The final Friday FYS lunch/discussion is Dec. 7 at noon in TMR 133. While these meetings are designed for those currently teaching FYS, we welcome those with an interest in possibly teaching FYS in the future. If you would like to attend please go to: https://fyslunchdec.eventbrite.com and select your lunch preference.
Art Sanders, Associate Provost
The next session in a series on Grant Writing and Research is Tuesday, Dec. 4, at 3:30 p.m. in the Drake Room. The topic of this session is: “How to Prepare IRB Requests.” Anyone is welcome to attend. Participation in previous sessions is not required. There is no need to register.
Art Sanders, Associate Provost
It is a best practice to book international travel by contacting a Short’s agent directly rather than booking online. The agents have extensive experience and can find you the best connections at the best pricing. They can be reached at 877-263-2550.
Also, a reminder that Short’s online portal does not have access to the Southwest Airlines special internet only fares. Short’s may not be able to meet pricing on those fares but will book your ticket at the lowest possible fare they do have available. Note: although Southwest Airlines special internet only fares are not available on Short’s online portal, you can get these fares by contacting a Short’s Travel Agent at 877–263–2550.
If you have a chance, it is a good idea to look up all of your personal frequent flyer account numbers and enter them into your profile.
Caron Findlay, Purchasing and Business Services
The University is coming to the end of its first year offering online programs. In the first year, 95 new online students enrolled in four new online programs. Online Programs is set to offer two new programs in 2019, the Master of Data Analytics Leadership through the College of Business and Public Administration and the Master of Jurisprudence in Compliance and Risk Management through the Law School. We expect that we will have our 100th online student enrolled in the first term of Spring.
This past fall was our largest enrollment yet, with 53 students starting either in Term 1 or Term 2. As we continue to add programs, these numbers will grow. We also already have four graduates. The Master of Art in Communication has had one student graduate this past summer and three are graduating in December.
We are often asked where are our online students living? Our numbers don’t vary much from national averages. The majority of online students come from the Des Moines area and Iowa, although we do have a nice mix nationally. Forty-six percent of our students come from the Des Moines metro area and 22 percent come from the rest of Iowa. The remaining third come from outside of our state, from as far away as Texas and Florida to right next door in Illinois, Missouri, and Minneapolis.
It will be exciting to see if we can get students from every state in the future. In the meantime, if you have any questions regarding our student make-up, please let me know.
Christina Trombley, Online Programs
There are several dates left in 2018 to learn about the progress of current technology projects. The ITS project management team is also already planning for 2019. Please join us for a 15-minute call scheduled for every other Thursday at 10 a.m. on the following dates:
2018
November 29
December 13
2019
January 10
January 24
A full list of 2019 dates can be found on the campus calendar at calendar.drake.edu.
There are two different ways to connect to the meeting:
To both hear and see the presentation, go to the Blackboard Collaborate link and follow the on-screen instructions. Need assistance? See the Join the Bi-Weekly ITS Project Update Meeting (How To) article.
For audio only, call 571-392-7650 and enter PIN# 9060694541.
Contact Kris Brewster, Keren Fiorenza, or Jeff Regan with any questions.
Kris Brewster, ITS
There is an increasing need for online collaboration tools at Drake. This includes everything from shared documents, calendars, announcements, email distribution lists, and conversation tools. ITS has been exploring options that could enable easier collaboration across campus. After careful evaluation, Microsoft Teams (or Teams) stands out as the best option for the University. Teams already exists within our Office 365 platform and integrates seamlessly with other tools we use on campus. Microsoft Teams is a product that combines tools and resources like group chat, calendars, and file sharing to create one location for meaningful teamwork. ITS is just launching an initiative to consolidate the tools and infrastructure used for group work and file sharing into one intuitive and cross-functional system.
The project team has created Microsoft Teams for a few campus organizations and is creating an initial schedule to roll out Teams to departments and other collaborative groups. For each new site, we will work closely with the group to begin using tools, review any existing shared file storage, and migrate shared files to the Cloud as needed.
We will keep you informed on the progress of this project. You can also check the project’s weekly status and watch for regular updates in OnCampus. There’s also a FAQ on the project, which shares more details.
Jeff Regan, ITS
Did you know 40% of food goes to waste in the U.S. each year? At Drake alone, Next Course Food Recovery has recovered over 28,000 pounds of food this year, saving it from going into the landfill and sending it to local agencies who could use it instead. Be a part of this food movement. Attend a training Wednesday, Nov. 28, from 4–5 p.m. in lower Olmsted, TMR132, to learn about Next Course, what we do on campus, and general food waste and ways to fight it—all while getting trained in how to do a food recovery at Drake. Faculty and staff are encouraged to attend as we often need additional volunteers over winter break and J-Term when there are fewer students on campus. Staff are eligible to use their community service leave hours with supervisor permission.
Learn more by visiting the Facebook event. For questions, contact Catie Mullen at catie.mullen@drake.edu.
Catie Mullen, AS’21, Next Course Food Recovery SLA
In light of recent racist incidents, Drake students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to attend a rally of solidarity Wednesday, Nov. 14, from 12–1 p.m., in Helmick Commons. All Drake classes and activities are cancelled from 12–1 p.m. tomorrow so that all of campus—students, faculty, staff, and administrators—can stand together to celebrate diversity at Drake and demonstrate our united commitment to the University’s Statement of Principles. Starting at 10 a.m., there will be materials in the breezeway of Olmsted to make posters for the rally. The Student Equity Action Partners are asking that participants wear black in solidarity, and considering the weather, please make sure your black attire is warm. There will be extra security on campus to ensure that the rally is peaceful and sends a clear message of unity and resilience.
The 2018 United Way Campaign will come to a close this Friday, Nov. 16. As of this morning, we have raised $42,680.55 from 276 participants. If you haven’t yet, please consider making a donation. Even $5 per month makes an impact for community partners providing education, income, and health related services, and remember if we reach out goal of 350 participants and/or 3% across the board increase, President Martin will close campus for a full-day paid holiday the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. To be counted among the participants, please be sure to make your contribution by 4:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 16. Visit the website to learn more and donate.
Ryan Arnold, University Advancement
Three days only, from November 13–15, the University Book Store is having a sale. Outerwear, sweatshirts, sweatpants, ¼ zips, long sleeve tees, diploma frames, and more will be 25% off. Shop in-store or online www.drake.bkstr.com. The Book Store is open from 9 a.m.–5:30 p.m. in the Olmsted Center.
Katie Wilz, University Book Store