Winter break check processing schedule:

Winter break:

• All check requests are due to Accounts Payable by the end of the business day on Friday, Dec. 15.
• For requests received by Dec. 15, checks will be processed and available after 12 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 19. This will be the last check run before winter break.
• The accounting office will be closed during winter break. Normal check processing will resume on Wednesday, Jan. 3.

Thank you for your help in coordinating to ensure we meet all needs during the upcoming season. Please contact Accounting at ext. 2125 with any questions.

Jeni Baugher, Accounting

Applications are now being accepted for 2018–2019 Drake Research Grants and the Undergraduate Assistantship Program. Apply today. ––Art Sanders, Associate Provost

An informal panel discussion on Friday, Dec. 1, co-sponsored by Jody Swilky, coordinator of writing instruction, and Joan McAlister, coordinator of public speaking instruction, will feature three Drake scholars who will discuss what influences them when they present written work publicly. The discussion will take place in the Speaking Center on the lower level of Cowles Library from 12 to 1 p.m.

Read more details on the event.

Art Sanders, Associate Provost

The next in a series of meetings focused on creating inclusive learning environments will be Monday, Dec. 11, at 3:30 p.m. in Cartwright Hall, Conference Room 137. These meetings provide an opportunity for anyone on campus to come and discuss the challenges, successes and failures we have faced as we try to navigate the difficult issue of creating inclusive learning environments. For questions, contact Art Sanders at arthur.sanders@drake.edu.

Art Sanders, Associate Provost

The semester’s final Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) lunch is Friday, Dec. 8, at 12 p.m. in Olmsted Center, TMR 133. These discussions are opportunities for those engaged in SoTL projects at any level—from just thinking about starting one, to almost complete, or those simply curious about SoTL—to share ideas, seek advice, or ask questions of colleagues engaged in the process. This year, members of ITS will attend to provide information about SoTL projects that might involve technology usage. Please register by Tuesday, Dec. 5, at 10 a.m. to be provided a lunch.

Art Sanders, Associate Provost

The final Friday FYS lunch/discussion is Dec. 1 at 12 p.m. in Olmsted Center, TMR 133. The event is open to both current and prospective FYS instructors. If you have an interest in teaching FYS in the future, or are curious to learn more about teaching FYS sections, you are welcome to attend. While it is too late to order a lunch, you are welcome to attend and bring your own.

Art Sanders, Associate Provost

A limited number of $75, lower bowl, 100-level tickets to the Hy-Vee Classic are available for Drake faculty and staff to purchase. This college basketball event on Saturday, Dec. 16, brings together the four Division I men’s basketball programs in the state of Iowa. The Drake men’s basketball team will take on the University of Iowa at 1 p.m. followed by the Iowa State–Northern Iowa game at 3:30 p.m. Seats within Drake’s designated sections can be purchased, while supplies last, at The Knapp Center Ticket Office Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are valid to both games of the event.

A pregame event, hosted by the Drake Alumni Association, will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Memorial Hall in the Community Choice Credit Union on the day of the game. Faculty and staff are invited to attend the pregame.

For more information, contact the Drake Athletics Ticket Office at 515-271-3647 or tickets@drake.edu.

Ryan Harris, Drake Athletics

ITS continues to make progress with the release of a cloud storage solution to campus. OneDrive has been rolled out to several administrative units across campus, with more scheduled to be complete before winter break. As previously mentioned, a phased approach is being taken for the release of OneDrive to ensure adequate technical support is available to faculty and staff as they get familiar with this new platform for document storage. Implementation will continue through the end of the fiscal year. A full schedule for the OneDrive project is available on the ITS website.

In order to prepare for the launch of OneDrive, ITS staff pushed the OneDrive client to all Drake-owned Mac computers on Nov. 10. The client will be pushed to Drake-owned Windows computers soon. There is no need to do anything with the OneDrive software at this time. ITS staff will continue to work directly with departments across campus to provide additional instructions and training as the OneDrive roll out continues throughout the rest of this fiscal year.

Chris Mielke, ITS

All Staff Council and Human Resources invite faculty and staff to attend its Holiday Cheer gathering on Thursday, Dec. 14, near the Pomerantz stage in the Olmsted Center. Faculty and staff are welcome to come and go as they please from 9 to 11 a.m.

Guests can enjoy a hot chocolate bar, cookie decorating station, music, and drawings for prizes. Griff will also be in attendance. To be eligible for prize drawings, please bring at least one non-perishable item that will go to the Drake Food Pantries on campus.

Holiday Cheer will replace the holiday breakfast previously hosted by Human Resources. The event is a chance to give back to others in the Drake community, while mingling with coworkers.

Linda Feiden, Human Resources