Drake will host the Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest Sept. 15–16 at the Olmsted Center. This annual contest is put on by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of Interior and the winning art will be reproduced as a stamp to be sold nationwide, with proceeds going to support wetland conservation. To date, proceeds from stamp purchases have earned $1.2 billion and protected more than six million wetland and wildlife refuge acres. Submitted artwork from across the country will be on display at the Olmsted Center on Friday, Sept. 15, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 16, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend the contest to see the artwork. A panel of five noted art, waterfowl, and stamp authorities will judge the competition.

The contest is coming to Drake as part of its legacy with Darling. In 1934, Darling created the nation’s first Federal Duck Stamp under an appointment with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In 1949, the tradition of inviting artists from around the United States to submit their designs began, and with it, a vital contribution to America’s wetlands and wildlife refuges.

Today, Drake University works to inspire the next generation of conservationists through Darling’s work, serving as the home of the Jay N. Darling Institute. Drake established the institute in 2021 with a mission of providing educational and scholarly expertise for rural communities to improve access to quality health care and education, nutritious food, unimpaired natural resources, and ongoing economic and cultural opportunities. Drake is also a proud steward of a significant portion of Darling’s artwork and papers. His inspirational artwork will be on display during the Duck Stamp contest.

Drake is proud to be a sponsor of the 38th annual Des Moines Civil & Human Rights Symposium: “Level Up for Justice.”

The symposium will be held on campus at the Olmsted Center on Friday, Oct. 27, from 8 a.m.–4 p.m. The kick-off event will be on Thursday, Oct. 26. Drake students, faculty, and staff are invited to register and attend for free at https://LevelUpSymposium2023.eventbrite.com. Select the general admission ticket option, and use the promo code DrakeTicket2023.

About the Event

Everyone begins the game of life from different starting points, and many people from marginalized communities often start with additional barriers. How can we adequately equip ourselves to create equitable outcomes? How can individual players get involved in “multiplayer” work? No matter where we are in our own journey for social justice, this year’s Civil & Human Rights Symposium aims to provide ways we can advance to the next level and find solutions where everyone wins. The symposium is organized into three tracks based on that belief:

• Process Your Power: Women’s Rights,
• Dynamics of Disability Rights,
• Voices from our Youth: LGBTQ+ and Refugee and Immigrant Youth Voices

Additionally, there will be two panel discussions facilitated by members of the City of Des Moines Youth Advisory Board centered around the importance of youth mentorship and environmental justice/climate action. 

More information about this year’s symposium can be found at dsm.city/CHRSymposium.

— Ryan Arnold, Director, Community Engagement 

Update as of July 25, 2023:

• TIAA notified the University that personal identifiable information of approximately 650 current and former employees may have been exposed through the MOVEit Transfer data breach. TIAA indicated that Pension Benefit Information, LLC, one of its vendors, was impacted by the incident. Affected individuals will receive a notification letter directly from Pension Benefit Information (PBI) via postal mail. The vendor is offering free credit monitoring for two years to each of the individuals impacted.
• NSC has informed Drake that personal data, which may include name, date of birth, and academic transcripts, of current and former students may have been breached. Impacted students and alumni will be notified via postal mail. Please read any notices you receive carefully.

This page will be updated as more information becomes available.

Original alert posted June 10, 2023:

Cybersecurity incident alert related to third-party breaches

Drake University has been notified by two of the University’s service providers, National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) and Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association (TIAA), that certain personally identifiable information and data of some members of our community may have been impacted by the MOVEit Transfer tool vulnerability that is affecting millions across the country. The scope and extent of this data breach is still under investigation. This message shares what we know to date.

MOVEit Transfer is a third-party software used by NSC to support the transfer of data files. Read an update from NSC that shares what files and data are suspected to be affected.

TIAA has stated that no information was obtained from TIAA systems. However, one of its vendors uses the MOVEit Transfer tool, and some participant data may have been exposed through that third party.

The University takes data privacy and security very seriously and is working diligently with its cybersecurity team as well as NSC and TIAA to determine the full scope of the incident and response. If it is determined that Drake community members were affected by this attack, appropriate action will be taken, including notifications. 

It is important to note that Drake University systems were not impacted. Once notified of the breach, the University took immediate action to verify its systems were secure. As more information becomes available, we will provide updates on this page, in the OnCampus newsletter, and via email to faculty, staff, and students. In the meantime, we urge all campus community members to follow these steps to protect their information and stay safe online:

• Regularly monitor your credit score and online accounts.
• Use multifactor authentication (MFA) everywhere it is available. Using multiple factors to authenticate into an account makes it more difficult for hackers to access your accounts.
• Be vigilant in spotting phishing attacks. Don’t open or respond to suspicious or unsolicited phone calls, emails, or texts. If you believe you’ve been targeted by a phishing attack, see Reporting a Phishing Message (How-to).
• Consider placing a temporary credit freeze at no cost, as described in this US Government alert: https://www.usa.gov/credit-freeze. This will protect you in the event of any potential fraudulent attempts to open credit in your name.