All posts by Ashton Hockman

HR Information Archive

Free online financial program

Drake is offering faculty and staff free access to the online financial training program, Financial Fitness Challenge, through the Financial Fitness Group and funded by the Iowa Insurance Division. This Financial Fitness Academy™ is an easy and fun way to learn how to improve your unique financial situation.

Faculty and staff may complete the program at their own pace. It is simple and convenient with 24/7 access on all Internet-connected smartphones, tablets, and computers. Once enrolled, participants will complete a 10-minute confidential Financial Fitness Checkup™. Based on the results, they will receive some learning recommendations, but ultimately they can choose what is most interesting to them. There are over 400 Academy™ tutorials to choose from covering budgeting, saving, the basics of investing, retirement planning, financial planning, and much more. Participants can complete as many tutorials as they wish during the eight-week program. At the end of the program, they will complete another Checkup™ to track their progress. All responses are private and confidential.

If you are interested in participating, contact Linda Feiden by Wednesday, Sept. 20, at linda.feiden@drake.edu.

—Linda Feiden, Human Resources

HR Information Archive

Bulldog Pack Rewards Program

Bulldog Pack Rewards Program is a points-based scorecard dedicated to helping you enhance your quality of life in five areas: physical, financial, community, social, and occupational. Earn points by participating in various activities and making healthy choices. Reach 100 points between Sept. 15 and June 1, 2018, and be placed in a drawing for a chance to win your choice of prizes from a wellness catalog.

The Bulldog Pack Rewards Program scorecard is available to all full-time and part-time faculty and staff, regardless of enrollment in the Drake Medical Plan. Click here for instructions on how to access the scorecard and start earning points now.

Please note that the annual biometric/wellness screenings and online wellness assessment are separate from this scorecard. These two items are only for current employees on Drake’s medical plan and must be completed annually to receive the wellness premium incentive.

For more information, contact Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu.

—Linda Feiden, Human Resources

HR Information Archive

Schedule your biometric screening today

The Hy-Vee wellness screening option has ended. If you haven’t completed a biometric screening yet and wish to be included in the early bird drawing, you may still complete a screening with your physician as long as you or your doctor fax the completed Physician Wellness Screening Results Form by Sept. 30.

The online registration form for on campus wellness screenings with UnityPoint is open. To guarantee a slot, register early. The screenings will be held between 6:30 and 10:45 a.m. in the lower level of the Olmsted Center on Oct. 4-6, 9, 11, 13, 17, and 19.  To schedule a screening, log in with the username DRAKE and password SCREEN (in all caps).

If you registered for an on-campus screening but don’t remember your appointment date and time, check your received, spam, or deleted email folders for an email confirmation from UnityPoint with the subject: Health Screen Confirmation. It would have been delivered to the email address you entered on your registration. Questions regarding the on-campus UnityPoint screenings should be sent to unitypointhealth.desmoines@gmail.com.

If you need to cancel an on-campus screening, send an email to jennifer.umphfleet@unitypoint.org with your name, date, and time of appointment you wish to cancel. You will need to re-register online for a new appointment. Changes can be made up to 48 hours prior to the appointment, if slots are still available.

If you have already completed your biometric screening, don’t forget to complete your online wellness assessment on wellmark.com by Nov. 17.

Additional information about this year’s biometric screenings and wellness assessments (including copies of the Physician Wellness Screening Results Form) can be found under the employee tab of blueView. The Wellness Portal is on the right-hand side of the employee page.

If you are on Drake’s health plan, you must complete a biometric screening and wellness assessment annually to retain your wellness premium discount, which is a savings of approximately $300. For questions, contact Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu or 271-1880.

—Linda Feiden, Human Resources

HR Information Archive

Register for the 2017–2018 BUILD program

Registration for the learning and development program, Bulldogs United In Learning Drake (BUILD), is available on the Employee tab in blueView.

The BUILD program includes a variety of learning opportunities for faculty and staff who want to enhance their skill sets and learn more about Drake. Through BUILD, faculty and staff can:

  • Pursue lifelong learning with professional development workshops and skill-building opportunities
  • Understand their benefits and learn how to make the most of them
  • Improve their health and overall wellness
  • Strengthen their management and leadership abilities
  • Connect with colleagues from across campus

A list of BUILD sessions can be found here. Individuals who participate in the sessions, ITS’s Tech Tuesdays, and additional sessions announced throughout the year will be entered into drawings to receive prizes.

While online registration is available through blueView (listed under Learning and Development), registration is requested, not required.

—Debra Wiley, Human Resources

Campus Announcements Archive

Rec Services update

Group X
Group X offers a variety of fun and effective fitness classes for students, faculty, and staff. Classes are held in the Fitness Studio at the Bell Center. Go to www.IMLeagues.com or download the app on your phone to see the weekly schedule and register for a class. Hard copies of the schedule are also available in the Bell Center.

Bulldog Swim Challenge
The Bulldog Swim Challenge has begun. Set goals and record your annual swim mileage for a chance to receive prizes and bragging rights. Swimmers who track the most distance will earn their name on the Bulldog Swim Challenge Leader board. New participants are welcome at any time. Register by emailing wellness@drake.edu.

—Ellen Lowe, Recreational Services

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

From the office of Associate Provost Art Sanders

The first of the monthly Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) lunches will be Friday, Sept. 29, at 12 p.m. in the Olmsted Center, TMR 133. The discussions are open to those engaged in SoTL projects, at any level, from just thinking about starting one to almost complete, or those simply curious about SoTL. Participants are encouraged to share ideas, seek advice, or ask questions of colleagues engaged in this process.

This year, members of ITS will attend to provide information about SoTL projects that might involve technology usage.

To receive a lunch, register here by Tuesday, Sept. 26, at 10 a.m. For questions, contact arthur.sanders@drake.edu.

—Art Sanders

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive, For Students Archive

Spanish and German language conversation hours

German Conversation Hours
All faculty, staff, and students interested in using or strengthening their German speaking skills are welcome to join a bi-weekly Stammtisch (a German word meaning an informal group or friendly get-together). The group will meet at the Drake Diner biweekly on Thursdays beginning Sept. 28 at 6:30 p.m. The Stammtisch welcomes all people at all levels of the German language experience.

For more information, contact Associate Professor Marc Pinheiro-Cadd at marc.pinheiro-cadd@drake.edu.

Spanish Conversation Hours
All levels of Spanish speakers from all areas of the Drake community are welcome to participate in Spanish Conversation Hours, a free, informal setting for practicing Spanish. Spanish Conversation Hours are scheduled four times a week and are held in Meredith Hall, Room 204:

Mondays, 1–2 p.m.
Wednesdays, 2–3 p.m.
Thursdays, 10–11 a.m.
Fridays, from 12–1 p.m.

The group warmly supports all participants with opportunities for practicing Spanish; no long-term commitment is required to attend. A native speaker facilitates the conversation in Spanish in a casual atmosphere. Don’t worry if you haven’t spoken in Spanish for a decade, or ever; all participants are on the language-learning journey.

For more information, contact Assistant Professor Inbal Mazar at Inbal.Mazar@Drake.edu.

—Dorothy Pisarski, Associate Professor of Advertising

Campus Announcements Archive

Professional headshot drop-in hours

University Communications will host a monthly drop in session for professional headshots. The reoccurring photo session will take place from 8 to 10 a.m. on the first Monday of every month at the University Communications office located at 1229 25th St. The first session will take place Monday, Oct. 2.

For questions, contact: Genna Clemen, genna.clemen@drake.edu

—Justice Simpson, University Communications

 

Campus Announcements Archive

Campus pet policy

As a reminder and pursuant to University policy, pets are not allowed in campus buildings unless they are part of a controlled science lab or are service/assistance animals accommodating a person with a disability.

Questions about this policy or any related policy or procedure, and/or requests for accommodations to academic, living, working, transportation, or other arrangements, may be directed to:

—Venessa Macro, Finance & Administration

Campus Announcements Archive

ITS Banner 9 project update

The majority of administrative and personal data at Drake comes from a central application, called Banner, or more commonly known as DUSIS (Drake University Shared Information System). Banner contains student, faculty, and staff information around financial aid, human resources, and registration. It connects with most campus systems including Blackboard, Webprint, and Drake Card.

The technology that our current version of Banner is built on is being phased out. In December 2018, it will no longer be supported. Because of the central role of Banner, Drake needs to upgrade to the latest version, Banner 9, which will be a multi-year project.

A project team has been formed that includes representatives from ITS, Office of Admission, Office of the Registrar, Financial Aid, Human Resources, Business and Finance, and Institutional Research. The team is coordinating efforts with other administrative and academic areas to ensure that the upgrade goes smoothly.

Over the next year, the project team will be working behind the scenes, along with our business partner Ellucian, Banner’s parent company. During this time, the preparation work of testing, creating training plans, and technical development, will not directly affect campus. All systems that connect to Banner will continue operating normally throughout this phase of the project.

The Banner project team will update campus regularly, with targeted communications to regular Banner users. Additional communication channels are being developed to allow more transparency into the process. Watch OnCampus for further information in the coming months.

—Keren Fiorenza, ITS