All posts by Aaron Jaco

Campus Announcements Archive

Drake’s 2016 Databook

The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment (OIRA) wants to let campus know that while the Databook isn’t available yet, we are working diligently to bring it to you. Drake’s Databooks provide a wide variety of information about the population characteristics of students, faculty, and staff. After many discussions with senior leadership and other campus constituents, OIRA is updating the Databook format so it will be more dynamic and allow you to mine for the data you need. Due to the work on this new, improved Databook, what will be available on OIRA’s Databook page this year will be sparser than in the past.  We still anticipate having the basic information online and available before Nov. 1, with faculty information to be added around Nov. 15. (Faculty data isn’t collected until Nov. 1.) Thank you for your understanding as we work to bring you the best data for your decisions.

—Christine Marchand, Office of Institutional Research and Assessment

For Faculty Archive

Faculty Senate meeting Oct. 19

Faculty Senate will meet in regular session on Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 3:30 p.m. in Cowles Library, Room 201. One item for discussion will be the progress toward and draft of the position description of the senior-level administrator who will be responsible for leading and coordinating a holistic institutional commitment to equity and inclusion.

—Nancy Geiger, Academic Excellence and Student Success

Strategic Updates Archive

Drake welcomes new Drake Relays director

Drake Director of Athletics Sandy Hatfield Clubb has announced the hiring of Blake Boldon as the 12th Franklin ‘Pitch’ Johnson Director of the Drake Relays presented by Hy-Vee. Boldon was introduced during a press conference held in the Courtside Club of the Shivers Basketball Practice Facility on Oct. 12.

Boldon, a native of Osceola, Iowa, currently serves as the executive director of the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon and has an extensive background and record of success as a competitive athlete, collegiate coach, and event director. Learn more about Blake in the Drake Newsroom.

For Students Archive

Apply for the Lorentzen Student Hatchery

Applications are now available for the Lorentzen Student Hatchery! The Lorentzen Student Hatchery is a unique program aimed at fostering student startups. Entrepreneurship Centers staff provide guidance and support, access to mentors and experts, and more to Drake students accepted to the Hatchery. Students of any major—undergraduate and graduate—are welcome to apply to the Hatchery for the opportunity to get paid while working on their own startup. Teams (two or more people) can earn up to $10,000. Pitches are scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 15, and students selected to the Hatchery will have the opportunity to meet Mr. Lorentzen on Friday, Nov. 18, at the 2016 Hatchery cohort presentations and celebratory luncheon.

Visit www.drake.edu/cbpa/centers/lorentzenhatchery/ to learn more, and download or fill out an online application.

Hatchery presentations take place during the campus celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week, Nov. 12–19: Stay tuned for more activities on campus this week including Project Bulldog, a tech and digital media event in the collaboration space, and more!

Questions? Please email innovation@drake.edu.

—Stephanie Cardwell, Entrepreneurship Centers

Featured Events Archive

Keys to Excellence Piano Series opens fourth season

Drake’s Keys to Excellence Piano Series will open its fourth season with a performance by Lori Sims, professor of piano at Western Michigan University. The free concert is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., Monday, Oct. 24, in Sheslow Auditorium and will feature the following selections:

  • Claude Debussy: “Clair de Lune” from Suite bergamasque
  • David Colson: Transcendental Preludes
  • Olivier Messiaen: “Regard de l’ Esprit de Joie” from Vingt Regards
  • Claude Debussy: Twelve Preludes (Book II)

No tickets are required. Sims will also present a public masterclass at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 23, in Harmon Fine Arts Center, Room 204. The masterclass is free and open to the public.

Visit the Drake Newsroom to see the full 2016-2017 schedule for the Keys to Excellence Series.

Campus Announcements Archive

Printing with Office Depot

When Drake migrated from the Office Max to the Office Depot platform, the off-site printing program also changed. As this was done this past summer, it is likely that some of you were not able to attend the webinars regarding the changes. Here is what you need to know:

In all cases, we in Finance & Administration would prefer you use on-campus machines unless Office Depot is less costly. Office Depot is the preferred vendor, as an alternative, if you find they are less money for extremely large or complex jobs that cannot be done on campus.

There are two methods to purchase printing from Office Depot:

  1. Online ordering, with a week turnaround as your job will be printed out of state. This is the solution that provides direct billing to A/P via a feed, which is similar to the former Office Max procedure. When you order online, you can build and price your job so you know exactly how much it will cost and compare to the cost of printing on the new machines on campus.
  2. Walk into the Office Depot/Max local store, in which case you must bring the Office Depot Store Card that is on our website, plus your P-Card. We no longer have an option for direct billing from the local store.

If you have questions, please contact kelly.foster@drake.edu.

—Caron Findlay, Finance & Administration

News & Achievements Archive

Faculty accomplishments: Oct. 17

Kevin Lam to receive award for book
Kevin Lam, assistant professor of urban and diversity education, will receive a 2016 Critics’ Choice book award for his book, Youth Gangs, Racism, and Schooling: Vietnamese American Youth in a Postcolonial Context. The American Educational Studies Association (AESA) will present the award to Lam during the association’s annual conference in November. Learn more about Kevin and his book in the Drake Newsroom.

Maria Valdovinos to serve on Association for Professional Behavior Analysts board
Maria Valdovinos, associate professor of psychology, has been selected to serve on the Board of Directors of the Association for Professional Behavior Analysts. The association’s nominating committee selected Valdovinos from among a list of nominees, submitted by affiliate organizations, to serve a three-year term set to end Aug. 31, 2019.

The Association of Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote and advance the science and practice of applied behavior analysis. To read more about Maria, visit the Drake Newsroom.

News & Achievements Archive

Drake receives $400,000 donation from Kemin Industries

Drake recently received a $400,000 donation from Kemin Industries. The money will be used toward the purchase of a 500 megahertz nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer. The gift is especially meaningful because the founder of Kemin Industries, RW Nelson, is a 1950 Drake graduate who majored in biology. The impact of the donation and the presence of a 500 MHz NMR on thousands of students cannot be overstated: It improves our analytical capabilities and guarantees that Drake students will continue to get a state-of-the art education. It also significantly upgrades the research capabilities of the faculty in chemistry, biology, biochemistry, physics, kinesiology, neuroscience, and the health sciences. In addition, the new instrument provides opportunities for collaboration between Drake faculty and students and other educational institutions and corporate partners in Iowa. The acquisition of the instrument also contributes substantially to the STEM@DRAKE initiative.

—Office of Development