All posts by Ashton Hockman

Strategic Updates Archive

Reminder: Please complete the Great Colleges survey

Full-time faculty and staff received an email yesterday from The Chronicle of Higher Education  and Modern Think inviting them to participate in this year’s Great Colleges To Work For survey.

Please take time to complete the survey. It is easy, quick, anonymous, and confidential, and the primary tool used by the University to gather feedback on workplace culture. Instructions on how to access the survey are included in the email.

Although ITS has done testing and precautions have been taken so that this email should not be identified as SPAM, if you do not see this email in your inbox, please check your junk folder.

The survey period ends Friday, March 2. View a FAQ and more information.

For questions, contact Gary Johnson, director, human resources at gary.johnson@drake.edu.

— Gary Johnson, Human Resources

News & Achievements Archive

Drake senior named Fulbright semi-finalist

Drake University senior Meghan Walters of West Bend, Wis., has been named a semi-finalist for the 2018-2019 Fulbright U.S. Student Program. The program received nearly 10,000 applications this year, and Walters is part of a more exclusive pool of applicants to have been selected for further consideration.

Walters is an international relations and public relations double-major who applied for the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Program in Bulgaria. As a semi-finalist, Walters has been recognized by the U.S. National Screening Committee as having the outstanding academic record, personal qualities, and educational experiences Fulbright seeks in potential award recipients.

Walters’ application is now in the hands of the Bulgarian commission, which will conduct further screening and make the final decision. She credits international opportunities during her time at Drake for preparing her for the Fulbright program.

“I received an AmeriCorps grant to work at a refugee center where I taught citizenship classes, English phonetics to seniors and a kindergarten preparedness class for young kids,” Walters said. “Additionally, while studying abroad in Morocco in spring of 2017, I worked at a school for children with physical and mental disabilities.”

According to the Fulbright website, “the Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.”

Finalists are chosen and notified in spring 2018; if chosen as a Fulbright finalist, Walters will receive a federally funded grant and spend one year in Bulgaria teaching English starting in August.

The university has consistently been a top producer of undergraduate Fulbright recipients, having had four in 2017-2018 and a total of 31 since 2000–2001.

Visit the Fulbright website to learn more about the selection process and scholarship.

For Students Archive

DUSSJ call for papers

The web-based Drake Undergraduate Social Science Journal (DUSSJ) welcomes paper submissions for the upcoming publication of its 18th edition in spring 2018. Any Drake undergraduate student is welcome to submit a piece that offers an engaging, critical and original analysis pertaining to the departments of the social sciences—Culture and Society; Economics; History; International Relations; Law, Politics, and Society; and Political Science. Students may submit papers that display strong writing skills in a shorter analytic essay of seven pages or less, or they may submit a longer research paper consisting of anything greater in length. Submitted papers should include full citations to all sources used.

Submissions will be reviewed by six members of the editorial board using the method of blind peer review, meaning the author’s identity will be withheld during the process of reviewing submissions. The board reserves the right to edit papers for style or length, and they may request revisions by the author as a condition of acceptance; authors will be given plenty of time to make these revisions.

The deadline for submission is Feb. 19. No more than one submission per person will be considered. Please send your submissions to dussjadvisor@gmail.com. All questions should be directed to this address as well. When submitting a paper, please indicate whether the essay is a research paper or short analytic essay. Also, please indicate the primary discipline and any secondary discipline(s).

— Natalie Bayer, History Department

For Students Archive

Become a peer advocate: VIP accepting applications

The Violence Intervention Partner (VIP) team provides 24/7 advocacy services to anyone in need of support and/or assistance due to sexual assault and/or harassment. The main goal of VIP is to assist student members of the Drake community with compassionate, informed, and confidential sexual assault response support. VIP consists of student advocates who are specially trained to provide appropriate support in incidents of sexual and domestic violence on campus. If you are interested in helping others or you know of a student who would make a great advocate, please apply or encourage them to apply. Applications are due Monday, March 12, at 4 p.m. The online application can be found here.

— Tess Cody, Violence Prevention & Programming

For Students Archive

Sussman Spring Leadership Conference

The Sussman Spring Leadership Conference “Leadership Re-Framed” is Sunday, Feb. 18, in the Upper Olmsted Center. The conference is open to all Drake students. Participants must register in advance. Due to the program format, only 250 students can attend, so be sure to sign-up by Feb. 12. The event is provided at no cost to students due to the generosity of Mr. Richard and Mrs. Lila Sussman. Register here.

Conference agenda:

9:30 – 11 a.m. Check-in and hearty pancake breakfast
11:10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Keynote speaker
12:10 p.m. – 1:55 p.m. Breakout sessions
2 p.m. Ice cream and debrief

For questions, email: ali.jensen@drake.edu.

— Marina Verlengia, Academic Excellence and Student Success

News & Achievements Archive

Urban Plains sweeps BEA category

Student work published on the senior capstone website Urban Plains swept the “small team” category at this year’s Broadcast Education Association Festival of Media Arts. The winners were:

1st Place: Matthew Gogerty, Adam Rogan, and Autumn Meyer; “500 Miles on 500 Dollars”

2nd Place: Autumn Meyer and Daniela Buvat; “Save the Bees, Seriously”

3rd Place: Anne Marie Matte, Nate Sohn, and Autumn Meyer; “Abandoned Midwest”

—Kathleen Richardson, School of Journalism and Mass Communication

HR Information Archive

Wellness screening information

Those on Drake’s health plan can save approximately $300 in 2019 by completing a wellness screening this year. If you are on Drake’s health plan and currently enrolled in the Wellness Premium Incentive Program, you must complete a wellness screening annually to retain your savings. There are three ways to complete your screening:

  1. At a participating Hy-Vee (available July 1—Sept. 15)
  2. On campus through UnityPoint Health (opens Sept. 4 with screening dates in October)
  3. With your physician and fill out a Physician Wellness Screening Results Form

If you have a physical—with bloodwork—between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, the results can be submitted as your wellness screening.

  • Take a copy of the Physician Wellness Screening Results Form to your appointment.
  • Your physician must sign the completed form and you or your physician must fax it to 1-855-827-6307. Results will be forwarded to Wellmark.
  • The signed form must be received by Sept. 30, 2018.
  • It is up to you to ensure your physician’s office submits the appropriate paperwork by the Sept. 30 deadline. To determine whether your paperwork has been received, contact Wellmark on their 24/7 helpline at 1-877-252-8412.

New this year: You will NOT be required to complete an online wellness assessment. You only need to complete the wellness screening to receive the premium incentive.

For questions, contact Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu or 515-271-1880.

—Linda Feiden, Human Resources

HR Information Archive

Food Trends: Fact vs. Myth

The list of good and bad foods changes each year, and it is difficult to determine fact from myth. Are eggs a good source of protein or a cholesterol nightmare? Are carbohydrates healthy or hurtful? Join Anne Cundiff, Hy-Vee dietitian, on Wednesday, Feb. 14, at 10 a.m. in the Olmsted Center, Rooms 310 and 311, as she reveals food facts and myths.

Participants will earn BUILD (Bulldogs United in Learning Drake) credits and be entered into a drawing at the end of the semester.

An online registration form for this class is accessible through the blueView Employee tab, in the Learning and Development Channel under Human Resources.  You may also contact Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu to register.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Nominations for Marshal, Assistant Marshal due March 9

Drake faculty are invited to submit nominations to the Deans’ Council for University Marshal and Assistant Marshal. The marshals oversee and participate in Drake commencement and other ceremonies. Submit nominations by Friday, March 9, prior to Spring Break.

University Marshal: To be eligible for consideration, nominees for University Marshal must 1) hold the rank of professor, 2) be actively engaged in the life of the University through all-university leadership and service, and 3) have regularly attended Drake University commencements.

Assistant Marshal: To be eligible for consideration, nominees for Assistant Marshal must 1) have been recognized by their academic unit or by the University for excellence in teaching, scholarship or service, and 2) have regularly attended Drake University commencements.

The University and Assistant Marshals are appointed by the President, upon the recommendation of the Deans’ Council. The term is for five years, renewable at the discretion of the President. Nominations can be directed to Drinda Williams, administrative assistant to the provost, at drinda.williams@drake.edu.

University Marshal Joseph Schneider, Ellis and Nelle Levitt distinguished professor of sociology and department chair, and Assistant Marshal David Wright, professor of journalism and mass communication, are stepping down as Drake’s Marshals following the 2018 commencement.

—Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost