All posts by Megan McCardwell, Senior Marketing Manager

Course material ordering has moved

Course material ordering has now moved online to Drake University’s NEW Official Online Bookstore, powered by Books by eCampus. The new partnership will provide students access to course materials through a customized online storefront. This means The Bulldog Shop no longer carries physical textbooks on shelves.

Don’t worry, you can still get the materials you need! The new online bookstore offers 24/7 online ordering with convenient shipping options. Summer course materials are now available for ordering at drake.ecampus.com.

Drake Wellness: Peace and calm during high stress times

Are you struggling with motivation or experiencing stress overload? Combat these challenges with a study break!

Drake Wellness will host events on May 4 and May 5 to give students scheduled time to take a break before jumping back to their textbooks.

May 4 at 6 pm: Dance Aerobics

May 5 at12:15 pm: Yoga

May 5 at 2 pm: Yoga Nidra (a guided meditation also known as yogic sleep)

These activities will allow you to experience a deeper sense of peace, calm, and relaxation to prepare you for finals. So, practice some self-care and love, you deserve it!

— Gail Witte, Recreational Services

Call for applications: DU England: Harlaxton Faculty-in-Residence

Drake University is seeking interested faculty to apply for the DU England: Harlaxton Faculty-in-Residence position for Fall 2024.  Drake is developing semester-long, cohort-model study abroad programs where a Drake faculty member travels abroad with a group of students teaching and supporting the program in various other capacities.

Faculty will teach two 3-credit undergraduate courses meeting an AOI and taking advantage of the program location. One course will be a lower-level intro course with broad appeal, with the second course being upper-level. Drake students on the program will be required to take one of the two courses.  As you are thinking about what courses you could offer, consider what course offerings would allow for a cohort of students from your department to study abroad and stay on track for graduation.

This is an opportunity for you to teach and live abroad in a 100-room Victorian Manor constructed in 1831, with magnificent gardens, spectacular architecture, and beautiful woodlands. Set in 300 acres of beautiful countryside in the heart of England, Harlaxton allows you to enjoy the British Midlands with the ability to be in London in about an hour.  Harlaxton’s central location in Lincolnshire also brings other major cities and towns within easy reach, allowing academic and culturally important sites to be visited in a day out or weekend away.

The DU England: Harlaxton Faculty-in-Residence application is live through Qualtrics for Fall 2024. To learn more about this opportunity including eligibility, compensation, responsibilities, and to apply, please go to: https://drake.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b3N99sIS5gq8Kge

Submissions are due Wednesday, May 24, 2023. If you have questions or want to discuss ideas you have, please reach out to Maria Rohach, director of education abroad, at maria.rohach@drake.edu.

— Maria Rohach, Global Engagement

Apply now for DU England: Harlaxton, Fall 2023

Apply for the DU England: Harlaxton program through Terra Dotta.

While travel has been more difficult the last few years, you still have time to study abroad if you haven’t been able to fit it into your academic experience yet. Drake has been repeatedly ranked as a top sending university in the US for study abroad participation, and we want to make it a reality for as many Drake students as we can to go abroad – including you!

Drake is currently accepting applications for DU England: Harlaxton, where you can study abroad fall 2023 at a Victorian Manor set in the English countryside, just over an hour outside of London. If you are interested in learning about other cultures, traveling to different countries, and discovering a lot about yourself, take the leap and study abroad.

This upcoming fall, a cohort of Drake students will study at Harlaxton with Drake Professor of Psychology, Maria Clapham. If you want to study abroad but are unsure of traveling alone, the cohort model allows for you and your friends to go abroad together. Students enroll in one Drake experiential-based course, as well as courses at Harlaxton College, taught by British and visiting faculty.  Courses taken at Harlaxton can be pre-approved to count toward your major(s), minor(s), concentration, and/or AOIs.

Studying abroad on DU England: Harlaxton, students are charged Drake tuition and have access to their financial aid package while studying abroad. Students are also responsible for non-tuition fees which are similar to room and board charges at Drake.  Yes, you read that right t is the same tuition, and similar non-tuition costs, for you to study abroad as it does to stay at Drake! You can study and live in England while going on weekend day trips for nearly the same cost as staying in Des Moines.

If you have questions or want to set up a study abroad advising appointment, please reach out to studyabroad@drake.edu.  We are excited to help make studying abroad a reality for you!

Maria Rohach, Global Engagement

Faculty site-visit abroad to England in June

Global Engagement is supporting a few Drake faculty members to do a site visit to see Drake’s semester study abroad program, DU England: Harlaxton.  There is a 4-day summer conference (June 21–24, 2023) where you can stay at Harlaxton Manor, meet the Dean of Harlaxton, converse with the local British faculty, learn about the support and services they offer students, tour the walled gardens, and explore the nearby town of Grantham.

If you are interested, email Maria Rohach, Director of Education Abroad with a brief statement on why you are interested in visiting Harlaxton by May 12.  We are looking to send faculty who have an interest in teaching at Harlaxton, and want to develop courses that will allow for a cohort of students from your department to study abroad for a semester.  If you want to talk through any ideas you have on developing out semester offerings, please reach out.  Those chosen for the site visit will be notified mid-May.

— Maria Rohach, Global Engagement

2023 Iowa Character Award nominations due May 2

The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center annually recognizes Iowans who demonstrate the Six Pillars (trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and good citizenship) of CHARACTER COUNTS! Individuals, organizations, schools, and communities can all be nominated. Award recipients are honored at the 2023 Iowa Character Awards dinner, with a one-hour Iowa Character Awards prime-time special, and at a special hometown event organized by The Ray Center. Nominations are accepted until May 2, 2023. Submit nominations now at IowaCharacterAwards.org.

— Megan Wesselink, Robert D. & Billie Ray Center

The Ray Center Honors Allen Lazard with the Robert D. and Billie Ray Pillar of Character Award

The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center honored NFL wide receiver Allen Lazard with the 2023 Robert D. and Billie Ray Pillar of Character Award on April 14. This award is The Ray Center’s highest honor and is presented each spring to an individual who demonstrates good character as a role model and reflects former Governor Robert D. Ray and Billie Ray’s lifelong commitment to civility and character development.

— Megan Wesselink, Robert D. & Billie Ray Center

Rico’s, new Bulldog Bucks merchant

All Drake cardholders have an option to load Bulldog Bucks onto their campus ID cards to spend either on or off campus. We are excited to have a new addition to our off campus program, and encourage you to visit Rico’s as they join the program this week!

Bulldog Bucks can currently be used at Rico’s, Gursha, Dough Co, and at any restaurant participating on the GrubHub app.  Fernando’s, Hummus, and Krispy Krunchy Chicken will also be rejoining the program this summer once they receive new register hardware.

You can also use Bulldog Bucks on campus at any Drake Dining location, at the bookstore, and at campus printers.

(Just a reminder that Bulldog Bucks are different than Dining Dollars. Dining Dollars are just for on campus food, since they are a part of the campus meal plan.  Bulldog Bucks can be spent on or off campus).

We welcome Rico’s to our off campus program, and hope you can stop in to check out their menu.

— Sara Heijerman, Student Services Center