All posts by Erin Bell

Campus Announcements Archive

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

Campus Announcements Archive

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

Campus Announcements Archive

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.

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Drake Tuition Waiver requirements

Students utilizing the Drake Tuition Waiver benefit for undergraduate degree programs in the Fall 2023 or Spring 2024 semesters are required to complete the 2023–2024 FAFSA before by June 30, 2023. See Drake’s Tuition Waiver Policy for more details.

Employees should complete the Tuition Waiver Application for each semester that the employee or eligible dependent wishes to utilize this benefit.

— Ryan Zantingh, Financial Aid Office

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Provost’s Office hosting ice cream week June 27–30

Ice Cream Week is coming! During the last week in June, Provost Mattison invites you to gather some colleagues, take a walk down to Black Cat Ice Cream on Cottage Grove, and enjoy a free cup or cone of one of their amazing ice cream or sorbet flavors.

You can pick up your ticket at the Provost’s Office in Old Main anytime from June 27–30.

Happy summer!

— Madison Bemus, Office of the Provost

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Open forum: New associate provost for online education

You are invited to a series of open forums with the final three candidates for the Associate Provost for Online Education position.

During these forums, each candidate will briefly present their vision for online programming and take questions from the campus community. Please join us via Teams at the any of the following times to ask your questions and get to know the finalists for this position.

Please use the following links to log in:

Dr. Jennifer Miller: 6/21, 1:00-2:00 pm

Dr. Mandara Savage: 6/23, 3:30-4:30 pm

Dr. Belle Cowden: 6/28, 3:30-4:30 pm

— Madison Bemus, Office of the Provost

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Two spots remain in FYS learning community for Fall 2023

This group will focus on writing instruction, activities, assignments, and assessments for First-Year Seminar. Instructors who participate in this project will have a one-semester commitment that will include:

  • Working with the Director of Writing, Megan Brown, on the development of a writing assignment, writing activities, or a writing project for their FYS.
  • Attending an individual meeting at the start of the semester (or during the summer if preferred) to work on writing assignment ideas.
  • Attending meetings of all participants in the program in August/September, at approximately midterm, and at end of Fall 2023 semester.  These meetings may be structured as two sessions each time, with half of the participants at each session, in order to facilitate more in-depth discussion.
  • Requiring all students enrolled in their FYS to attend tutoring sessions at the Writing Center at least twice during the semester.
  • Submitting samples of student writing and a brief critical reflection at the end of the semester.

After the initial meeting(s) with the Director of Writing to develop a writing assignment or writing project, participants will receive a stipend of $500. After completing the requirements and attending the final meeting, participants will receive an additional $500.

If you are interested in participating, or if you have questions, please contact Megan Brown (megan.brown@drake.edu) by June 30.

— Megan Brown, Professor of English

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Drake’s Continuous Improvement Plan: Our strategic plan

If you have not lately, I’d encourage you to review Drake’s Continuous Improvement Plan site. As a reminder, this is our strategic plan and lists out all of the objectives in each of the plan’s commitment areas.  Please take time to explore how each of those objectives are embodied in many ways across our campus life. You can do so by clicking on the “+” in each objective area or the “Learn more” link to see more on student, faculty, and staff successes.  

In addition, you’ll see more information on all the major initiatives the University has underway as well. This site is continuously updated and can be also found any time by going to the drake.edu home page, clicking on ‘Campus Links’ at the top and selecting “Strategic Plan”. Thanks for your review and engagement.

— Nate Reagen, President’s Office