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.
All posts by Ashton Hockman
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
Procedures for Interacting with Law Enforcement
It is important to know what to do if law enforcement comes to campus to request information or access. Last week faculty and staff received an email highlighting what steps to take should that occur. That information is now posted on the Human Resources internal site here. The key thing to remember is that if law enforcement requests information or access, even with a judicial warrant, the first step is to notify Public Safety at 515-271-2222 and ask law enforcement to wait until an authorized representative is contacted. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the confidentiality of student records and personally identifiable student information and similarly, there are also protections for certain information about employees. To ensure we adhere to these laws and policies, it is important that only authorized individuals respond to requests for information from law enforcement. Please read the guidance carefully. Questions can be directed to Scott Law (scott.law@drake.edu) or Venessa Macro (venessa.macro@drake.edu).
— Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer
New Digital Publication of Blue Magazine
We’re excited to unveil the new digital edition of Blue Magazine, Drake University’s bi-annual alumni magazine. You can explore each story by scrolling through the issue or use the menu in the top right corner to jump to specific articles. Check out the latest issue for inspiring stories on The Ones: Drake’s Campaign for the Brave & Bold, community-driven initiatives from the Jay N. Darling Institute, and a celebration of 50 years of women’s basketball at Drake.
— Bruce Heintz, University Communications & Marketing
All In 24-Hour Giving Challenge March 6–7, Noon to Noon
Mark your calendars! From noon, March 6, to noon, March 7, the All In 24-Hour Giving Challenge returns for its 12th year, continuing a proud Drake tradition.
In celebration of your support, any Drake faculty or staff member that makes a gift during All In will be entered into a drawing for one of the following prizes:
- Free parking pass for Commuter Tier II Parking Lots
- Treats delivered by Griff II for your entire department
- Drake Relays Experience package (Gift card to use at the Relays Tent, VIP Relays Tickets, and more)
- Bucksbaum Experience package (VIP seating, Bucksbaum t-shirt, and more)
- Year-long, individual membership to the Varsity Cinema
- Bulldog Beer Package (4-pack of Bulldog Beer, a Drake-branded pint glass, and more)
- 3×5 Drake Bulldogs Flag
- Drake Belt Bag
- An apple pie baked by Dr. Sue Mattison
Join your fellow faculty and staff and go All In for our Bulldog community on March 6–7. Learn more at all-in.drake.edu.
— Bruce Heintz, University Communications and Marketing
Learn about DU England Faculty-in-Residence position for Fall 2025; info session and student blog
The Fall 2024 cohort of DU England: Drake Semester at Harlaxton started their experience with a fancy-dress, sit-down dinner at the manor house (where they live and learn) for Convocation. Led by Professor Mary M. McCarthy (Department of Political Science), students Camden Eckhoff, Kylie Greer, Isaiah Hulshof, Lizzy O’Neel, and Samantha Pollack are studying topics such as sacred architecture, international law, and Shakespeare, with visits to places like the Lincoln Cathedral, the UK Supreme Court, and Stratford-upon-Avon. You can follow their adventures through Sam’s blog here.
If Harlaxton looks like the adventure you have been looking for, the application for the Fall 2025 Faculty-in-Residence position is currently open.
Attend a faculty information session on Friday, Oct. 4, at 10 a.m., Cowles 201 to learn more. Or if you want to discuss your ideas one-on-one, set up a meeting with Director of Education Abroad, Maria Rohach.
Director of Education Abroad
— Maria Rohach, Global Engagement
National Week Without Driving Challenge
Imagine a world where driving is not an option. How would that change the way you view transportation?
Join in fostering a healthy and inclusive community by taking part in National Week Without Driving, happening Sept. 30 to Oct. 6. This is a week-long challenge for drivers to learn about the barriers and challenges nondrivers face on a daily basis. Nearly a quarter of people in the United States, including those with disabilities, seniors, and low-income individuals, rely on walking, biking, public transit, or asking for rides. Their experiences highlight the importance of connected, accessible, reliable public transit, and safe transportation options for all.
To participate in the challenge, all you need to do is opt out of driving yourself for at least one day the week of Sept. 30 to Oct. 6. After that, you can aim for two days or even the whole week! You can bike, walk, take public transit, or ask for a ride.
Even if you cannot participate in the challenge, this is a great opportunity to reduce your carbon footprint. Check out one of the many sustainable transportation options available at Drake.
- DART: Utilize your DART benefit and ride the DART bus for FREE with your Drake ID. Check out routes and schedules here. Reach out to sustainability@drake.edu or gregory.lin@drake.edu if you want to sit down with someone and find a bus route that works for you.
- BCycle: Drake has partnered with the Street Collective to provide students, faculty, and staff with the opportunity to purchase a $20 annual bike share membership. This means unlimited 30-minute rides on a classic or e-bike. Sign up on the app using a drake.edu email, select annual membership, and enter promo code: bulldogsbike24.
- Drake Bike Library: Drake employees and students can check out a bicycle for the day for free by bringing their Drake ID to the Student Life Center in Olmsted. You must sign a liability waiver and will be given a helmet to wear and a key to the bike lock.
- Walk: Embrace Healthiest State Month and grab your walking shoes! Walk the Bulldog Mile on October 2nd as a part of the Healthiest State Walk and take your chance at winning a prize.
— Hannah Remke, Sustainability Coordinator
Call for proposals for 2026 J-Term travel seminars
Travel Seminars are short-term, faculty-led study abroad (or domestic) experiences. Travel Seminars provide an opportunity to teach a course that integrates an academic experience with intercultural and experiential learning while traveling. Interested in leading a J-Term 2026 travel seminar? Submit your travel seminar proposal by Sunday, Oct. 27, at 11:59 p.m.
This year, there are two Qualtrics options: New Travel Seminar Proposal / Repeat Travel Seminar Proposal. Please review the attached preview of the Qualtrics New Proposal, Repeat Proposal, and the Travel Seminar Guidelines PDFs to prepare for submission. If you plan to submit a proposal, please contact Chelsea Funk, assistant director of education abroad, at chelsea.funk@drake.edu. New Travel Seminars are required to meet with Chelsea to discuss ideas, and repeat Travel Seminars should notify Chelsea of intent to repropose. For questions, contact Chelsea at chelsea.funk@drake.edu.
— Chelsea Funk, Global Engagement
Sign up to get your flu vaccine on campus
The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is partnering with Broadlawns Medical Center Outpatient Pharmacy to offer flu vaccinations on campus in Harvey Ingham, Room 107, for Drake University faculty, staff, and students.
The flu vaccinations are available through a scheduled appointment (strongly preferred), or on a walk-up basis. Walk-up vaccinations will require additional time on the day of vaccination for completion of paperwork. Signing up at least two days in advance is highly encouraged.
Appointments will be offered the following dates/times in Harvey Ingham, Room 107:
- Friday, Sept. 27, 1–4 p.m.
- Monday, Oct. 7, 9 a.m.–12 p.m.
Sign up for a flu vaccination appointment at: https://tinyurl.com/DrakeFlu2024
IMPORTANT:
- Prescription insurance is required for this flu vaccination clinic.
- You must bring your ID and prescription insurance card to your appointment. (We are unable to accept cash/credit card payments for services at this clinic).
- Wear a shirt to your appointment that will allow access to your upper arm.
- COVID vaccines will not be available at this clinic, only flu vaccinations.
Please contact Nora Stelter at nora.stelter@drake.edu with questions.
— Nora Stelter, CPHS
Drake launches College Kickstart blog
The University Communications and Marketing team is excited to share that we are launching a blog called College Kickstart with dozens of articles aimed at reaching prospective students and parents with helpful content that will answer common questions and guide them through their college decision-making journey.
Those articles fall into several categories, which you’ll find in the site’s navigation:
By creating helpful content that addresses commonly asked questions throughout this journey, we will not only position Drake University as a trusted partner, but our SEO-driven approach will make Drake University more discoverable to Google searchers (both prospective students and parents), putting Drake on the radar of prospects that might not have otherwise been looking for us online.
While we have a number of new articles already in the development queue, we welcome ideas for any article that may help answer common questions and hot topics during a prospective student’s or parent’s college decision-making journey.
Contact John Krantz, Strategic Communications Director (john.krantz@drake.edu) with questions or ideas.
— John Krantz, University Communications and Marketing