All posts by Aaron Jaco

Campus Announcements Archive, For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Preferred rental car vendor

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Drake has a special contractual discount relationship with Enterprise/National Car rental.  They have competitive rates along with a zero deductible for accidents that occur while renting for business. Drake also receives an end-of-year, volume-based rebate which goes back into our general fund.  We would like you to use Enterprise or National as Drake’s preferred vendor.  Please use your P-Card whenever possible for business car rental and provide Drakes tax exempt number shown on the card.  

Special Note: You will also receive the same discount for your personal use, when paying on your own. It is a good idea to sign up for the Emerald Club (no additional charge) and use it whenever renting.  To learn more, read the Enterprise/National Rental Program Summary.  If you scroll down to the end, you will see the per vehicle pricing for Drake.

 Drake University Business Use Account Number for Enterprise and National Car Rental-XZ62113

 Drake University Personal Use Account Number for Enterprise and National Car Rental-XZ6299F

—Caron Findlay, Finance and Administration

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Record attendance at All Staff Council events

All Staff Council had record attendance at several of its events this year, including the 2nd annual Kickball Tournament with more than 90 attendees and players combined. To see photos from the tournament visit our Flickr page. Congratulations also to Niki Smith from University Communications whose name was drawn for a free parking pass for the 2017–2018 academic year!

For more information about All Staff Council or to see a list of events from this year, please visit www.drake.edu/asc.

—Renee Sedlacek, All Staff Council

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Email phishing education

The phishing simulation sent to 500 faculty and staff in April once again had great results: 98 percent of those who received the email either didn’t click the link or enter any information.

On Friday, May 12, a massive ransomware attack hit more than 74 countries, taking advantage of computers that hadn’t applied software updates available several months ago. Investigators are still putting all of the pieces together, however as more information is discovered, two main points remain clear:

  1. Ensure your personal computers are kept up to date with the latest security patches.
  2. Always use caution when viewing and opening email, the main method for ransomware attacks such as this one.

This week we will be sending out another simulation email to 500 random faculty and staff members. If you receive the email and click the link within, you’ll be sent to an informational page. If you receive an email you suspect is phishing, simulated or not, please forward it as an attachment to informationsecurity@drake.edu.

Participating in training like this is an effective and risk-free way to learn about the dangers of phishing and help protect individual and campus data. If you have questions or concerns, please contact informationsecurity@drake.edu.

—Peter Lundstedt, Information Security Manager

Strategic Updates Archive

Master’s program in applied behavior analysis at Drake

Drake is excited to announce its new master’s program in applied behavior analysis. This program will deliver a curriculum, including practicum experience, that prepares its graduates to sit for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board’s® (BACB®) exam so that they may become Board Certified Behavior Analysts® (BCBAs®). In addition to its master’s program, Drake will also have a certificate program for individuals who currently possess at least a master’s degree in psychology or education to complete in preparation for a career as a certified behavior analyst.

The master’s program will launch Fall 2017 and is a five-semester or two-year program (nine credit hours per semester or 45 hours total). Coursework will be offered nights to accommodate various work schedules. The certificate program is three semesters (nine credit hours per semester or 27 hours total).

The program’s vision and mission is to grow the number of behavior analysts within Iowa to meet the increasing demands for professionals within schools and clinical settings who can:

  • Work with children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities
  • Treat challenging behavior in various populations
  • Work with others to increase compliance with treatment strategies and recommendations
  • Teach target audiences new skills and promote positive behavior

For more information, please see http://www.drake.edu/aba/ or contact Maria Valdovinos (maria.valdovinos@drake.edu).

—Maria Valdovinos, Department of Psychology

News & Achievements Archive

#BringDraketoDrake campaign wins two AMA Iowa awards

The #BringDraketoDrake campaign won the American Marketing Association’s statewide category for Best Public Relations Campaign. Additionally, the initiative earned, by vote of members and attendees, the People’s Choice Award.

The summary of the award nomination read:
Last fall, a mid-sized private university in the heart of the Midwest brought the world’s hottest rapper to campus—and made international headlines in the process. Drake University’s “Bring Drake to Drake” campaign leveraged media relations, social media, real-time marketing, and word-of-mouth tactics to engage target audiences and increase brand awareness and affinity. By the time Aubrey “Drake” Graham shared a photo of himself perched atop Drake University’s welcome sign—decked out in a University letterman’s jacket—with his more than 30 million Instagram followers, it was a pleasant bonus for a viral campaign that had already received international attention and created lifelong memories. Associating the Drake brand with a world-famous and occasionally controversial rapper was a calculated risk—but one the communications staff would do again, not only because it brought unprecedented visibility to the University, but also because (as the rapper would say), #YOLO. You only live once.

—Niki Smith, University Communications

News & Achievements Archive

CBPA news: May 30

Six actuarial science students participated in the Traveler’s Case Competition with four other universities. The students were given a property and casualty insurance problem to research and model.  At the end of the day, each university’s team presented their recommendations to a panel of actuaries from Traveler’s. Drake’s team won first place this year; each student won a $250 cash award and the Department of Actuarial Science received a trophy. The competition benefits the students by giving them a hands-on experience solving actuarial problems and helps faculty by allowing them to learn about contemporary topics in the field.

The winning team included Praneeth Singh, John Richards, Ty Albrecht, Colin Piscitello, Hannah Hamilton, and YiFan Zhou.

Drake actuarial science and finance majors competed in the annual Brooks Case Competition for an opportunity to practice their academic skills in a real-world scenario. This year’s case study focused on the pending merger of Verizon and Yahoo. Drake students competed in teams of three or four over the course of one weekend. The Brooks Competition experience gave students insight into the real-life pressures and skills associated with their future actuarial science and finance careers. Drake faculty judges included Richard Long, Jimmy Senteza, Inchul Suh, and Toby White.

  • 1st place: Trevor Carlson, Daniel Finn, Parker Foote, Samuel Klann
  • 2nd place: Shayla Carey, Parker Henley, Priyanka Rao, Jessica Rebischke
  • 3rd place: Nur Hanisah Abdul Rahman, Alwin Zhe Shuen Tan, Khai Wei Tan, Shao Ze Tan
  • Special awards
    —Best Teamwork and Most Professional: Mohd Mathoridie Sobri, Amelia Quek, Yu Xiao
    —Most Creative and Best Q&A Responses: Nor Adlin Izurin Dzulkifli, Wei Ling Iriss Tan, Kumudhini Ujhoodha, Jade Vuong

Drake finance students finished 2nd in the 2017 Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute Research Challenge. Local CFA societies select a publicly listed company in their geographical region to be analyzed by teams from competing universities and colleges. This year’s company was Rockwell Collins. The teams prepared a written report and a presentation recommending either a buy, sell, or hold on the selected company. The reports and presentations were judged by local investment professionals with their CFA designation. Drake’s team consisted of students Daniel Finn, Sam Klann, Jamie Zaine, Tyler Kern, and Neil Usry.

A group of Marketing Club students worked on a project for Coca-Cola this semester for their Dasani Sparkling product. Called Project Bulldog, the students developed a comprehensive integrated marketing communication plan based on research conducted by the team. Their recommendations were presented to executives in Atlanta via phone interview and elicited very positive comments from channel managers and national product managers alike. The new ideas for point-of-purchase and sales promotion were praised and are expected to be put into play by the company in the near future.  Professors Mary Edrington and Chip Miller co-advised the team, which was led by Marketing Student of the Year, Kaylynn Noethlich. Project Bulldog Team included the following Drake CBPA students: Kaylynn Noethlich, Margot Stevens, Rebecca Crepeau, Madelyn Vogt, Courtney Smith, Megan Richards, Tierney Sereika, Karter Smith, Matthew Lavery, Kyla Inderski, Lauren Riley, Jack Kennedy, Caroline West, Matthew Helmericks, David Pioske, and Max Zaug.

—Dianna Gray, College of Business and Public Administration

News & Achievements Archive

Students provide 4 tons of donations to Goodwill

Instead of students throwing their stuff in dumpsters after the spring term when moving out, large crates were placed in the halls to collect donations for Goodwill. Stalnaker was by far the busiest donation bin over the week. Here is the bin count from each location.

Stalnaker: 8
Carpenter: 4
Herriott: 4
Morehouse: 5
Jewett: 2
Crawford: 3
Ross: 2
Goodwin: 4
Total: 32

The bins brought in around 8,000 pounds of donations—enough to provide 400 hours of training for people in Goodwill programs.

—Jerry Parker, Dean of Students

Featured Events Archive

101 Speaker Series

The 101 Speaker Series is designed to engage the audience through interaction with our local panel of experts. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions on a wide range of topics of interest. The series is open to the public with lunch and parking provided free of charge; however, registration is required.

An effective board can make the difference for an organization’s culture and success. But what is an effective board? The first 101 Speaker Series will address a board’s role in an organization, how to start a board for your organization, and how to position yourself to serve on a board. Join us on Wednesday, June 7, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Aliber Hall, Room 101, to learn more about board development and to ask your questions to our panel of experts.

Panel experts include:

Denise Hill, JD, MPA 
Associate Professor of Practice, Public Administration, Drake University

Sunni Swarbrick, MPA 
Board Member; FemCity Des Moines, Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute – Community Connect, Community Youth Concepts, Young Variety, Lead Like a Lady

Kyn Hedrick, MPA
Director of Donor Relations, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa

RSVP: https://drake-cbpa-speakerseries-june2017.eventbrite.com

—Dianna Gray, College of Business and Public Administration

HR Information Archive

Wellness screening early bird prize

If you are on Drake’s health plan you can save approximately $300 in 2018 by simply completing a biometrics screening and an online wellness assessment this year. Think what you could do with an extra $300!

There are three screening options:

  • Complete a screening with your physician and have your doctor fill out a Physician Wellness Screening Results Form. This option is available through Aug. 31.
  • Complete your screening at a participating Hy-Vee location. This option is available Jul. 1 through Sept. 15.
  • Complete your screening on campus through UnityPoint Health. The on-campus dates are Oct. 4-6, 9, 11, 13, 17, and 19.

You are welcome to select the option that works best for you. That being said, there are a set number of spaces available for the on-campus screenings, so we recommend as many employees as possible consider the physician or Hy-Vee option. To sweeten the deal we are offering an EARLY BIRD PRIZE! If you complete your screening (through your physician or going to a participating Hy-Vee dietitian) and the online assessment at www.wellmark.com by Sept. 30 your name will be placed in a drawing for a chance to win your choice of a prize from an online wellness catalog. This drawing includes those who have already completed their screening and assessment in 2017.

Additional information about this year’s biometric screenings and wellness assessments can be found under the employee tab of blueView. The Wellness Portal is on the right-hand side of the page.
Please note that you must complete a biometric screening and wellness assessment annually to retain your wellness premium discount.

Questions may be directed to Linda Feiden, assistant director, wellness & engagement, at linda.feiden@drake.edu or 271-1880.

—Linda Feiden, Human Resources