All posts by Heidi Weiss

Featured Events Archive

“By Whose Authority?” polemical and political uses of miracle stories

Can miracles establish the truth of religious claims or the basis of political authority? Does supernatural might make for human right? Should we believe in Buddha or Jesus or Muhammad because of miracles they performed? On Thursday, May 10, David L. Weddle, professor emeritus of religion at Colorado College, will consider examples of miracle stories in several religious traditions and trace their use in arguments over theology and politics. The lecture—part of The Comparison Project’s lecture and dialogue series on miracles—will take place in Cowles Library Reading Room at 7 p.m.

At Colorado College, Professor Weddle taught courses in comparative theology and ethics, American religions, and philosophy of religion. He served as chair of the department and was active on faculty committees. A life-time honorary member of the American Academy of Religion, he is the author of Miracles: Wonder and Meaning in World Religions (2010) and Sacrifice in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (2017).

— Monique Rodriguez, College of Arts and Sciences

News & Achievements Archive

Drake Hosts Central Midwest HERC annual conference

Participants of the 2018 Central Midwest HERC annual conference pose for a photo with Spike.

On April 19, Erin Lain, associate provost of campus equity and inclusion, and Gary Johnson, director of HR operations, hosted the 2018 Central Midwest Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC) annual conference at Shivers Courtside Club. Drake is a founding member institution of Central Midwest HERC, which recently completed its second year.

According to its website, Central Midwest HERC’s vision is to promote equity and excellence in higher education recruitment worldwide and to be a premier resource for recruitment and retention of highly trained, diverse applicants to higher education institutions and community partners in the region.

The group seeks to:

  • Create a robust, multi-institution network that strengthens participating institutions and the region as a whole;
  • Serve as a recruiting, marketing, and professional development resource for HERC member institutions;
  • Enhance the ability of member institutions to connect spouses/partners of candidates and new hires to regional employment opportunities, including through partnerships with key partners from business and industry;
  • Generate cost savings and efficiencies for member institutions through education regarding the national discount and cooperative advertising programs, partnerships, and services; and
  • Evaluate HERC’s qualitative and quantitative return on investment.

Read more about HERC and the resources available to members on the Central Midwest HERC website.

— Gary Johnson, Human Resources

News & Achievements Archive

Drake political scientist featured on the cover of Times Literary Supplement

Kieran Williams, adjunct professor in the Department of Political Science, was featured on the cover of the May 4 issue of The Times Literary Supplement.

Williams contributed a full-page essay on Czechoslovakia’s Prague Spring of 1968. His book on that topic, titled “The Prague Spring and its Aftermath,” (Cambridge University Press, 1997) is regarded as one of the definitive works on those events, and recently was cited in an article in The Economist.

The Times Literary Supplement, published in London since 1914, is one of the world’s top publications for book reviews, essays and commentary. The issue in which Williams was featured included a special section dedicated to the 50th anniversary of 1968.

Williams has taught at Drake since spring 2004. Previously he taught for nine years at University College London’s School of Slavonic and East European Studies, where he was an associate professor in politics and a frequent consultant to the UK Foreign Office.

A comparativist and specialist in the politics of Central and Eastern Europe, he has authored or co-authored three books, serves on the editorial boards of four journals, and is a regular reviewer for The Times Literary Supplement.

News & Achievements Archive

Professor Valdovinos to present at international conference on behavior analysis

Maria Valdovinos, professor of psychology, has been invited to present at the Association for Behavior Analysis International’s 44th Annual Conference later this month.

Valdovinos will hold a session titled “The Elephant in the Room: Addressing Psychotropic Medications When Assessing Behavior,” on May 28 in San Diego, Calif. Presenting data collected during research funded by the National Institutes of Health, Valdovinos will discuss the effects of psychotropic medications on adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who engage in problem behavior. By the end of the hour-long session, participants should know how to collect data on the ways psychotropic medication impacts behavior, and identify the medication’s therapeutic and adverse side effects.

ABAI’s website says the session is targeted to board certified behavior analysts, licensed psychologists, and graduate students.

Valdovinos has done federally funded research evaluating the pharmacological treatment of challenging behaviors in individuals with developmental disabilities, including autism. Before joining the Drake faculty in 2010, she worked in residential and day treatment settings with adults diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Her courses at Drake deal with She teaches courses in child and adolescent development, psychology of developmental disabilities, behavior analysis of child development, applied behavior analysis, and applied and professional ethics.

Valdovinos is a member of the Board of Directors for the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts, nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote and advance the science and practice of applied behavior analysis.

HR Information Archive

Community Supported Agriculture Starts Soon

Members of the Drake community support a local farm by purchasing a share and, in return, they bring shares of their week’s produce to campus.  This year, Drake is working with The Homestead.

This is a great way to eat healthy and seasonally while supporting sustainable agriculture and the local economy.

Shares will be delivered to Meredith Hall on Thursdays from 3 to 5 p.m. beginning in late May or early June.  You may order a full share which is delivered weekly for 20 weeks, or a half share, which is delivered every two weeks.  They also offer double shares. View program details and costs.

Amanda Kanehl will be coordinating the produce pick-up.  Amanda is a junior environmental science student at Drake.  She is a horticulturalist and worked at The Homestead for two seasons, so she is familiar with the produce as well as the staff and farm manager.

You may order shares through Amanda at amanda.kanehl@drake.edu.  You may also order online or fill out a brochure and mail it in. Credit cards and checks are accepted.  You may pay the full amount up front or $100 a month until the share is paid.

Please contact Amanda with additional questions.  Questions may also be directed to Amahia Mallea at Amahia.mallea@drake.edu.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

HR Information Archive

Conversation hours with Human Resources

Members of the Human Resources team will be available Thursday, May 10, from 12 to 1:30 p.m. in Olmsted Center’s Drake Room. This is a convenient opportunity for you to talk with HR Partner Services about any HR topic that’s on your mind. You’re also welcome to schedule a meeting at the HR offices, 3206 University Avenue, if another time works better for you.

— Debra Wiley, Human Resources

HR Information Archive

Changes to workers’ compensation programs

The following new work-injury reporting and treatment processes became effective Monday, May 7, 2018.

Reporting a work-related injury or illness:

If you are injured at work, immediately complete the following steps:

Emergency care: In case of a serious injury or illness (or any treatment that occurs after hours and should not wait until clinic hours the next day) seek immediate treatment at the nearest emergency facility or call 911.

Report your work-injury: Immediately report your work-injury to your manager/supervisor.

Phone EMC OnCall Nurse at 844-322-4668 (24 hours/7 days a week): You and your manager, if available, should call EMC OnCall Nurse together. You will discuss the extent of your injury with a registered nurse and be guided to the appropriate level of care. If a language barrier exists, a translation service is quickly brought into the call. Over 200 languages are available.

Follow EMC OnCall Nurse’s instructions: When care is needed, the registered nurse will provide treatment recommendations and/or designated medical facilities for work-injury treatment. Please proceed with treatment as instructed by the EMC OnCall Nurse.

You or your manager/supervisor must also submit the Drake online First Report of Injury.

Authorized treatment centers:
Effective May 7, 2018, Drake will utilize UnityPoint Health, Occupational Medicine Clinics for the treatment of non-emergency work related injuries and illnesses and for post-offer, pre-employment drug screens. Clinics are located at:

Des Moines
515-262-7619
Penn Medical Place
1301 Pennsylvania, Ave. Ste. 416

Ankeny
515-964-6974
White Birch Plaza
1810 SW White Birch Cir., Ste. 111

West Des Moines
515-241-2020
Lakeview Medical Park
6000 University Ave., Ste. 124

Affiliated Emergency Care:

Iowa Methodist Medical Center: 1200 Pleasant St., Des Moines, IA 50309
Iowa Lutheran Hospital: 700 East University Ave., Des Moines, IA 50316
Methodist West Hospital: 1660 60th St., West Des Moines, IA 50266

— Gary Johnson, Human Resources

HR Information Archive

Parental leave options: New policy posted for review

A proposed policy that supplements existing family leave policies is now posted for comment through May 21, 2018.

The proposed Paid Parental Leave Policy provides paid time away for new parents. For the birth parent, the policy is in addition to paid time off under medical or sick leave policies (usually 6-8 weeks). For non-birth and adoptive parents, the policy provides paid time off to bond with their new child without having to use vacation accruals or elect modified duties.

These policies work together with the Family and Medical Leave Act Policy which provides employees with 12 weeks of job-protected leave upon the birth of a child.

Below are some examples to help illustrate how the new policy provides additional support to new parents and supplements existing time off options:

A staff member with 6 weeks accrued sick leave gives birth, without complications. She takes 6 weeks of paid sick leave for the period of medical recovery pursuant to the sick leave policy. The new proposed Paid Parental Leave policy, allows her to extend that paid time off by 2 additional weeks. She may elect to continue in paid status by using any accrued vacation time, or she may save vacation to use later in the year. The addition of the 2 weeks paid time off offers added paid leave, while also allowing more flexibility in the use of vacation and personal time.

A faculty member with a 9-month appointment, has notified HR that she will be delivering September 1, 2018.  Through the Faculty Short Term Disability policy, she will be compensated at 100% of her pay for the first six (6) weeks of the medical condition, during the terms of her regular teaching appointment. (Six weeks is the typical recovery timeframe for a non-cesarean birth.)  Following the birth, she has the option of selecting either two additional paid workweeks away from the university or Faculty Modified Duties, which is a one semester course release. The proposed New Paid Parental Leave Policy offers the option to receive additional paid time off, rather than elect modified duties. In either case, the faculty member may also elect to toll the tenure clock through the Tenure Clock Extension, found in the Academic Charter, page 4.

A 9-month faculty member is married to a staff member and they are planning to adopt a child. The faculty member may elect either the 2-week paid time off under the new Parental Leave Policy or a course release under the Faculty Modified Duties policy. The staff member can take the 2 weeks paid time off as well as any vacation time available to him/her. The fact that both parents work at Drake does not impact the amount of leave available – both are eligible for the paid parental leave benefits.

Please continue posting your comments to dupolicies@drake.edu . We appreciate your input.

— Debra Wiley, Human Resources

HR Information Archive

Welcome new Bulldogs

In April, Drake welcomed eleven new, full-time employees to the Bulldog family.

Lynne Cornelius, Violence Prevention Coordinator, Dean of Students
Sandra (Sandy) Hafner, Administrative Assistant, Student Life, Dean of Students
Cortni Rush, Coordinator, Women’s Basketball Operations, Athletics
Larry Blunt, Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach, Athletics
Matthew (Matt) Woodley, Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach, Athletics
Matthew (Matt) Gatens, Coordinator, Men’s Basketball Operations, Athletics
Dustin German, Assistant Director, Sales & Community Engagement, Athletics
Peter Schmale, Application Administrator 3 – SharePoint, ITS
Erica McGowan, Associate Controller, Accounting
Gabriel (Gabe) McGinnis, Plumber, Facilities Planning and Management
Sarah Wood, Project Associate/Executive Assistant, Harkin Institute

— Laura Schwarz, Human Resources