Please save the date for Patsy Johnson’s retirement reception on Oct. 29, from 2–4 p.m. in the Dial Center large conference room. Patsy is retiring Oct. 31 after nearly 33 years of passionate service to Drake, most recently as Information Security Specialist. Join us to wish Patsy well.
Peter Lundstedt, ITS
Please join Cowles Library faculty and staff as we welcome new dean, Gillian Gremmels, and celebrate our newly renovated main floor from 3—5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 2. We will provide tours of the new space, along with hors d`oeuvres and drinks. Guests will receive one drink ticket for beer or wine, and tea, coffee and water will also be served.
Leslie Noble, Cowles Library
Earlier in the month, Drake’s All Staff Council Recognition Committee celebrated the Office of the Registrar team with a surprise treat delivery, compliments of Drake Dining. This spotlight provides a few fast fact about the Registrar’s Office. Thank you to the team for everything they do to make Drake a great place.
Office of the Registrar
Staff: 7 staff members
Longest serving team member: Nancy Geiger, Student Information Analyst, started in 1984—There are no words to describe how valuable.
Newest team member: Michael Kline, started in 2017
What has the Office of the Registrar been working on that the Drake community should know about? We recently completed an office restructure to support our transition from Office of Student Records to the Office of the Registrar. One challenge, which is also an accomplishment, is our ongoing effort to centralize and streamline processes for faculty, staff, and students.
In addition, we are pretty excited about our new carpet and paint colors (as a result of water damage from the storm in June). We encourage everyone to stop by and check out our updates.
Good to know: If you add up all of our teams’ years of service, we have over 80 years of Drake experience.
The Office of the Registrar is located in Old Main.
Cathy Williams, University Advancement/All Staff Council
From Oct. 27 to Nov. 3, there are a series of events celebrating creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship across campus.
Saturday, October 27, 6 PM: Station 1 Records Music Festival in Sheslow Auditorium. To kick off Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship Week, Station 1 Records is hosting a music showcase. This event will feature some of the many talented Drake students. Bring a friend and show your creative side by coming in costume to this free event.
Monday, October 29, 4 to 7 PM: Delta Rx Next Top Entrepreneur Competition Final Round in Olin 206. This event is a pitch competition for students with innovative health care ideas.
Tuesday, October 30, 8 AM: Community Coffee with Drake Entrepreneurs. Come to Pomerantz Stage to learn about Lorentzen Hatchery student businesses, Debonair Supply Co. (Noah Brinkmeyer), Eximious (Matt Watson), and Up Next Des Moines (Zachary Krawiec). Learn how they got their business starts and about the Lorentzen Student Hatchery.
Wednesday, October 31, 5 PM: Celebrate Halloween with the Drake Innovators Club in the Innovation Studio, 124C Meredith. In addition to fun activities there will be snacks and beverages.
Thursday, November 1, 2 PM: Presentation by Dr. Stacy Gnacinski, Upper Olmsted, Rooms 210 & 311. She will be talking about her research and work on performance psychology.
Friday, November 2, 9 to 11:30 AM: Lorentzen Student Hatchery, 2018 cohort presentations, Levitt Hall. Students will talk about their experiences in the Hatchery and provide an overview of their businesses. The featured students are:
o Debonair Supply Co.: Noah Brinkmeyer
o Eximious: Matt Watson
o Mox Stats: Jacob Mox
o Native Adventures: Steven Leash
o THR: McKenna Haase
o Up Next Des Moines: Zachary Krawiec
Friday, November 2, 2 PM: Creativity and Innovation Fair featuring students from across campus, Cowles Library Reading Room. You’ll see presentations from students in studying pharmacy and health sciences, journalism, and marketing; Station 1 Records, Drake Innovators Club, and more, including special guests from Hoover High School’s STEM program.
Saturday, November 3, 9 AM: The Bark Tank pitch competition, Meredith 101. f you are a Drake student, undergraduate or graduate, with a great business or innovation idea, come pitch it at the Bark Tank to win up to $750. There are a limited amount of spots so be sure to register soon! Just want to watch? No need to register, just show up to Meredith 101 on Nov. 3.
Stephanie Cardwell, Entrepreneurship Centers
The third session in our series on online learning is Thursday, Oct. 25, in the Drake Room in Olmsted from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. The topic is Building Presence. These sessions are not meant to be “nuts and bolts” how-to sessions, but rather discussions of the issues related to the topic. You do not need to have experience teaching online to attend, nor do you have to have attended the previous session. There is no need to register.
Art Sanders, Associate Provost
The second Friday Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) session is on Oct. 26 at noon in TMR 133. These discussions are opportunities for those engaged in SoTL projects at any level—from just thinking about starting one, to almost complete, or those simply curious about SoTL—to share ideas, seek advice or ask questions of colleagues engaged in this process. Members of the IT Support Services staff will be present to provide advice/information about SoTL projects that might involve technology usage. It is too late to order a lunch, but you are still welcome to join us.
Art Sanders, Associate Provost
Employee and Family Resources (EFR) offer a variety of Employee Assistance Program (EAP) benefits to full-time Drake employees and their family members. Besides the more familiar services such as phone-based support and in-person counseling, they also offer financial and legal consulting, eldercare resources, childcare resources, and identity theft resolution services. Check out the Drake University EAP Benefit Summary for details.
If you would like a representative from EFR to attend your department meeting to discuss EAP benefits in detail, please contact Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu.
— Linda Feiden, Human Resources
Heart attack and stroke remain two of the leading causes of death in the United States. Ignoring your risks and failure to recognize the signs and symptoms can be fatal.
Join Chris Nickell, director, environmental health & safety, on Tuesday, Oct. 30, from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Olmsted Center, Room 310/311, to learn what you need to know to recognize a heart attack or stroke and steps you can take to reduce your risk.
Participants will earn Bulldogs in Learning Drake (BUILD) credit and be entered into a drawing at the end of the semester.
An online registration form is available in myDrake. To access the form, click on All Apps and find the HR BUILD Classes app in the Other Employee Apps section. You may also send an email to Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu to register for this class.
Linda Feiden, Human Resources
There are many Drake-branded professional apparel options available on shop.drake.edu. Most of this apparel is exclusive to the website and not available in the Book Store. Options include cardigans, sweaters, long sleeve shirts, and more. Until Oct. 31, you can get a free T-shirt with an order of $35 or more.
Nate Reagen, Office of the President
Title: “The Intertwining of Healing and Religion in a Contemporary Chinese American Community”
Speaker: Kin Cheung, Assistant Professor of Asian Religions, Department of Global Religions, Moravian College
When: Thursday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m.
Where: Sussman Theater, Olmsted Center
Kin Cheung is an Assistant Professor of Asian Religions in the Department of Global Religions at Moravian College. He has written on Buddhist meditation and healing, practical implications of Buddhist ethics, and Buddhist institutions’ involvement in China’s stock market. His dissertation examines how meditation changes the senses of self, using both scientific studies of meditation’s effects on the brain and Chan/Zen Buddhist descriptions.
In his lecture, Prof. Cheung will explore how healing and religion are intertwined in a Chinese-American community in New Jersey, where his father, CHEUNG Seng Kan, teaches a small group of regular students an eclectic practice of qigong meditation, Buddhist dharani chants, geomancy, and various Chinese medical treatments. Cheung has taken on the role of a community healer for his students and their social networks. This presentation argues that healing is one avenue for the contemporary innovation and spread of religion in a Chinese-American diaspora community.
Monique Rodriguez, College of Arts and Sciences