All posts by Taylor Johnson

Drake Law School welcomes two new faculty members

Drake University Law School is pleased to announce the arrival of two outstanding new faculty members, Christoph Henkel and Alexa Perez. Professor of Law Christoph Henkel brings a distinct international and comparative perspective to Drake’s business law faculty. He will teach Business Organizations, Contract Drafting, and other upper-level business law courses. Assistant Professor of Law Alexa Perez brings noteworthy expertise in both civil and criminal law gained from her experience as a federal prosecutor and commercial litigation associate. Perez will teach Civil Procedure and Evidence.

“Our newly appointed faculty members possess remarkable expertise within their specific fields and boast impressive qualifications,” said Jerry Anderson, dean of the law school. “Their innovative viewpoints and enthusiasm will align perfectly with our current faculty, fostering the achievements of our students.”

Christoph Henkel

Christoph Henkel joins Drake from Mississippi College School of Law where he taught a variety of business law courses and was co-director of the International and Comparative Law Center. Henkel also served as a visiting professor on the law faculties at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law and University of Illinois Chicago School of Law. Henkel holds an SJD and LLM degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School. He earned a JD equivalent at the Justus-Liebig-University in Giessen, Germany, and has practiced law in Europe and the United States. His research encompasses banking law, Fintech, entrepreneurial law, and wide range of corporate subjects.

Alexa Perez

Alexa Perez received her JD from the University of Chicago Law School, and a BA in English summa cum laude from the University of Florida. She served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa, where she prosecuted racketeering, money-laundering, drug, and gun related offenses. Prior to that, she was a managing associate at Sidley Austin LLP in Chicago where she represented Fortune 500 companies in a wide range of legal proceedings including, securities fraud class actions, general commercial disputes, and government investigations and enforcement actions. She also clerked for the Honorable Edmond Chang on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

— Taylor Johnson, Law School

Parking portal for new academic year now open

The parking portal for the 2023–2024 academic year is now open. Feel free to register for your parking pass in the myDrake portal for the upcoming year, and the Student Services office will email you when your pass is ready to pick up.

Please make sure that you receive a confirmation email after you register—you should get an automated email from studentservices@drake.edu thanking you for your purchase.  If you did not receive an email, please check your junk mail, or contact studentservices@drake.edu so we can ensure that your registration went through.

— Sara Heijerman, Student Services Center

Print on campus at Drake Printing Services

Prepare for the fall semester (or print for your event or program anytime this year) by submitting print jobs through Drake Printing Services.  Located in Olmsted as a function of the Student Services Center, our goal is to provide affordable, convenient printing services to campus groups.

Common projects our office can handle are 11×17 posters, flyers, folded programs/booklets, programs sheets, certificates, or any other bulk copies/scans/handouts.

Submit your job in a ticket online (link below) if you’re ready to print!  You can also feel free to email sara.heijerman@drake.edu to get a quote for your project or inquire about if our office can handle a specific project.

https://drake.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/2025/Portal/Requests/ServiceDet?ID=51390

We strive to be budget friendly – we charge the lowest rate we can, and we can accept payment via debit/credit card or FOAPAL charge.

Feel free to contact Sara Heijerman with questions, and we look forward to printing for you this summer/fall.

— Sara Heijerman, Student Services Center

Seeking Bulldog Shop Ambassadors

Do you love social media, building connections with other students, and Drake University? Apply to be a Bulldog Shop campus store ambassador! Applications for Fall semester are open now.

What do campus store ambassadors do?

  • Create compelling and engaging content across multiple social media platforms
  • Act as the “face” of the Bulldog Shop brand
  • Connect with other students and peers on campus to share the Bulldog Shop brand
  • Get real world career-building experience

Perks of becoming an ambassador:

  • Meet tons of new people
  • Flexible work schedule
  • Employee discounts

Apply Now!

— The Bulldog Shop

New myDrake launching July 28

We are excited to announce that the new myDrake website will go live on July 28, 2023. MyDrake provides a launchpad for faculty, staff, and students to access their applications and important information in one secure location. The site has been updated on a new platform to ensure the security of Drake information for years to come, along with a new look and feel to simplify and enhance your user experience. The new myDrake includes features such as a streamlined navigation bar, new drop-down menu, and global navigation options.

Internal Sites and Human Resources 
The myDrake update includes a direct integration and redesign with the Internal Sites for easier navigation to essential information and resources. These department sites can be accessed through the Internal Sites home page or a new expandable high-level menu (Employee or Student Links) that have been added to allow direct navigation through the combined myDrake and Internal Sites environment. 

In conjunction with the updated myDrake, the Human Resources internal site will launch on July 28. This site will be the new home for employee information, forms, and documentation, and we encourage the campus to utilize these resources.

Preparing for Launch 
Campus systems and your Drake information, including your email, Blackboard, timesheets, and Self Service, will be easily accessible in the “My Resources” section of myDrake. Click “Student Home” or “Employee Home” to access your student or employee links, applications, and information. After the launch, you may need to update bookmarks or saved links you use. The URL my.drake.edu will not change. 

Please keep an eye out for upcoming announcements over the next few weeks that will include more details and further instructions. For news, updates, and more information about the myDrake site and other campus systems, visit drake.edu/its.

— Kelsey Faybik, University Communications and Marketing

DART bus updates

As a reminder, you may ride the DART bus for free by showing the driver your Drake ID.  DART bus service is offering special transit options for upcoming events in Des Moines this summer.

  • The DART’s D-Line will be extended to provide late-night transportation services to and from the 80/35 Music Festival on July 7–8. The D-Line is also extending its service on Saturdays through October for the Downtown Farmer’s Market, beginning at 8 a.m.
  • RAGBRAI will be stopping in Des Moines on Wednesday, July 26 in Water Works Park. If you would like to join the festivities, DART is offering a park & ride service from the 4th and Grand parking garage (parking fees do apply) to Water Works Park from 4 p.m. until after the free concert, which includes headliner Lynyrd Skynrd.
  • Fair goers can park their cars and ride DART to the Iowa State Fair August 10–20. Park & Ride locations include Center Street Parking Garage (830 6th), Iowa State Capitol east entrance near the Lucas Building, and Southeast Polk High School. Please note that unlimited access benefits (free rides with your Drake ID) are not valid for the Iowa State Fair shuttle, but the cost is minimal.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Celebrate Griff II’s fifth birthday!

Our beloved live mascot, Griff II, is celebrating his fifth birthday with a party on Saturday, July 15, from 1–3 p.m. at Black Cat Ice Cream. The address is 2511 Cottage Grove Avenue, Des Moines. Join your Dog for some blue birthday cake ice cream and photos. Instead of birthday gifts, Griff II asks you to consider bringing non-perishable food and/or hygiene products to help him restock the Little Free Pantries in the Drake Neighborhood. Griff II can’t wait to see you!

—Erin Bell, University Communications and Marketing

Parking passes for sale starting July 10

Parking permit sales for the upcoming academic year will begin Monday, July 10.  Log into myDrake and select “Parking Tag Registration” to register for your pass. Please make sure to have your license plate number available at the time of registration, and please enter it without spaces or dashes.

Permits will be available on a first come, first serve basis, and we ask that all permit sales be done online. The payroll deduct process can also be completed online, and is available to full-time, benefit-eligible part-time, and adjunct employees. Credit/debit card is also accepted for any pass purchase. An email confirmation will be sent to you when your pass is ready to be picked up at the Student Services Desk in Olmsted, please bring an ID for verification.

Resident passes: $395 (blue, 24/7 parking)

Premium passes: $280 (yellow, Olmsted lot; red, Ray Promenade lots)

Perimeter passes: $125 (all orange and purple lots)

Evening/Weekend passes: $100 (valid from 4:30 p.m. to 2 a.m., Monday through Friday, and all day on weekends)

Passes are valid from August 2023 to August 2024, and will be available to pick up in the Student Services Center (Olmsted) in August.

Please visit drake.edu/map to see where the lots are located, and contact studentservices@drake.edu for questions.

— Sara Heijerman, Student Services

Move-In Crew is back: Sign up for a shift

We are excited to bring back a long-held tradition, Move-In Crew! Prior to the pandemic, students, staff, and faculty would sign up to help first-year students move into the residence halls. We want to invite your organization to be part of this exciting tradition.

We are currently recruiting volunteers to assist with new student move-in day on Wednesday, Aug. 23. All volunteers will receive a Move-In Crew t-shirt. We will recognize student organizations that provide at least three volunteers on the back of the shirt.

Please use the link below to sign up for one of three shifts. Even if you can only come for part of a shift, we encourage you to sign up.

MOVE-IN CREW SIGN-UP.

Sign-up deadline is June 30.