All posts by Ashton Hockman

Campus Announcements Archive

Governors of Iowa: Robert D. Ray documentary premiere

On Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. at Drake University’s Sheslow Auditorium, Iowa PBS will host a premiere screening of Governors of Iowa: Robert D. Ray. A widely respected political leader, Governor Robert D. Ray is known for an even-handed approach to governing Iowa. His lasting legacy of welcoming refugees during the late 1970s forever changed the cultural fabric of the state. A panel discussion will follow the screening. RSVP for free: https://bit.ly/3DdzLR4.

— Hilary Ortmann, Robert D. & Billie Ray Center

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Recruitment Refresh learning session to share data, best practices, Gen Z insights

It’s been an unpredictable couple of years in the recruitment space. Please join me, Anne Kremer, for an opportunity to come together and participate in a recruitment refresh.

When: Sept. 19 from 3–4 p.m.
Where: Sussman Theatre

Data insights on the effectiveness of faculty as a part of the recruitment and visit experience, along with best practices and approaches for these students in both the in person and virtual spaces will be covered. We will also provide some insights on the Gen Z student and what they are seeking as a part of their college search and college experience.

— Anne Kremer, Dean of Admission

Strategic Updates Archive

Ray Walton to serve as Harkin Institute interim director

Ray Walton, an accomplished leader and business executive with public and private sector experience, has agreed to be the interim director of the Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement at the invitation of Drake University, The Harkin Institute’s National Advisory Council, and Sen. and Ruth Harkin.  

The appointment comes following the conclusion of Joseph Jones’ tenure as executive director of the Institute. Joseph served as executive director starting in August 2016, and since that time, the organization experienced tremendous growth in programming and research and celebrated the opening of the Tom and Ruth Harkin Center on Drake’s campus. 

Ray’s connections to Senator Harkin and his commitment to Iowa are strong. Early in his career, Ray served as a staff member for then-Congressman Harkin. He spent more than two decades in several leadership roles at General Growth Properties, until 2008, when Governor Chet Culver appointed him director of the state’s Department of Administrative Services. Ray previously served in a similar capacity as interim director of the Culver Center at Simpson College. 

We are pleased to welcome Ray into this interim role as the search for the next permanent executive director progresses. 

Strategic Updates Archive

Visit Drake’s Continuous Improvement Plan website for progress, new data, and success stories

If you have not lately, I’d encourage you to review Drake’s Continuous Improvement Plan site. As a reminder, this is our strategic plan and lists out all of the objectives in each of the plan’s commitment areas.  Please take time to explore how each of those objectives are embodied in many ways across our campus life. You can do so by clicking on the “+” in each objective area or the “Learn more” link to see more on student, faculty, and staff successes.  

In addition, you’ll see more information on all the major initiatives the University has underway as well. This site is continuously updated and can be also found any time by going to the drake.edu home page, clicking on ‘Campus Links’ at the top and selecting “Strategic Plan”. Thanks for your review and engagement.

— Nate Reagen, President’s Office

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

COVID-19 updates for the fall semester

The following message was sent Monday, Aug. 8, to faculty and staff from President Martin.

Please take a moment to read a message that was sent to students regarding our continued response to COVID-19. While we are planning to enjoy the full Drake experience this fall, we must take appropriate precautions to minimize the effects of COVID-19 on our community.

For the most part, our COVID-19 guidelines remain the same as at the end of the spring semester:

  • Free PCR tests remain available for faculty, staff, and students in the Student Services Center located in Olmsted. Tests can be picked up and returned Monday–Friday between 8 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
  • If you test positive, please report your result through the faculty/staff reporting form. This helps us to keep a pulse on the prevalence of the virus on campus. There is a separate reporting form for students as noted below.
  • If you test positive, stay home. Refer to CDC guidance for isolation, quarantine, and masking. Work with your manager or department chair to take leave or arrange for remote work if you are able.
  • Surveillance testing and contact tracing will no longer be performed. Student athletes will continue to follow NCAA guidelines regarding testing and contact tracing.
  • Masks continue to be optional in all University buildings.

Vaccines are our greatest defense for minimizing disruption to the academic year and reducing the risk of severe disease and hospitalization. If you haven’t done so, I urge you to get vaccinated and take advantage of every COVID-19 booster available to you.

We will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves. Should the CDC publish new guidelines, we will update our policies and practices accordingly. As was the case at the end of the spring semester, COVID-19 email updates will be issued on an as-needed basis.

Thank you for your continued commitment to the health and safety of our campus community. Together we are learning to live with COVID-19 and minimize its impact on our community. I look forward to a great semester.

Best,

Marty

For Students Archive

COVID-19 and MPV information for the fall semester

Chief Student Affairs Officer Jerry Parker sent an email Aug. 8 communicating the University’s COVID-19 preparation plans. Additionally, he sent an email Aug. 17 with information about monkeypox, summarized below.

Monkeypox (MPV) Information and Resources
MPV is a disease caused by infection from the monkeypox virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is tracking cases associated with a recent outbreak of MPV that has been reported in several countries, including the United States. The Iowa Department of Public Health tracks cases of MPV in the state with a dashboard that is updated each Wednesday.

How is MPV spread?
Everyone is susceptible to MPV regardless of age or sex. It is most commonly transmitted through close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact with infected people or animals. Less commonly, it can be spread through contact with objects, fabrics (for example clothing, bedding, or towels), and surfaces that have been used by someone with an active case of MPV. It can also be spread via respiratory secretions or oral fluids from a person with MPV during prolonged face-to-face contact or during intimate physical and/or sexual contact; however, it does not linger in the air and is not thought to be transmitted during short periods of shared air space. People who do not have MPV symptoms cannot spread the virus to others.

What are the symptoms of MPV?
Symptoms include a rash or sores, sometimes located on hands, feet, chest, face, around the genitals, or inside the body including mouth, vagina, or anus. Other symptoms of MPV may include: fever, headache, muscle aches and backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and fatigue. These symptoms can occur before the onset of the characteristic rash or sores.

What should I do if I think I have MPV?
If you have a rash that is consistent with MPV, speak with a healthcare provider even if you have had no known contact with someone who has MPV. Students can call the Drake Student Health Center at 515-271-3731 or their personal healthcare provider. Employees should contact their personal healthcare provider.

Is there a vaccine for MPV?
While there are effective vaccines for MPV, the CDC does not currently recommend widespread pre-exposure vaccination against MPV. The CDC does recommend that individuals with a known MPV exposure receive a vaccine within four days of exposure to prevent onset of the disease. Delaying a post-exposure vaccine up to 14 days after exposure may reduce MPV symptoms. Additional vaccine information is available from the Polk County Health Department.

How do I reduce my risk of contracting MPV?
Actions an individual can take to reduce the risk of contracting MPV include:

  • Avoid close, skin-to-skin contact including kissing and sexual activity with people who have a rash, sores, or confirmed MPV.
  • Do not handle, touch, or share bedding, towels, or clothing of a person with a rash, sores, or confirmed MPV.
  • Do not use eating utensils or cups of a person with MPV.
  • Wash your hands often.
  • Cover your coughs and sneezes.
  • Clean and disinfect high touch surfaces and objects.

What If I get Infected?
If you have a confirmed case of MPV, you will be required to isolate in consultation with the Polk County Health Department. Because of the longer isolation periods required for MPV—typically two to four weeks according to the CDC—residential students who are able will be strongly encouraged to isolate at home or off campus. Where that is not feasible, the University is currently planning to make isolation rooms available and arrange for food delivery. If an individual lives off campus, they will be expected to isolate at their off-campus residence or another off-campus location.

Where can I learn more?
For more information about MPV, please visit the CDC’s FAQ and MPV websites maintained by the Iowa Department of Health and the Polk County Health Department. Students can also call their healthcare provider or Student Health at 515–271–3731.

Campus Announcements Archive

Des Moines Civil and Human Rights Symposium Aug. 5

After being on hold for two years due to the pandemic, the Des Moines Civil and Human Rights Symposium is back with the theme: Innovative Inclusion: Reconnecting & Rebooting for Social Justice.

The event will be held virtually on Friday, Aug. 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Participants are also encouraged to attend the virtual symposium kick-off event, Kicking-Off Innovative Inclusion, on Thursday, Aug. 4.

Drake faculty, staff, and students can register to attend the symposium for free with the code Reboot22.

— Ryan Arnold, Community Engagement

Strategic Updates Archive

Economic update with Chicago Fed chair tomorrow at Sheslow, register now

Join Drake and the Greater Des Moines Partnership as they host Charles Evans, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, for an economic update on Wednesday, Aug. 10, from 10 a.m.–11 a.m. at Sheslow Auditorium. This timely and relevant discussion will provide an expert perspective on the effects of recent monetary policy on regional and U.S. economic activity. 

The conversation will feature a question-and-answer session with Evans moderated by Robert Palmer, who serves on the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Advisory Council and is General Counsel to the Iowa League of Cities.

Register for the event. 

More about Charles Evans and the Chicago Fed
The Chicago Fed is one of 12 regional Reserve Banks across the country. These 12 banks — along with the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C. — make up our nation’s central bank. As head of the Chicago Fed, Evans oversees the work of roughly 1,400 employees in Chicago and Detroit who conduct economic research, supervise financial institutions and provide payment services to commercial banks and the U.S. government.

Evans has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago since September 2007. In that capacity, he serves on the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the Federal Reserve System’s monetary policymaking body. Before becoming president in September of 2007, Evans served as director of research and senior vice president, supervising the Bank’s research on monetary policy, banking, financial markets and regional economic conditions. His personal research has focused on measuring the effects of monetary policy on U.S. economic activity, inflation and financial market prices, and has been published in peer-reviewed journals.

Campus Announcements Archive

New security certificate needed to join eduroam

ITS recently applied a security update on July 14 to the eduroam network. As a result, everyone who connects to the eduroam network will be prompted to install a new security certificate.

If your device isn’t able to accept the certificate or experience wifi connectivity issues after accepting, please contact the ITS Support Center at 515–271–3001 or visit service.drake.edu/its to report a Network Issue.

— Becky Klein, ITS

News & Achievements Archive, Strategic Updates Archive

Drake and the Greater Des Moines Partnership to host Chicago Fed chair on Aug. 10 at Sheslow

Drake University and the Greater Des Moines Partnership will host Charles Evans, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, for an economic update on Wednesday, Aug. 10, from 10 a.m.–11 a.m. at Drake’s Sheslow Auditorium.

Evans will provide an expert perspective on the effects of recent monetary policy on regional and U.S. economic activity. The Chicago Fed is one of 12 regional Reserve Banks across the country. These 12 banks — along with the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C. — make up our nation’s central bank. As head of the Chicago Fed, Evans oversees the work of roughly 1,400 employees in Chicago and Detroit who conduct economic research, supervise financial institutions and provide payment services to commercial banks and the U.S. government.

Evans has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago since September 2007. In that capacity, he serves on the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the Federal Reserve System’s monetary policymaking body. Before becoming president in September of 2007, Evans served as director of research and senior vice president, supervising the Bank’s research on monetary policy, banking, financial markets and regional economic conditions. His personal research has focused on measuring the effects of monetary policy on U.S. economic activity, inflation and financial market prices, and has been published in peer-reviewed journals.

The conversation will feature a question-and-answer session with Evans moderated by Robert Palmer with the Iowa League of Cities.

“We are excited to welcome Charles Evans for what promises to be a timely and relevant conversation on the U.S. economy,” said Andrea Woodard, Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Public Policy at The Partnership. “Charles will provide insight into the Federal Reserve’s decisions and how they will impact Greater Des Moines businesses and organizations.”

Learn more about the event.