All posts by Aaron Jaco

For Staff Archive, For Students Archive

New entrance exam waiver options for MBA, MFM, MAcc

Interested in pursuing your MBA, MFM, or MAcc from Drake? There are now several ways to be admitted to these programs, without taking an entrance exam (e.g., GMAT, MAT, etc.).

Entrance exams will be waived for the following four categories:

1. Possess a graduate-level degree: Prospective students with a master’s or terminal degree with a cumulative graduate GPA of 3.0 or higher from a regionally accredited institution

2. Work experience combined with GPA:

  • Five years of progressive post-graduate work experience: Applicant must include essay regarding their progressive work experience
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher
  • At least 9 semester credits of undergraduate quantitative coursework
    • If this specific requirement is not met, you’ll be admitted into the Pre-MBA and the entrance exam waiver is conditional upon successful completion of MBA 245.
    • Quantitative coursework may include courses in math, statistics, economics, or other quantitative oriented courses.

3. CBPA undergraduate alumnus: Have graduated within the last five years with a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher

4. CBPA current undergraduate student: Must have a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher and completion of 90 semester credits

—Dianna Gray, CBPA

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Faculty/staff social this Thursday

The next social, open to all faculty and staff, will be on Thursday, Oct. 6, 4–6 p.m. in Shivers Hospitality Suite, adjacent to The Knapp Center. Attendees will receive one complimentary ticket for beer or wine, and water, soda, etc., are also on the house. Nearby parking is available in Lot 2 east of Shivers at the northeast corner of Forest Avenue and 25th Street.

Mark your calendar for future socials (revised):

  • Dec. 15
  • April 6, 2017
  • May 11, 2017

Sponsored by the Office of the Provost

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

IMPORTANT: Course materials requests due Oct. 28

It’s time to submit your course material requests for J-Term and Spring. The deadline for submitting your materials is Oct. 28. Receiving your list of materials as soon as possible allows us to source the most affordable books for your students and provide top dollar for students selling books back at the end of this term. With our Online Adoption Tool, selecting your course materials is fast and easy.

Access the Online Adoption Tool 

  1. Visit www.drake.bkstr.com
  2.  Go to “Books” in the top navigation and under the Information heading, click “Online Adoptions.”
  3. If you need additional training to use the Online Adoption Tool, please contact me.

Are You a New User? 

  1. Follow the steps listed above.
  2. Click on “New? Register Here” and complete the required fields.
  3. Enter 1623 in the Bookstore Supplied Password field.

Download the 6 Ways to Help Students Save on Textbooks to learn about Follett’s course material purchasing options. If you have any questions about the Online Adoption Tool or how to save students money, please contact me anytime:

Donna Hallstrom, Course Materials Manager
1623txt@follett.com or donna.hallstrom@drake.edu 
515-274-3401

—Donna Hallstrom, Drake Bookstore

HR Information Archive

Introducing BUILD

Human Resources is pleased to announce a new program: Bulldogs United In Learning Drake—BUILD!  Bulldogs are leaders, passionate about learning and proud of our Drake pack.  We’re constantly looking for ways to strengthen and build our future. Participate in sessions where you may learn a new skill—building your retirement portfolio, your health, or your professional knowledge—and get to know colleagues from across campus. This program is for you!

The scheduled program and registration form is accessible through blueView’s Employee tab, in the Learning and Development Channel, or by clicking here.  Additional learning and networking opportunities, beyond those listed in the program, may be scheduled throughout the year.

As you participate in this program, you will earn credits for participating in sessions and will work toward earning digital badges that can be placed in your email signature to recognize your commitment to learning!

Please join us as we BUILD Drake together!

—Debra Wiley, Human Resources

HR Information Archive

FREE CPR/First Aid classes

This FREE instructor-led course will teach you how to respond to first aid, breathing, and cardiac emergencies. It includes hands-on practice of lifesaving skills and certification for those who successfully complete the course.

This four-hour course is for faculty and staff. It is taught over the following two days:

  • Nov. 2 and 3, 5–7 p.m., in the Olmsted Center, Conference Room 310 (1st night) and TMR 132 (2nd night)

Chris Nickell, director, environmental health & safety, will facilitate this course. A minimum of four and a maximum of 10 participants is required to hold a class.

Click both links below to register.

Nov. 2 & 3
http://doodle.com/poll/8pyvmeiytezzk8k6
http://doodle.com/poll/rkvcm6nricwpqy5p

For additional information or questions, please contact Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu.

—Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Campus Announcements Archive

RefWorks—New version

Cowles Library encourage users to check out the “new” version of Refworks. This bibliographic citation manager is already in use by many at Drake, so this new version offers a seamless transition and importing of your existing citations. There is an extensive YouTube site if you want to watch some short videos to understand the advantages of the new version.

RefWorks allows users to create, import, and update bibliographic information in all required and standard academic styles in use at Drake. Create a personal account with your Drake email address on first use and use RefWorks to track citations and create bibliographies. This account remains active even after you leave Drake. More information and training can be found at http://proquest.libguides.com/newrefworks

—Claudia Frazer, Cowles Library

Campus Announcements Archive

Global Scholars/Practitioners for 2017–2018

The Principal Financial Group Center for Global Citizenship (PFGCGC) at Drake invites nominations for the Global Scholars/Practitioners-in-Residence program, which seeks to attract talented individuals from academia or the professions who have outstanding international expertise to teach part-time while also serving as mentors to our students and resources for our faculty and the community. Global Scholars/Practitioners will engage with the campus and community through teaching, public lectures, and joint research projects while drawing upon their professional networks to help our faculty, students, and the institution as a whole develop new and fruitful external collaborations.

Directions for Nominations

Global Scholar/Practitioner candidates should be nominated by the academic unit to which they will be attached. Nominations must be accompanied by appropriate supporting materials, which include:

  • A nomination letter that discusses the qualification of the candidate and the expected contributions that they would make to the life of the University
  • Biographical information about the candidate
  • A letter of interest from the candidate
  • A letter of support from the dean

Nominations should be directed to Annique Kiel, executive director of global engagement and international programs, who will review nomination packages in consultation with Global/International Programs Advisory Council. Upon the executive director’s recommendation, the University president will send a letter of invitation to successful candidates. Units considering a nomination are encouraged to consult with PFGCGC Director David Skidmore.

Among the criteria to be considered are the following:

  • A record of recognized international leadership and distinguished professional accomplishment in any field
  • A documented commitment to international understanding and global citizenship
  • An ability to bring unique perspectives and experiences to bear in relating to Drake faculty, staff, students, and members of the local community
  • A willingness and ability to offer courses that complement the existing curriculum and meet rigorous academic standards

In recognition and in support of their contributions, Global Scholars/Practitioners will receive a stipend, travel allotment, appropriate workspace, computer, and access to all University facilities. Global Scholars/Practitioners will be affiliated with an appropriate academic unit for one semester and will offer at least one course. PFGCGC and the relevant department chair will jointly be responsible for facilitating opportunities for the visiting Global Scholar/Practitioner to mentor students and engage in other outreach activities or research collaborations with members of the Drake and central Iowa communities.

—Denise Ganpat, Principal Financial Group Center for Global Citizenship

Campus Announcements Archive

Library space study

Cowles Library is undertaking a review and analysis of library space utilization. The outcome of the project will be a revised Master Facility Plan. This document will guide future functional arrangements and renovations and in the facility. The University and the library have retained the services of FEH Design for the planning project and the development of a concept layout for library. This project will have an initial report available during early 2017.

A Facility Steering Committee has been established for the project. Members of the committee include: Rod Henshaw (Chair), Bart Schmidt, John Edwards, Dennis Sharp (FEH), Jolene Schmidt, Maura Lyons (Faculty), Clayton Mitchell, and a student representative. Preparations are underway for an extensive set of inputs from the campus community.

—Claudia Frazer, Cowles Library

Campus Announcements Archive

Fire drill Oct. 12

Drake will hold a campus-wide building evacuation/fire drill on Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 9:15 a.m. in compliance with the Higher Education Opportunity Act and in conjunction with National Fire Prevention month. Fire alarms will be activated in all campus buildings to signal the start of the drill. All buildings will be locked down during the fire alarms. During lock down, buildings can be evacuated, but cannot be re-entered. Members and guests of the campus community will need to evacuate all Drake buildings at this time. Please dress according to weather.

This drill will be coordinated through the Office of Public Safety (271-2222) working with the Office of Environmental Health and Safety (271-3804) and Facilities Planning and Management (271-3955). Please report any fire alarm malfunctions or evacuation problems to Facilities or Public Safety. Your cooperation in this very important campus safety exercise regarding the Drake Emergency Response Plan is appreciated and required by law.

As a reminder:

  • Please evacuate when the alarms sound.
  • If it is cold, please wear a coat.
  • Buildings will be locked down during alarms.
  • Buildings can be evacuated but cannot be re-entered until the drill ends.
     
     —Chris Nickell, Environmental Health & Safety
For Students Archive

Tuition Guarantee Announcement

2 Comments

I hope your fall semester is going well. I’d like to share some news with you about the cost of tuition at Drake. In Drake’s ongoing efforts to control costs and deliver value to our students, the annual tuition increase will be lower than in past years. Returning students will pay $36,112 for tuition next academic year, an increase of 3 percent, compared to a six-year average annual increase of 4.5 percent. Costs for 2017–2018 room (for those living on campus) and board will be released in early 2017.

I am sharing this news with you now because we are changing our approach to tuition pricing with the entering Fall 2017 class, and I want to avoid any confusion for our current students in this transition. Starting with the undergraduate students entering Drake in the Fall of 2017, we will move to fixed tuition pricing—what we’re calling the Drake Tuition Guarantee. That is, the tuition rate those students pay upon entering Drake will remain fixed for the duration of their Drake experience. As a current student, you will not be paying the Tuition Guarantee rate that undergraduate students entering in Fall 2017 will be paying. I encourage you to learn more about the Drake Tuition Guarantee and find answers to questions you might have at www.drake.edu/accounts/tuitionfees/returningstudents/

This lowering of the annual tuition percentage increase reflects our continuing efforts to be good stewards of the resources entrusted to us by you and your families. We have spent the last year finding ways to cut our operating expenses and to move existing resources into more high-impact activities—and we remain committed to doing both going forward. We saved $1.35 million in operating expenses during the just completed fiscal year, and are working on adding another $1.5 million to those savings in the current year. Our goal is to keep your annual tuition increases as low as possible, while continuing to make investments in new programs, needed facilities, and upgrades to technology.

The lower annual increase in tuition strengthens the value of your degree. A few of the many external reviews and assessments that affirm the value of a Drake education include:

  • Drake is #1 in Iowa for median annual salary 10 years after entering college, and $20,000 above the national average.
  • 98.9 percent of the graduates in our Class of 2015 had a job or graduate school acceptance within six months of graduation.
  • The Economistmagazine ranked Drake 17th out of 1,275 institutions of higher education (98th percentile) for return on investment.
  • The Brookings Institution placed Drake in the 97th percentile nationwide among four-year colleges and universities regarding the mid-career earnings of graduates.
  • Drake University is ranked 36th nationally on Kiplinger’s list of the “Best Values in Private Higher Education.”

I hope this information is helpful in explaining both the annual tuition increase for 2017–2018 and the new Tuition Guarantee. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. Have a wonderful fall semester.

—President Marty Martin