Professor Sally Frank was honored by Princeton University with a café named after her, recognizing her perseverance and excellence. As a student in 1979, she challenged the exclusion of women from three all-male eating clubs. After a prolonged legal battle, the clubs began admitting women by 1991, and she officially won her lawsuit in 1992. Congratulations, Professor Frank – we’re proud of your impactful work!
All posts by Ashton Hockman
You’re Invited: Drake and Ray Center to Celebrate Donations, Expanded Character Counts! Resources for Polk County Early Childhood Education Classrooms
Drake and The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center will host an event to celebrate the expansion of no-cost Character Counts! early childhood resources to nearly 1,700 classrooms in Polk County.
WHO: Students, Faculty, and Staff
WHEN: Thursday, May 15, from 9 to 9:30 a.m.
WHERE: The Gregory & Suzie Burt Boys & Girls Club.
The initiative is made possible by generous grant funding from four major community partners: the Lauridsen Family Foundation, Prairie Meadows Legacy Grant Program, Polk County Community Development and Community Betterment program, and the Gartner Family Foundation.
The campus community is invited to attend the event and hear from Walter Lauridsen who will speak on behalf of the four organizations responsible for the grants and from Cassidy LeCroy, director of The Bob & Billie Ray Child Development Center. Scott Raecker, executive director of The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University, and Marty Martin, Drake University president, will also deliver remarks.
— Amy Smit, The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center
Drake.edu Website Redesign Update
Thank you to all who have given time and input on the Drake.edu redesign project. We are excited to offer our future prospective students and families a website that helps them find the information they’re searching for quickly, and one that strongly positions our brand with compelling imagery and content.
Over the summer months, external partner Carnegie will be working on front-end development, while internally, we’ll be focused on content updates and creation. The content audit is nearing completion, thanks to the help of many. As was noted in the last update, the evolution of internal sites and Teams has provided a more intuitive home for external-facing content that is better suited for our internal audience. With that in mind, our project team will be reaching out to those campus partners who have been involved in the audit process to talk through the next phase of the work. This phase will involve talking through the best options available for that content in the future, as well as the training necessary to move the content into the selected destination.
Our website receives more traffic than any physical space, so we are incredibly grateful to all who are helping ensure it serves us strongly as a warm and helpful welcome to the transformative Drake experience that lies beyond its “doors.”
— Leslie Maynes, executive director, University Communications and Marketing; and Keren Fiorenza, deputy CITO & chief information security officer
Fall Tuition Deadline Change
Students: Before you begin your summer break, I want to inform you of a change to the University’s billing schedule. Tuition and fees for the Fall 2025 semester will be due by August 11, instead of the first day of classes on August 25. By moving the due date up two weeks, we can provide earlier outreach and even greater support in your tuition planning and financial aid needs before the semester begins.
Here’s what you need to know
- You will receive your tuition and fees bills two weeks earlier to assist you with more effective budgeting strategies and planning. Bills will be accessible in your student account starting July 18.
- Fall tuition and fees are due August 11, instead of the first day of classes.
- You must have your bill paid or a payment plan set up by August 11.
- There is no change in how you access or pay your bill. Visit the Student Account and Financial Aid section on the student page in myDrake and select Make a Payment.
- Within the portal, you can also set up a payment plan.
We recognize that paying for college is a major investment, but one that will propel and serve you for the rest of your life. Drake has resources and dedicated staff ready to help with all your financial questions. Students can connect with our Financial Aid Office to learn more about the various scholarships, grants, loans, and need-based employment programs that Drake offers. For payment plan or billing questions, please contact the Student Accounts Office.
Thank you for your continued commitment to Drake. Enjoy your summer and we look forward to seeing you back on campus next fall!
— Julia Gwebu, Director of Student Account Services
Professional Headshot Sessions April 25
University Communications and Marketing will hold professional headshot sessions Friday, April 25, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Old Main, Conference Room 115. The sessions are free to all students, faculty, and staff.
Visit the Drake University events calendar and select REGISTER to select a time for your photo.
High-resolution portraits are made available for download through SmugMug 3–6 weeks after the photos are taken. Images can be downloaded at https://drakeuniversity.smugmug.com/Headshots-1.
— Jimmy Hoover, University Communications and Marketing
Annual Great Colleges to Work For Survey: Your Participation Is Needed
The Great Colleges to Work For (GCTWF) survey is back! On Monday, March 24, all full-time faculty and staff will receive an email invitation to participate.
What is the Great Colleges to Work For survey?
The Great Colleges to Work For survey is the primary employee survey used by the University to gather feedback on our workplace culture. The survey is administered by ModernThink, a management-consulting firm focusing on workplace quality in higher education. More information about the Great Colleges to Work For survey is available at greatcollegesprogram.com.
Why should I participate?
Your voice matters and your responses help the University identify opportunities to improve workplace satisfaction and engagement. Your responses provide valuable insight into employee opinions and needs. Overall responses are reviewed to identify actionable areas for improvement over the next year. For our last ‘Great Colleges’ Survey, 67% of full-time faculty and staff responded to the survey. This year, we are aiming to match or exceed that response rate. The higher the response rate, the more accurate and complete the results.
Is participation mandatory?
Participation is voluntary, although we do hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to share your feedback and make sure your voice is heard. A high response rate will help ensure an accurate representation of employee perspectives.
Are my responses confidential?
By having a third-party provider facilitate the survey process, your participation and the feedback you provide will be completely anonymous . No one at Drake will be able to trace results back to individuals. Drake will receive reports summarizing the results, but will not have access to any individual response data. Furthermore, ModernThink does not report back results for areas that have less than five respondents. Learn more by reading the Statement of Confidentiality.
When and how do I participate?
The 2025 survey period begins Monday, March 24th, and ends Friday, April 4th. The survey is administered online by ModernThink. Full-time faculty and staff will receive an email invitation to participate in the survey from ModernThink on March 24.
How long will it take to complete the survey?
It typically takes about 10-15 minutes to complete the survey depending on the amount of feedback you provide.
How is the data used and will the results be shared?
Consistent with past practice, a summary of the university survey results will be shared with employees and will be used to identify our strengths and opportunities for improvement. All of our units on campus, with greater than five employees, will also have results shared with that unit-leader. Several key measures and targets in the University’s continuous improvement plan (CIP), and in many unit-level CIP’s, are tied directly to feedback from the survey. ModernThink also provides valuable benchmark data that we can use to compare our results against other similar institutions. This information helps senior leaders and individual units can make informed, strategic decisions about improving our culture.
Can I complete the survey during work hours?
Yes. Faculty and staff are encouraged to complete the survey during working hours. Completing the survey is an important contribution that you can make to strengthen our campus community.
For further questions, contact Nate Reagen or Erica Kluver.
Thanks for your support in advance!
Bulldogs are Going Dancing!
It’s official—Drake Men’s Basketball is dancing in the NCAA Tournament, and the Women’s team is hosting in the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament (WBIT)! Whether you’re going to the games or watching on TV, here is what you need to know.
Women’s Basketball – WBIT First Round
🏀 Drake Women’s Basketball vs. Marquette
🗓️ Thursday, March 20, at 2 p.m. CT
📍 Drake University Knapp Center!
📺 The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
🎟️ Buy tickets for only $1
Men’s Basketball – NCAA Tournament First Round
🏀 Drake Men’s Basketball vs. Missouri
🗓️ Thursday, March 20, at 6:35 p.m. CT
📍 INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, Kan.
📺 The game will be televised on TruTV.
🎟️ First Round tickets are sold out. However, tickets can be found on secondary resale sites, such as Ticketmaster.
March Madness Gear
Get your officially licensed Drake University March Madness gear at the Bulldog Shop.
You’re invited: MVC Tournament Watch Party Friday at Noon
The Drake Men’s Basketball team plays in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in St. Louis on Friday, March 7, at 12 p.m. Faculty and staff are invited to come to the Shiver’s Courtside Club to watch the game at noon on Friday. Feel free to bring your lunch and enjoy the game. Go Bulldogs!
Johansen Student Center Planned Power Outage March 18
In order to complete some testing of new electrical equipment, a building-wide electrical power outage at Johansen Student Center is scheduled for Tuesday, March 18. The electrical outage will begin at 6 a.m. and is expected to be complete by early afternoon the same day. No Drake students, faculty, or staff will be allowed in the building during this time.
Student Engagement Survey: Your Participation is Needed
We’re inviting students to participate in the National Survey of Student Engagement to help us improve the Drake Experience. On February 18, first-years and seniors received an email invitation to participate. In appreciation, we will enter all students who complete the survey by March 30 into a drawing for 1 of 15 bookstore gift cards worth $50 each. Your chances of winning depend on how many complete the survey; the last time we administered this survey 441 students responded.
First-year and senior students who want to access the survey can also go to nssesurvey.org or use the QR code below.
— Kevin Saunders, Director of Institutional Research and Assessment