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For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Great Colleges To Work For survey FAQ

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Full-time faculty and staff will have the opportunity to participate in The Chronicle of Higher Education’s 2019 Great Colleges to Work For survey.

On Monday, Feb. 25, faculty and staff will receive an email with an invitation to participate in the survey. If you don’t receive it on Feb. 25, check your junk folder or contact Mary Alice Hill, director, HR Partner Services, at maryalice.hill@drake.edu or 271-3676.

What is the Great Colleges to Work For survey?
The Great Colleges to Work For survey is the primary employee survey used by the University to gather feedback on workplace culture.

The survey is administered by ModernThink, a management-consulting firm focusing on workplace quality in higher education, and is sponsored by The Chronicle of Higher Education.

More information about the Great Colleges to Work For survey is available at www.chroniclegreatcolleges.com.

Why should I participate?
Your voice matters and your responses help the University to identify opportunities to improve workplace satisfaction and engagement. Your responses provide valuable insight into employee opinions and needs.

Is participation mandatory?
Participation is voluntary, although we do hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to share your feedback and make sure your voice is heard. A high response rate will help ensure an accurate representation of our community.

Are my responses confidential?
By having a third-party provider facilitate the survey process, your participation and the feedback you provide will be completely anonymous and confidential; no one at Drake will be able to trace results back to individuals. Drake will receive reports summarizing the results, but will not have access to individual response data. Furthermore, ModernThink will not report back results for questions that have less than five respondents.

Learn more by reading The Chronicle’s Great Colleges to Work For Statement of Confidentiality.

When and how do I participate?
The survey period begins Monday, Feb. 25, and ends Monday, March 11. The survey is administered online. Full-time faculty and staff will receive an email invitation to participate in the survey from Great Colleges.

How long will it take to complete the survey?
It typically takes about 15 minutes to complete the survey.

How is the data used and will the results be shared?
A summary of the findings will be shared with employees and will be used to identify our strengths and opportunities for improvement. Several key measures and targets in the University’s continuous improvement plan (CIP), and in many unit-level CIPs, are tied directly to feedback from the survey. For example, Drake is striving to earn a place on the Great Colleges to Work For Honor Roll by 2020. In addition, ModernThink provides valuable benchmark data against which we can compare our results. With this evidence in hand, senior leaders and individual units can make informed, strategic decisions about new initiatives.

Can I complete the survey during work hours?
Yes. Faculty and staff are encouraged to complete the survey during working hours. Completing the survey is an important contribution that you can make to strengthen our campus community.

For questions, contact Mary Alice Hill, director, HR Partner Services, at maryalice.hill@drake.edu or 271-3676, or visit greatcollegesprogram.com.

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Summer course material requests due March 15

Faculty, it’s time to submit your course material requests for summer. The deadline for submitting your materials is March 15. Receiving your list of materials as soon as possible allows the Book Store to source the most affordable books for your students and provide top dollar for students selling books back at the end of this term. With the Book Store’s Online Adoption Tool, selecting your course materials is fast and easy.

Access the Online Adoption Tool
— Visit www.drake.bkstr.com
— Go to Books in the top navigation and under the Information heading, click Online Adoptions.
— If you need additional training to use the Online Adoption Tool, please contact me.

Are You a New User?
— Follow the steps listed above.
— Click on New? Register Here and complete the required fields.
— Enter 1623 in the Bookstore Supplied Password field.

Download the 6 Ways to Help Students Save on Textbooks to learn about Follett’s different types of course material purchasing options. If you have any questions about the Online Adoption Tool or how to save students money, please contact Donna Hallstrom, course materials managers, University Book Store.

Donna Hallstrom, University Book Store

Campus Announcements Archive

Mary Alice Hill named director of HR

Mary Alice Hill will lead the Human Resources function as the director of Human Resources effective March 1, 2019. Mary Alice came to Drake in 2017 as the director of HR Partner Services and co-led the department with Gary Johnson who retired in December.  Mary Alice will continue to be responsible for leading the HR Partner Services function, but will expand her areas of responsibility to include compensation, benefits, and HR systems. More information about the HR team and the services they provide can be found on MyDrake under Human Resources.

Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Bulldog Applause: Spotlight on Athletics

Last month, Drake’s All Staff Council Recognition Committee celebrated the Athletics Department with a surprise treat delivery, compliments of Drake Dining. This spotlight below provides a few facts about the Athletics Department. Thank you to the department for everything they do to make Drake a great place!

How many staff members are in the department? 90

What is the primary function of the team? Do you have a mission/vision/motto?  Our team’s mission is to serve and positively change the world through sport, one student-athlete at a time. Our culture is defined by what we call ‘Living the Bulldog Way’.  The Bulldog Way is articulated through the following touchstone: 

We act with INTEGRITY
We demonstrate an uncompromising COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE
We OUT WORK and OUT HUSTLE our opponent in pursuit of CHAMPIONSHIPS
We desire the BEST FOR and expect the BEST FROM each other
We MAXIMIZE OUR POTENTIAL by ASPIRING TO GREATNESS
WE LIVE THE BULLDOG WAY.

Who has been with the team the longest, and what is their job title and length of employment?  Charlie DiSilvestro, Head Rowing Coach, hired in July of 1993.

Who is the newest team member, and what is their job title and month/year of start? Katie Walker, Assistant Volleyball Coach, started January 24, 2019

What campus buildings do your team members “live” in? Our team occupies offices north of Forest, in the Fieldhouse, Bell Center, Knapp Center, and Roger Knapp Tennis Center.

What are some recent challenges and accomplishments of note that others in the University might not know about? Recently, we were scheduled to host a men’s basketball game on the night of the Polar Vortex. Classes were canceled and offices were closed, but the game would still go on. With the impending weather, we weren’t sure if we would get any fans to the game. Our department collaborated with several other units on campus to generate student interest in attending. Thanks to these partnerships, we were able to safely transport students to and from the game, and provide a fun experience with free food, t-shirts, and music, while setting a season high for student attendance at a single game!  

Anything else noteworthy/interesting/special about your department that bears mentioning?

  • Last semester, our student-athletes posted a cumulative GPA of 3.29 (the strongest fall semester in recorded history)
    • 44 of our 362 student-athletes recorded a 4.0 GPA
    • 71.8% of our student-athletes recorded a GPA of at least 3.0
  • Two student-athletes were named Academic All-Americans (Jacob Bacon, Football; Linda Fiorito, Women’s Soccer)
    • Drake has been recognized with 10 Academic All-Americans since the start of the 2017 school year, the most of any institution in the Missouri Valley Conference
  • Our department is on pace to eclipse 4,000 hours of community service this year (2 years ago, our athletes recorded fewer than 2,400 hours of community service)
  • We strive to get each student-athlete an international study abroad experience with their teams before they graduate.  This year, football took a trip to China, and our men’s and women’s soccer programs traveled to Mexico.  During these experiences, student-athletes participate in an academic course, compete in their respective sports, and serve in the community where they travel.

Cathy Williams, University Advancement

For Staff Archive

All Staff Council Nominations

All Staff Council Nominations for FY2020 are now open. Nominate a fellow staff member for open positions on the Governance, Recognition, Special Event/Community Service, and  Special Interests Committees, as well as the Chair-Elect Position for All Staff Council.  Nominations will close at 5 p.m., Thursday, February 28. Submit a nomination.

Michelle Huggins, Facilities Planning and Management

For Students Archive

Food recovery service opportunity with Next Course

Next Course is a food recovery network on campus where Drake students deliver food from Hubbell to local partner agencies in Des Moines. Recoveries are scheduled for every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Food recovery and food insecurity are complex systems that are intertwined with public health, environmental health, and the community that we live in. This opportunity allows students to engage in meaningful service. Sign up to help with a recovery.

Aspen Walter, BN,AS’ 20

Strategic Updates Archive

Big Ideas: 54 submissions received

The Big Ideas submission deadline was last Friday, and interest from across the University was unprecedented —  54 ideas were received. Many from across campus collaborated in the process and put forth ideas, including approximately 300 faculty, staff, and students who were listed as either project champions or co-champions.

“Each one of the submissions represents thoughtful hours of consideration and collaboration; a true demonstration of Drake’s committed culture,” said John Smith, vice president, University Advancement. “As we celebrate this point of the process, I want to sincerely thank the many members of campus who have shown such enthusiasm and taken great initiative to define the future of the University.”

In the coming months, the Big Ideas Steering Committee — comprised of faculty, staff, administrators, students, and Board representatives – will diligently review and score all ideas. Following the committee’s review, the Board of Trustees will evaluate the scored and recommended ideas during their April meeting.

Ideas moving forward in the process will be announced to campus in May and then further developed into white papers. Once refined, the ideas will undergo feasibility studies and be marketed to external stakeholders, including prospective donors. Those ideas that demonstrate funding potential will become a priority in the next comprehensive fundraising campaign.

Throughout the course of the review, the Steering Committee is committed to a thorough and transparent selection process. Please reach out to a member of the Steering Committee for questions or utilize the comments form on the Big Ideas website.

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Celebrating True Blue staff

Last fall, the All Staff Council Recognition Committee presented Called to Be True Blue Awards to seven deserving staff members. A staff member or team that is True Blue epitomizes the values of excellence, integrity, leadership, teamwork, and commitment to the Drake community. Here’s a little information about our honorees with excerpts from their nominations.

Linda Feiden, Wellness & Recognition Specialist, Human Resources
“Linda is always positive, always smiling, and epitomizes joyful accountability for Drake University.” “Linda truly embodies the word ‘partner’ and is a shining example of someone willing to work across departments to promote new initiatives, build relationships and create our vibrant campus culture. Drake is a better place because Linda works here!”

Jenny Reitano, Director, Graduate Student Programs, CBPA
“When I think of a leader within the CBPA that continuously works together for the betterment of our team, Jenny instantly comes to mind. She is a strategic leader focused on our team goal of fostering a sense of community across graduate programs.”

Diana Newman, Business Manager, CPHS
“Diana epitomizes the values of leadership, teamwork, and integrity, and exhibits her commitment to Drake on a daily basis. We are very fortunate at Drake and in the CPHS to have Diana Newman on our team. She is a deserving employee that has consistently gone above and beyond.”

Suzanne Wisslead, Assistant Director, Admission
“Suzanne surpasses expectations when questions arise…and never under delivers! I appreciate her view of bettering Drake University from the very first point of contact.”

Marina Verlengia, Director, New Student and Parent Programs, Academic Excellence and Student Success
“Marina is an incredible member of the Drake community who made an instant impact in her very first year here, and continues to challenge herself to grow programs, try new things, and improve the impact of her programs on students.”

Erin Bell, Live Mascot Director, Athletics
“From striving to find new and unique ways to share Griff with the world, to always being friendly and warm with our constituents and fellow staff, to saying yes and finding ways to squeeze in one more appearance in a jam packed calendar to embodying our mission, Drake is lucky to have Erin Bell.” “Erin Bell not only shows us all what it means to be True Blue, she is forging a path to inspire all of us to go beyond that and to help those around us.”

Congratulations to all of our True Blue honorees!

Do you know of a staff member or department that has gone above and beyond to exemplify True Blue spirit? Nominate them today!

HR Information Archive

Stop Stress This Minute program

Are you stressed out just thinking about managing your stress? You’re not alone. But managing stress is not as hard as you think.

Join the Stop Stress This Minute program to gain valuable tools to help you conquer your stress. During this eight-week program you will receive a copy of the book Stop Stress This Minute by James Porter and a variety of stress management resources. Each week you will read portions of the book, complete a short quiz, record your stressors, and list any stress management activities you tried during the week. 

Stop Stress This Minute runs Monday, Mar. 11 through Sunday, May 5. There is a limit of 25 in this program so don’t wait! To register, send an email to linda.feiden@drake.edu. Last day to register is Friday, Mar. 8, 2019.

Linda Feiden, Wellness & Recognition Specialist

For Students Archive

Engaged Campus Award nominations due March 4

Do you know of a Drake student, faculty, staff, or alumni doing great work in the community? Nominate them for an Engaged Campus Award.

Nominations are due March 4. Awards will be presented at the Iowa Campus Compact Engaged Campus Awards and Summit on Monday, April 29, at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. Mandi McReynolds, director of community relations and the Foundation at Principal will be the keynote speaker. Submit a nomination.

Amanda Martin, Assistant Director of Community Engaged Learning