All posts by Aaron Jaco

Strategic Updates Archive

ICYMI: Drake’s online education program welcomes executive director

Drake is pleased to welcome Christina Trombley as executive director of Drake’s online education programs. Currently, Trombley serves as assistant vice chancellor for the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay, where she leads student recruitment, enrollment, and retention efforts. Trombley has worked within the UW system for nearly two decades, and will bring a wealth of administrative experience to Drake. One of her significant areas of expertise is in successfully launching, managing, supporting and expanding online degree programs. Trombley is also completing her doctoral studies in education at UW – Milwaukee, with a scholarly focus on faculty experiences teaching online. Her leadership will ensure that students receive an exceptional online education experience.

The formal launch of of online graduate programs will happen in January 2018, when Drake will begin offering online master’s degrees from the School of Education and the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Other degree programs, including the Master of Public Administration and a new master’s degree in data analytics leadership, will soon follow. The successful fruition of this initiative is due to the dedication and collaboration of many faculty and staff across campus.

— Sue Mattison, Provost

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

J. Scott Raecker to deliver keynote address at Learning Symposium

J. Scott Raecker, executive director of The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center, will deliver the keynote address, “Building Community at Drake—Where Do We Go From Here and What Role do I Play,” at the 2017 Drake University Learning Symposium Aug. 18 at the Sheraton in West Des Moines. The interactive presentation will focus on how we each play a role in creating a culture of excellence that will further build community at Drake. The session will introduce research-based strategies that The Ray Center is utilizing to positively shape culture with higher education, workplace, and public service organizations across the country. Outcome expectations include individual awareness and commitment to act on the opportunities we each have to enrich the Drake community through intentional relationship building and core leadership competencies that will enhance performance.

Faculty and staff are invited to register for the 2017 Learning Symposium on Eventbrite. For more details on the symposium, including a schedule of events, click here.

—Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Seeking volunteers for Iowa State Fair booth

The Office of Community Relations is calling on all faculty, staff, students, alumni, and partners to help represent Drake at the Iowa State Fair Aug. 10–20.

Drake will host a booth inside the Varied Industries building at the fairgrounds. Volunteers are needed to greet and visit with fairgoers, apply temporary tattoos, distribute promotional giveaways, and share news about the great things happening on campus.

Volunteer shifts are four hours each: 9 a.m.–1 p.m., 1–5 p.m., and 5–9 p.m. Fair admission and a parking pass will be provided so volunteers can enjoy the Fair before and after their shift. A PowerPoint presentation will be provided to volunteers with information on booth relations. Unlike last year, the first Friday of the Fair will not be designated as Drake Day.

The Fair is an opportunity to engage and interact with the Des Moines community and fellow Iowans. The community relations office appreciates all of the support it has received in the past and is eager to serve with faculty and staff again this year.

Sign up for a shift here.

— Nick Valdez, University Advancement

Campus Announcements Archive

Blackboard outage planned for July 29

ITS will be making an update to Blackboard on Saturday, July 29. As a result, access to Blackboard will be unavailable between 5:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. This upgrade is being made to resolve ongoing issues with discussion boards and wikis.

We appreciate your patience while we perform this necessary work. If you continue to have any issues after the planned maintenance window, please contact the Support Center at 515-271-3001 or visit service.drake.edu/its to report your issue.

—Carla Herling, ITS

Campus Announcements Archive

Know how to report an electronic security incident or data breach

All faculty and staff should be aware of how to recognize and report an incident that may affect confidential information, especially information protected by federal and/or state laws.

An electronic security incident is defined as: Electronic activity, such as “hacking” or a compromised or abused computer, that results in damage to or misuse of the Drake network or a device or data connected to it. Primary examples are the theft or loss of a computer, communication of confidential information to an unauthorized party, or compromise of an account or system with access to confidential information.

At Drake, electronic security incidents involve University-owned assets such as mobile devices and computers, and/or confidential information, such as passwords, protected health information, FERPA-protected student record information, social security, credit card, bank account, driver’s license, or passport numbers.
If you become aware of a possible electronic security incident, please report it to Peter Lundstedt, information security manager, as quickly as possible at peter.lundstedt@drake.edu or ext. 4173. If Peter can’t be reached, contact your area’s ITS campus technician, or call the ITS Support Center at ext. 3001.

Drake is required to follow the laws in place for reporting, handling, and remediating every breach of information. Additional information about electronic security incidents can be found in the ITS knowledge base, including more information on the reporting and initial investigation process.

—Peter Lundstedt, ITS

Campus Announcements Archive

Update on Microsoft OneDrive Cloud storage rollout

Last month, ITS announced it is adopting Microsoft OneDrive as its campus cloud storage solution. Since its initial announcement, ITS has adjusted the project timeline. ITS discovered additional testing and configuration is needed to ensure a smooth rollout to campus.
The revised timeline is as follows: ITS will work with administrative units in late summer and into the fall semester to move individual storage into the cloud. Work with academic units is anticipated to start after the first of the year. Once all individual storage has been migrated, ITS will begin working with departments to move shared files. ITS will be reaching out individually to unit leaders to plan timing and coordinate efforts.

The transition of Drake’s storage into the cloud offers significant opportunities to improve how faculty, staff, and students work and collaborate. ITS is doing everything it can to ensure a successful transition. Look for additional communication and updates as the project moves forward.

— Carla Herling, ITS

News & Achievements Archive

#BringDraketoDrake racks up more awards

The campaign that lured world-famous rapper Drake to campus in the wee hours of the morning won a CASE Circle of Excellence award. The #BringDraketoDrake campaign won a gold distinction for the international honor in category of Best Uses of Social Media, Public Relations. There were 39 entries from around the world in that category.

The judges left the following comments on the award submission:

“Capitalizing on an upcoming Des Moines concert by popular rap artist Drake, communications staffers conducted research and made a calculated bet that a persistent effort to bring the star to campus would result in a reputational boost. The social campaign generated copious media coverage, a late-night campus visit with inclusion on the star’s own Instagram feed, and record-breaking traffic to the University’s website, most notably the undergraduate application and programs pages. Hailed by journalist as ‘Best PR Move of the Week,’ it wouldn’t have been possible without an astute social media strategy.”

A list of award winners from the current year’s competition is available at www.case.org/circle. There were 107 Gold distinctions awarded this year across over 80 categories.

—Niki Smith, University Communications