All posts by Ashton Hockman

HR Information Archive

Holiday Trimmings challenge

Holiday Trimmings is a six-week program designed to encourage you to maintain or lose weight over the holiday season. If you have trouble dodging festive, yet fattening foods like pecan pie, sausage stuffing, and egg nog, this challenge is for you.

Beginning and ending weights will be recorded and throughout the challenge you will receive healthy holiday tips. Everyone who maintains or loses weight will be placed in a drawing for a chance to win prizes.

For more information, or to register to participate, please send an email to Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu with the subject line “Holiday Trimmings.”  Deadline to register is Thursday, Nov. 15.

A packet of information will be sent to those who register. Read through the packet carefully and start the challenge on Monday, Nov. 19.

Let’s make this a happy and healthy holiday season!

Linda Feiden, Human Resources

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Upcoming Tech Tuesdays

Upcoming Tech Tuesdays: Learn about Blackboard, Effective Online Searches, Qualtrics, and Data
These 50-minute professional development sessions for faculty and staff are designed to provide you with resources to help you use technology more efficiently in your job (and possibly your life). All sessions will include time for Q&A. Register for Tech Tuesday sessions.

Assessing Learners in Blackboard
Tuesday, Nov. 6, at 10 a.m. or 1 p.m.

Delve into learning about a multitude of student creation tools for assessing learning. Instructors will learn how to manage assignments, tests, and other assessments.

Internet Search Best Practices
Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 1 p.m.

This session will help you hone your abilities to navigate massive amounts of information online, be a better searcher, find quality sources, and be more confident with online technology. Participants will receive 1 hour of BUILD credit for attending this session.

Making Qualtrics Work For You
Tuesday, Nov. 27, at 1 p.m.

This session will briefly introduce how to use Qualtrics and move on to investigate how you can use it in your work. Participants will receive 1 hour of BUILD credit for attending this session.

Data Driven Decision Making
Tuesday, Dec. 4, at 1 p.m.

Come learn about the ways that different offices are using information from the Drake University Business Intelligence Portal with staff from the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment.

Register for these sessions and learn about future sessions.

Carla Herling, ITS

HR Information Archive

BUILD for Managers: Bringing core values to life

Join this interactive session with Scott Raecker, Executive Director of the Robert D. and Billie Ray Center, and learn how to integrate Drake’s core values into your team’s work experiences. Scott will share tips on how to have intentional conversations about values and bring them to life in day-to-day interactions across campus. This session will be on Thursday, Nov. 1, from 9–10:30 a.m. in Olmsted Center, Room 310. Register online.

Debra Wiley, Human Resources

News & Achievements Archive

Chris Ditter awarded MASFAA state leadership award

Chris Ditter, Associate Director of Student Financial Planning, was recently awarded the State Leadership Award for Iowa at the annual conference of the Midwest Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (MASFAA) in Minneapolis, MN.

The State Leadership Award is presented annually to recognize the outstanding leadership of a member from each of the 9 states within MASFAA. The recipients must have made outstanding contributions to the financial aid profession at the state and regional levels over a sustained period of time, i.e., seven years or more. Leadership at the regional level is not the only criterion for this award, and the selection process will not be limited to current state elected leaders.

The individuals selected for this award must: exhibit high integrity and character; have shown creative leadership; have inspired and encouraged others to participate actively in professional development activities; have sustained active involvement in professional organizations, and have supported the goals and objectives of MASFAA.

Chris has been involved with the Iowa Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (IASFAA) for many years, having served as President for 2016-17, co-chairs the Electronic Services committee, and previously served as Treasurer and chaired the Exhibitor Relations committee. She also just finished serving on the MASFAA Board as the State Representative for Iowa this previous year.

Kristi Fuller, Student Financial Planning

Featured Events Archive

Innovation, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship week continues

If you missed Station 1 Record’s Showcase or the Community Coffee, don’t worry, we have you covered. There are still a few events to go this week where you can learn about innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship across campus.

Wednesday, Oct. 31 – Join the Drake Innovators in the Innovation Studio (124C Meredith) at 5 p.m. for pizza and then embark on a scavenger hunt that will have you searching across campus for secret items! There are two $25 Amazon cards and other prizes!

Thursday, Nov. 1 – Come to Upper Olmsted to hear Dr. Stacy Gnacinski give a talk about her research on performance psychology.

Friday, Nov. 2 – First, the 2018 Lorentzen Hatchery cohort will be speaking about their experience in the Hatchery and about growing their businesses over the last several months. We will have special guests from the community as well as Mr. John Lorentzen (Drake B.A. and B.S.B.A in Political Science, Economics, and Management, 1977). The presentations start at 9 a.m. in Levitt Hall, Old Main, and continue until about 11 a.m.

Then join us in the Cowles Library Reading Room at 2 p.m. for the Creativity and Innovation Fair. Find out about the innovative projects that students from across campus are working on. We will also have special guests from Hoover High School talking about their entrepreneurial research and projects.

Saturday, Nov. 3 – The Bark Tank Pitch Competition. The Bark Tank is a fast-paced pitch competition where students pitch their innovation or business idea, or their existing business, to a panel of community judges for up to $750 in prizes. Visit tank or check the Drake University official calendar for more information and to register.

If you have any questions about any of these events, they can be found on the Drake University Calendar, on Facebook, or email innovation@drake.edu.

Stephanie Cardwell, Entrepreneurship Centers

HR Information Archive

Open enrollment period ongoing

Drake’s Annual Open Enrollment Period began Oct. 19.  If you haven’t already done so, please visit the Benefits Portal in myDrake to make benefit elections for the 2019 Plan Year.

As noted previously, you are not required to visit the Benefits Portal if you do not wish to make changes to your medical, dental, or wellness participation.  However, if you wish to participate in Drake’s flexible spending account plans during 2019, YOU MUST make a new election in the Benefits Portal. Additionally, it is important to ensure your basic and voluntary life insurance beneficiary information is correct in the Benefits Portal.

Please note you will periodically receive emails from Drake’s online benefit enrollment system during the annual open enrollment period. Emails promoted by eBenefits Edge will be provided via the address below, and should not be disregarded as SPAM.

SBDEBEANALYST <SBDEBEANALYST@exchange.principal.com>

Should you have questions, please contact Diana at 515-271-1871 or Marlene at 515-271-1901. Benefit elections for the 2019 Plan Year must be made on or before Nov. 30, 2018.

Marlene Heuertz, Human Resources

Featured Events Archive, For Students Archive

Psychology and Neuroscience Research Panel

Join Psi Chi, Drake’s psychology honor society, as we hold a panel with representatives of the psychology and neuroscience department research labs on Monday, Oct. 30, from 4:30–5:30 p.m. in Olin, Room 101.

The panel is designed to bring awareness to the different types of research laboratories in the psychology and neuroscience department in order for students to have the opportunity to become involved in research, learn more about their respective faculty members, and gain overall research insight.

We will discuss current projects from each lab and talk about opportunities for student research assistants.

Each faculty member will speak about the different kinds of research occurring in his or her laboratory and there will be time at the end for an open question format.

In addition, attendees will be provided with pamphlets outlining each faculty member’s research laboratory.

Learn about the opportunities available for you!

Breya Whitefield, AS’18

For Students Archive

Olmsted Halloween Spooktacular

This Halloween, SAB and RHA are hosting our first ever Spooktacular! From 7–9 p.m., all of Olmsted will be filled with frights. Creep on over for Student Group Performances, Free Movie: Hereditary (7 p.m. in Sussman Theater), Zombie Burger Bar, Costume Contest, Pumpkin Painting, Silent Disco, Laser Tag, Escape Room, and, of course, PRIZES! Bring a Drake ID for entry.

Adam Koch, AS’21

For Students Archive

There’s still time to take the ITS student phishing quiz

Now through Nov. 2, ITS is holding our Student Phishing Quiz, a contest where Drake students can learn about how to identify phishing emails and fraudulent websites and learn how to keep their information safe online. The first 500 people to take the quiz will win a certificate for a free taco courtesy of Taco John’s. Everyone who completes the quiz will be entered to win one of ten additional prize packages.

There are still some tacos left, so act quickly. Visit www.drake.edu/its/phish today.

Peter Lundstedt, ITS

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Survey of Administrative Services update

Thank you to all who participated in the Survey of Administrative Services.  Your feedback has been immensely helpful as we pursue our goal to elevate service excellence.

The results have been shared with each applicable unit leader with the intent to:

  • Celebrate the positives
  • Constructively view the negatives
  • Prioritize areas for improvement

The survey tool itself is not punitive, rather in keeping with our Generosity of Spirit, it assists us to continuously improve. In the coming months, you’ll see each applicable unit sharing back on the bullet points above.

As always, please ask questions—my door is always open.

Nate Reagen, Office of the President