All posts by Lee Jolliffe

Professor Lee Jolliffe named VP of Society of 19th-Century Historians

Professor Lee Jolliffe has been named vice president of the Society of Nineteenth-Century Historians and will serve on the board of directors. The Society represents the evolution of a long-held symposium on the 19th Century Press, the Civil War, and Free Expression, held every autumn since 1993.

Professor Jolliffe’s research appears in several books that have arisen from the Symposium, including Adventure Journalists in the Gilded Age: From the Arctic to the Orient (McFarland, July 2021), which she co-wrote and co-edited with Katrina Quinn and Mary Cronin. Adventure Journalists won the 2022 Browne Award for Best Edited Collection in American Culture. Her chapters on “A Press Ablaze: Violent Suppression of Abolitionist Speech, Press, Petition, and Assembly” and “Freedom of Expression for Women: The Fight for Suffrage and Personal Liberty” (the latter co-authored with Sandra Davidson and Paulette Kilmer) were published in An Indispensable Liberty: The Fight for Free Speech in Nineteenth-Century America edited by Mary M. Cronin, and her article on “‘BLACK FIENDS’ AND ‘ATROCIOUS MURDERS’: Redefining ‘Sensationalism’ ,” appears in The Press in the Gilded Age, edited by David Sachsman. Professor Jolliffe also guest-edited an issue of Journalism History with articles from a Symposium panel she created.

About calendars in Blackboard Learn Ultra

This semester we are starting a series of OnCampus articles  called “About … Blackboard Learn Ultra.”  The goal of these articles is to provide some development opportunities in small soundbites that provide the information needed to work efficiently in Blackboard Learn Ultra.

Calendars in Blackboard Learn Ultra

This month we are sharing features of the calendar tool at all levels and roles in Blackboard.  You can use the calendar tool to help you stay on top of course schedules and due dates. Watch the video below to learn more about how to integrate your calendar into your workflow. In addition, once you start using the calendar in your workflow, it also supports the students using the calendar in their workflow. Once you begin adopt in the calendar, share resources with your students to join in!

Instructors

The information provided in the video is also available in a detailed written document about using calendars from the instructor perspective.

Help Your Students

Share this resource to help Students with their workflow of using the calendar in Blackboard Learn Ultra. If you like, you can post the embedded video from within this document into your course content or send it as an announcement to encourage students to use calendars to improve student success.

— Karly Good, ITS

Nominate outstanding Drake students for an Adams Leadership Award

The Adams Leadership Award ceremony is an annual, campus-wide tradition to celebrate the achievements of student leaders and organizations at Drake University. Each spring we honor students and organizations who have made valuable contributions to the campus community through their outstanding commitment to leadership.

Consider nominating any Drake students and student organizations who have exhibited strong leadership and excellence throughout the 2022–2023 academic year. Nominations can be submitted by any Drake student, faculty, or staff member. Award categories include:

  • Outstanding First Year Student
  • Outstanding Residence Hall Leader
  • Outstanding Equity and Inclusion Program
  • Oreon E. Scott Outstanding Senior of the Year
  • …and many more!

View a full list of awards and the nomination form here. The nomination deadline is Sunday, April 9th.

All award nominees and winners will be recognized at the 2023 Adams Leadership Awards ceremony in Sheslow Auditorium on Saturday, May 6th at 2pm. (Save the date! All students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend.)

If you have any questions, please contact Kristin Economos, director of student leadership programs, at kristin.economos@drake.edu.

Kristin Economos, Office of Student Involvement and Leadership

Drake career conference: Be Authentic

Attend a career conference Friday, March 3, from 12–4 p.m. that celebrates being unstoppable and authentically you. Sessions will be available both in-person in Sheslow Auditorium and Levitt Hall, as well as live through Zoom.

Throughout the day, you will build your True Blue Skills (career competencies), network with alumni and employers, and experience nationally recognized speakers who will challenge you to be authentic in the pursuit of your goals.

For more information about session schedules and registration, visit the conference website: https://www.drake.edu/careerconference/.

— Amanda Wroblewski, Academic Excellence and Student Success

J-Term Fair is March 8

The annual J-Term Fair will be held on Wednesday, March 8, from 4:30–6:30 p.m. in Parents Hall, Olmsted Center. Discover the locations for upcoming travel seminars & speak with the faculty members leading the experiences to find your perfect opportunity to study abroad in January 2024. We can’t wait to see you there!

— Chelsea Funk, Global Engagement

Faculty/staff recess; shout-outs; Pi-NGO; Griff II high-fives

National Employee Appreciation Day is Friday, March 3, and we are celebrating YOU! Recognizing and celebrating employees’ great work—not only on this day but every day of the year—speaks to our core values.  Take time to reflect and find ways to show gratitude to your team for their hard work, dedication, and effort on this day, this month, and throughout the year.

To help show our appreciation, Human Resources and All Staff Council invite you to take a break and join us for the following Employee Appreciation Month events in March.

Pi-NGO! (BINGO)
Join All Staff Council and Human Resources on Tuesday, March 14, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Parents Hall South, Olmsted Center to celebrate National Pi Day with free pizza pies and BINGO.  This is a family-friendly event and winners will receive baked pie goods.  Griff II will be in attendance for part of the festivities and would love to take a photo with you.  Pizza is available while it lasts so get there early.

Faculty/Staff Recess
When we were kids, recess was a part of our day, but as adults we don’t take time to play.  As part of employee appreciation month, we invite faculty and staff to take a break from work on Tuesday, March 28, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and join us in the Bell Center Courts 1 & 2 for recess! Play nine holes of miniature golf, try pickleball, or challenge a colleague to a game of cornhole (bags). And test your hula hooping skills for a chance at prizes. All equipment will be provided.

Give a shout-out
In addition, we have brought back the popular Shout-Out program for Employee Appreciation Month. This is a great way to recognize your colleagues. Simply write a sentence or two thanking a colleague or team for going the extra mile or showing support to others. Submit your shout-outs to linda.feiden@drake.edu between now and March 23, and they will be compiled and posted in OnCampus.

Griff II high-five
And watch your mail! All Staff Council will be sending 100 lucky staff members a magnet this week with a picture of Griff II ‘high-fiving’ you.  This is a way to say, “We see you, and we appreciate you.” If you receive one, keep it for a few days, then pass it along to another colleague who also deserves a high-five. The magnets can be handed off again and again, with the hopes of reaching as many of Drake’s amazing staff members as possible.

Please take some time this month to let others know you appreciate their efforts and know that your efforts are appreciated every day!

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Be a student media leader

You can now submit your application to oversee one of Drake University’s six student media organizations: Drake Broadcasting System, Drake Mag, Drake Political Review, DUiN, Periphery and the Times-Delphic. To apply, send a PDF of your resume along with a cover letter to jeff.inman@drake.edu and gannon.henry@drake.edu. The deadline to apply is Friday, March 10, at 5 p.m.

— Jeff Inman, School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Peek at renovation progress in Meredith Hall

Renovations to Meredith Hall, one of Drake’s most beloved and used academic buildings, are progressing despite winter weather conditions.

Along with mechanical, electrical, and fire sprinkler system installations, new ceiling systems are are taking shape throughout the building. In addition to interior improvements, a much needed refinish of the exterior is scheduled for spring.  

The project is scheduled to wrap up prior to the start of the Fall 2023 semester, and the finished product will be similar to the original 1965 construction, honoring the building’s historic and renowned mid-century architectural-style.

Read more about the Meredith Hall renovation project.

— Rob Ebel, Facilities Planning & Management

Deputy Provost: Artificial intelligence and Air, Light, Time, Space

We have had terrific attendance at faculty development centering on artificial intelligence, and a great set of conversations. Nicki and I are working to continually update the CTE website. We’re trying to make a weekly practice of those updates, starting later this week, to include resources as they become available from a host of global institutions.

I also invite you to join a group of dedicated faculty and staff to talk about teaching and artificial intelligence like Chatbots and text-to-image generators. We’ll have a brief opening presentation, then you’ll have a chance to mingle—café style—to get feedback on and brainstorm about your particular instructional concerns related to the technology, including a table to conversation about the question of our value in light of the technology, and a table where you can get ideas for incorporating AI into your class’ work. We’ll have two sessions via Zoom, and two in person—if you come in person, we’ll provide light refreshments.  The sessions will be:

Thursday, March 23, 12:00 – 1:00 via Zoom
Tuesday, March 28, 11:00 – 12:00 in person
Monday, April 3, 12:00 – 1:00 via Zoom
Friday, April 7, 11:30 – 12:30 in person

Please register here. You’ll be able to pick your session and modality on the Eventbrite link.

And, please sign up now for Books for Breakfast on April 7 and April 21 from 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. We will meet to eat good food and talk about a lovely book: Helen Sword’s Air and Light and Time and Space: How Successful Academics Write.

— Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost