth (Kenny) Blades, Assistant Duty Engineer, FP&M

Emily Schettler, Communications Strategist, Harkin Institute

—Laura Schwarz, Human Resources

Featured Events Archive

Picnic with co-workers tomorrow

Join fellow co-workers from across campus for a picnic tomorrow from 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. in the Fine Arts Arcade (north end of the Fine Arts Center). In case of severe rain, the event will be moved to the Shivers Basketball Practice Facility. There is no charge for lunch.

—Laura Schwarz, Human Resources

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Purchase a parking pass for the upcoming school year

Parking permits for the 2017­–2018 academic year are available for purchase in the Student Services Center or online through blueView. Beat the rush and consider purchasing a pass before students return.

Registration forms can be picked up in the Student Services Center or printed from the Public Safety website. An option to use payroll deduct is also available for full-time faculty and staff.

More information, including a list of frequently asked questions, is available on the Public Safety website. For additional parking questions, contact the Student Services Center or Public Safety.

— Sara Heijerman, Student Services Center

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

From the President: Higher Learning Commission visit in October

We are now in the home stretch of our preparations for our comprehensive reaccreditation review by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). For more than three years, many on campus have been working hard to craft a compelling and wide-ranging dossier of materials that shows Drake University at its best. As we near the October site visit by the HLC’s team of peer-reviewers, I am writing to ask for your continued support.

Please save the dates of Monday through noon Tuesday, October 23–24, 2017, as the site visit team will expect to meet with a number of campus community members, including students, faculty, staff, academic and administrative leadership, and trustees.

We will not know with certainty with whom the team will want to meet until early to mid-October. As we receive their requests for meetings, Kevin Saunders will be in touch to request invitees’ attendance. I ask that you make yourself as available to the visiting reviewers as possible, that you refrain from scheduling meetings, events, or other obligations during that period, and that you keep an eye out for requests to attend interviews and meetings with the visiting team.

Please also be aware that the HLC reviewers’ needs for meeting space will be high priorities. So, you may find that on-campus venues commonly available for general use will be held in reserve during the dates of the site visit.

As we get closer to the visit, you will receive updates and invitations to learn more about our reaccreditation efforts. I trust you will find the case we present to the HLC enlightening and uplifting. In the meantime, thanks for the hard work and care from those already involved in preparations for the review and, in advance, for your flexibility and willingness to take part in the visit, should you be asked to do so.

— Marty Martin, President

Campus Announcements Archive

Cardiac emergencies: Do you know where the nearest AED is located?

Drake has been making an investment in emergency response equipment by adding Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to various buildings on campus. AEDs can be used in an emergency to help individuals who may be suffering from sudden cardiac arrest. Quick response to cardiac arrest significantly increases the likelihood of survival for a victim. AEDs can provide that quick response. The locations for the AEDs on campus are:

  • Collier-Scripps Hall
  • Harmon Fine Arts Center: Across from the ticket office
  • Occupational Therapy: First floor car room
  • Olmsted: First floor by the south entrance
  • Science Connector Building: the east Olin connector on second floor
  • Sheslow Auditorium: lobby
  • Bell Center: Main offices
  • Bell Center: Athletic training room
  • Shivers Basketball Practice Facility: Women’s basketball training room
  • The Fieldhouse: Athletic training room
  • Public Safety Vehicle

Locations are still being determined for Aliber Hall, Cowles Library, and Meredith Hall.

Please remember that AEDs are for emergency situations only and should not be removed for any other purpose. If you have any questions regarding AED use, would like a training session on the operation of AEDs, or if you notice a problem, please contact environmental health and safety at 271-3804.

— Chris Nickell, Environmental Health and Safety

Campus Announcements Archive

All things athletics: Discounted tickets, youth programs, Corn Feed

Fall sports season tickets on sale now

Are you ready to cheer your Bulldogs on to victory this fall? Be sure to take advantage of affordable season ticket pricing for football, volleyball, and soccer!

Season Ticket Pricing:

Football: $40 per person with faculty/staff discount (Regular $60)

Volleyball: $15 per person with faculty/staff discount (Regular $30)

Men’s Soccer: $20 per person

Women’s Soccer: $20 per person

For more information or to purchase your tickets today, please contact the Drake Athletics Ticket Office at 271-3647 or tickets@drake.edu.

Spike’s Kids Club—faculty/staff discount

Once again, Drake Athletics is excited to offer all Drake University faculty and staff the opportunity to purchase memberships to Spike’s Kids Club for $15 each. Spike’s Kids Club is open to children 12th grade and under and provides free admission to all home athletic events (excludes Drake Relays and post-season play). Additionally, membership includes an official membership card, T-shirt, email updates on upcoming promotions, birthday card from Spike, and admission to exclusive club parties. To purchase your child’s membership, click here.

Questions? Please contact Tom Florian, assistant director of ticket sales, at 271-4949 or thomas.florian@drake.edu.

Drake Football Youth Day: Aug. 20

Youth eighth grade and under are invited to join Drake student-athletes for a day of football related fun and games on Aug. 20 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Presented by Blank Children’s Hospital, the football youth day is free of charge. Attendees are asked to enter through the northeast gate near Ron Buel Field. Gates will open at 5 p.m.

Additionally, children going into third through eighth grade are eligible to participate in Drake’s Punt, Pass, and Kick contest. To register a child, please click here. Advance registration is requested.

53rd annual Bulldog Club Corn Feed

Come meet Drake coaches, recognize outstanding student-athletes, and celebrate the start of a new year for Bulldog Athletics on Drake’s first day of classes.

Date: Monday, Aug. 28

Location: Shivers Practice Facility—Courtside Club

Social: 5:30 p.m.

Dinner: 6:15 p.m.

Program: 6:45 p.m.

Cost: $30 per person

Register by Thursday, Aug. 24 at www.DrakeTix.com/cornfeed.

For more information, please contact Austin Strawhacker, director of Bulldog Club, at 271-2228.

Drake Athletics faculty/staff appreciation week: Oct. 6–13

New this year, Drake Athletics will host a faculty/staff appreciation week. All faculty and staff are eligible to receive up to four complimentary tickets to the events listed below. Tickets may be picked up at the Drake Athletics ticket office Monday–Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. or at the ticket window on game day. A valid Drake ID must be shown at the time of pick up.

Women’s Soccer: Drake vs. Indiana State

Oct. 6 at 7 p.m.

Cownie Soccer Complex

Football: Drake vs. Dayton

Oct. 7 at 1 p.m.

Drake Stadium

Men’s Soccer: Drake vs. Loyola

Oct. 7 at 7 p.m.

Cownie Soccer Complex

Women’s Soccer: Drake vs. UNI

Oct. 10 at 7 p.m.

Cownie Soccer Complex

Volleyball: Drake vs. Missouri State

Oct. 13 at 7 p.m.

Knapp Center

More information is available at www.DrakeTix.com/promotions. Questions? Call 271-3647 or email tickets@drake.edu.

— Tom Florian, Ticket Sales and Donor Management

Campus Announcements Archive

Join the University/Community Chorus

Faculty, staff, and students are invited to join Drake’s non-auditioned choir, the Drake University/Community Chorus. The ensemble will rehearse weekly on Tuesdays starting Aug. 29 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in Sheslow Auditorium. The choir will perform in a concert featuring all four of Drake’s choirs on Nov. 19. To participate, purchase the music prior to the first rehearsal, which is available in the Drake Bookstore for $8. Bring the music and a pencil to the Aug. 29 rehearsal. For additional information, contact Aimee Beckmann-Collier, director of choral studies, at aimee.beckmann-collier@drake.edu or at extension 2841.

— Aimee Beckmann-Collier, Music

Campus Announcements Archive

IT service portal information sessions

ITS launched a new service portal in May. This site allows faculty, staff, and students to learn about technology services available, browse our knowledge base for how-to technology guides, and get assistance with an issue.

Want to learn how to use this new site? Been using it and have questions? Come to a demonstration to learn how you can best use the IT service portal to make your campus technology experience more successful.

  • Monday, Aug. 14 from 1 to 2 p.m., Science Connector Building, Room 301
  • Tuesday, Aug. 15 from 9 to 10 a.m., Science Connector Building, Room 301
  • Wednesday, Aug. 16 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., Science Connector Building, Room 301
  • Monday, Sep. 11 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., Cowles Library, Room 201
  • Tuesday, Sep. 12 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., Cowles Library, Room 201
  • Wednesday, Sep. 13 from 2 to 3 p.m., Cowles Library, Room 201

— Carla Herling, ITS

Strategic Updates Archive

Next phase of construction: 27th Street and The Point demolition

The completion of the Science Connector Building and Collier-Scripps Hall is an exciting and monumental milestone. Now, construction crews are beginning work on the next phase of the project—completion of the Robert D. and Billie Ray Promenade encompassing the outdoor spaces just east of the STEM@DRAKE complex. This project will provide a welcoming and beautiful outdoor space while also enhancing accessibility and parking.

Over the next several months, there will be substantial work and disruption in this area. Fencing along 27th Street between Carpenter and Forest Avenues will be installed. No east-west pathways will be possible because the project includes removal of an old water main below the street. In addition, The Point, which is home to HR and International Programs, will be removed in early October. Information on their new office locations can be found here.

As part of this work, the Jewett Hall parking lot will be closed and removed. With the parking lot closure, we have made arrangements to allow for 30-minute vehicle unloading on Painted Street in front of Jewett Residence Hall during move-in weekend on Aug. 25-26 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Vehicles may enter from 25th Street onto Carpenter Avenue. Des Moines Police will be available to direct traffic. Cars may unload on the north side of Painted Street, circle around, and then depart on the south side.

Several steps are being taken to provide information to students, visitors, faculty, and staff about alternative routes in the area. Safety and accessibility remain at the forefront of planning. For updated information, please check the project updates on the STEM@DRAKE website and watch OnCampus. Facilities Planning and Management will also distribute updates to building contacts in the affected area as the project unfolds.

Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding as this significant aspect of the project is completed.

— Venessa Macro, Finance & Administration

Strategic Updates Archive

STEM@DRAKE enhances collaboration, meets top sustainability standards

The benefits of the STEM@DRAKE complex extend far beyond a clean, shiny new space. The buildings provide a collaborative and green learning environment for faculty, staff, and students.

Multiple heads are better than one

The new STEM@DRAKE buildings (Collier-Scripps Hall and the Science Connector Building) are intended to increase both the sharing of equipment and ideas. The facilities will bring science, technology, education, and math programs together to form one STEM hub on campus—boosting cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Some areas, such as the School of Education, have been housed off campus for years. By physically bringing Drake’s STEM departments together, in the heart of campus, faculty from different disciplines will easily be able to interact, problem solve, and form research partnerships. The STEM@DRAKE complex is designed to encourage this type of collaboration with an open classroom and lab structure.

Students will also benefit from engaging with their peers with other majors and skill sets who may think differently than themselves but provide a unique perspective into solving the same problem.

By forming a more cohesive environment, the STEM@DRAKE complex will be a catalyst for transforming the way we educate tomorrow’s scientists, doctors, researchers, innovators, and teachers.

Blue is green

The new spaces will receive Green Globe certification, demonstrating the University’s strong commitment to sustainable practices. This means the buildings were designed to meet high standards in energy efficiency and reduce environmental waste. The buildings are only the second project in Iowa to receive Green Globe certification.

Moving into new quarters

Faculty and staff are in the midst of moving into the new buildings; the School of Education will move into Collier-Scripps Hall this week. After the academic year has begun and once move-in is complete, faculty and staff from across campus are welcome to stop into Collier-Scripps Hall or the Science Connector Building to view the new facilities.

Tune in to the next issue of OnCampus for more features of the STEM@DRAKE facilities