All posts by Ashton Hockman

Strategic Updates Archive

An update from the director of online programming

Recently, there has been quite a bit of activity for Drake’s online programs. These past months have been busy as we try to set up a seamless operation between HigherEducation.Com, our Online Program Manager (OPM), and Drake. I know that there are a lot of questions, so hopefully this update will answer most, if not all, of them.  However, if you still have questions regarding the launch or the programs, contact me at christina.trombley@drake.edu.

The launch

The launch will be Monday, Oct. 30. We were hoping for it to be this week, but several critical factors still needed to be worked out, so the date was pushed back. Launching these programs means that the marketing will begin, the application will go live, and HE.com will begin working with potential students. Although later than projected, launching on Oct. 30 is still within a timeframe designed to provide us with a core group of students in the spring.
Kickoff event canceled 

The hurricane in Florida cancelled our efforts for a kickoff event here at the campus.  At this time, there are no plans for HE.com to come to campus for an event. Our time is better spent ensuring our processes are integrated and running smoothly. Several teams at both institutions have been working closely together to make this happen.

Online offerings

The Master of Arts in Communication and the Master of Science in Education–Literacy Education will be the first full programs offered online. English as a Second Language, Talented and Gifted, and Reading/Reading Specialist endorsements will also be offered fully online. The next programs currently scheduled for online are the Master in Public Administration and Data Analytics Leadership, with a few more in the discussion phase.  We are looking at additional opportunities, so if you and your faculty have ideas or suggestions, I would welcome them.

Planning to teach an online course?

Faculty and adjuncts who plan on teaching for online programs are expected to complete two online training modules in Quality Matters: “Evaluating Your Course Design” and “Orienting Your Online Learners.” Faculty and instructors who successfully complete the training will receive a $500 stipend. Seats are limited, so interested faculty and instructors should contact me prior to participation. I am working to set up new sessions, so if you have faculty who would like to participate, please have them contact me by Wednesday, Oct. 25.

Guides and processes

Finally, several operational processes and practices have to be developed. We have plans to develop a Faculty Guide that will provide information regarding working with instructional designers, plans to develop and share tools and worksheets that help with designing online courses, and plans to create student program worksheets to help with advising, just to name a few. All of these will take time, and our number one priority is getting the launch set.

Watch OnCampus for more updates. For questions or additional information, please contact me at christina.trombley@drake.edu.

—Christina Trombley, Online Programming

Campus Announcements Archive

ITS Phishing quiz coming soon

Between Oct. 30 and Nov. 17, ITS will be holding its annual Phishing Quiz, a contest where Drake students, faculty, and staff can learn how to identify phishing emails and fraudulent websites. The first 300 people to take the quiz will win a certificate for a free taco courtesy of Taco Johns. Everyone who completes the quiz will be entered to win one of six additional prize packages. Visit drake.edu/its/phish to take the quiz starting Oct. 30.

Additionally, ITS will have a table in the Olmsted Breezeway on Oct. 30, Nov. 1, Nov. 7, and Nov. 9 from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Spin the prize wheel and answer a phishing question for a chance to win an additional prize.

The goal of this campaign is to empower the campus community to be able to keep both their personal data and Drake’s institutional data secure. It takes a campus working together to keep everyone safe. Thank you for doing your part.

—Peter Lundstedt, ITS

Campus Announcements Archive

Changes to University Communications photography services

University Communications is no longer able to staff a student-run photo bureau. Because of this, we need to restructure the photography and video services we offer our campus partners. We have updated the Photography/Videography section of the UC toolkit to include information regarding:

  • Accessing General Drake Photography & Headshots
  • Headshot Sessions
  • Event Photography
  • Independently Contracted Photography (Professional and Student Photographers)
  • Project-Based Photography & Videography

If you have any questions regarding these changes, contact Jeremy Sievers at 271-2795 or jeremy.sievers@drake.edu.

—Jeremy Sievers, University Communications

For Students Archive

First-generation student session and lunch

Did you know that approximately 10­–14 percent of Drake’s student body consist of first-generation college students? The Office of New Student Programs is inviting this ambitious and driven student group to share their college experience at upcoming discussion sessions. The sessions will help the Office of New Student Programs to grow and develop its support and resources for first-generation students.

Monday, Oct. 23: First-year students and sophomores who are first-generation students are invited to a discussion session from 10 to 11 a.m. in the Upper Olmsted Conference Room. Coffee and snacks will be provided. RSVP by Oct. 18 at 5 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 25: Juniors and seniors who are first-generation students are invited to a discussion session from 10 to 11 a.m. in the Drake Room of Olmsted. Coffee and snacks will be provided. RSVP by Oct. 18 at 5 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 27, pizza lunch: first-generation students, faculty, and staff are invited to a lunch discussion at 11:30 a.m. in Cowles Library, Room 201. Pizza will be provided.

During these sessions, participants will have an opportunity to share their college experience and connect with other first-generation students. For questions or more information on the meetings, email orientation@drake.edu.

ICYMI: Watch a video in which faculty, staff, and students share stories and advice on the first-generation experience, and read about the University’s efforts to support this student group.

—Marina Verlengia, New Student Programs

For Students Archive

Clean out your closet and help clothe fellow residents in need

The Winter Warmth Drive is back at Drake, Oct. 18 through Nov. 2. The drive collects winter clothing for local young people in need, as well as homeless and refugee metro residents. Please donate new or gently used winter coats, hats, gloves, scarves, blankets, snow pants, and snow boots; infant through adult sizes are welcome. The Winter Warmth Drive is sponsored by the Christian Legal Society.

Clothing donation collection boxes will be located throughout campus beginning Oct. 18. For more information on the drive, please visit: winterwarmthdrive.org, or contact matthew.lepke@drake.edu.

—Matthew Lepke

For Students Archive

Bring your business idea to life: Apply for the Lorentzen Student Hatchery

In the Lorentzen Student Hatchery, Drake students spend a summer building their own business. The Hatchery provides a unique opportunity for any Drake student––undergraduate or graduate––to earn up to $10,000 over the 2018 summer while working for themselves. Both teams and individuals are welcome to apply. The last of the informational sessions will be held Tuesday, Oct. 24, at 6 p.m. in Meredith Hall in the Innovation Studio, Room 124C.

Applications for the 2018 cohort are due Monday, Oct. 30, and presentations are scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 7. Students invited to participate in the 2018 Hatchery will have the opportunity to meet John C. Lorentzen, the 1977 Drake graduate who proposed and funded the student hatchery program, on Friday, Nov. 10, when the 2017 Hatchery cohort makes their presentations.

Visit the College of Business and Public Administration website to learn more and download an application, or contact the Entrepreneurship Centers at jpec@drake.edu.

—Stephanie Cardwell, Entrepreneurship Centers

News & Achievements Archive

Gamma Iota Sigma fraternity brings home awards

The Chi Chapter of Gamma Iota Sigma (GIS) at Drake received the following outstanding and notable awards at the 46th Annual GIS International Conference in Dallas on Sept. 28–30. Gamma Iota Sigma is an international risk management, insurance, and actuarial science collegiate fraternity.

 

The Edison L. Bowers Award
The highest honor a chapter can receive. The award recognizes the GIS chapter that demonstrated an exceptional, well-rounded, and organized program throughout the past academic year.

Superior Chapter Award
Recognizes chapters that have excelled in all areas of chapter management.

Black and Gold Award
Presented to any chapter for single achievements or events considered exceptional and possible only through extensive planning, organization, and participation by a significant number of the chapter’s members. This award was received for the Paint Your Future service event and Mock Career Fair event.

Individual member awards:

Kate McCoy – Alan C. Williams Award
Recognizes the individual member of GIS that sets the best example for all other members and is the best “ambassador” to the insurance, risk management, and/or actuarial science industries at the international level as well as at the local and regional levels. This is the highest honor that can be bestowed on any member of GIS, and it is only presented when there is a worthy recipient.

Trevor Carlson – Thomas J. Miles Actuarial Award
Recognizes an individual member of GIS that best represents the qualities of scholarship, leadership, character, and service exemplified by Dr. Miles.

—Dianna Gray, College of Business and Public Administration

News & Achievements Archive

Drake students selected for World Food Prize Foundation internships

The World Food Prize Foundation announced in September that Lauren Blum, a third-year pharmacy student from Groveland, Ill.; Madeline Cheek, a senior writing and anthropology major from Barrington, Ill; Caroline Hogan, a junior public relations major from Edina, Minn.; Sarah Schroeder, a senior strategic political communications major from Waukee, Iowa; and Gustav Swanson, a junior international business and marketing major from Chicago, Ill.; are among the 15 students to be selected as The World Food Prize’s George Washington Carver Interns for the fall 2017.

The students will work alongside an individual staff mentor at the Foundation to plan and execute many of the Foundation’s events and programs. They will help to plan the Borlaug Dialogue International Symposium, guide the Global Youth Institute, stage the Iowa Hunger Summit, and welcome Laureates, government officials, business leaders, and research scientists from more than 40 countries.

Read the news release for more information.