All posts by Melissa Sturm-Smith

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Seeking first-year student success course instructors

Do you enjoy spending time with students?  Looking for a new opportunity to interact? If you would enjoy being a key part of welcoming new students and supporting their transition to the Drake community, please consider joining the Blueprint for Success team and teaching a section of Drake’s first-year student success course. Jenny Jones, Director of Graduate Programs in the Zimpleman College of Business, shared the following about her experience: “I’ve taught several sections Blueprint for Success/Bulldog Foundations over the past few years and have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to connect with the incoming students. As an instructor, you get to help the student acclimate not just to Drake University but to college life as a whole. You can create an environment where the students help each other adjust and learn from each other’s experiences. Each section I’ve led has had a different personality, but each section has been rewarding.”

Blueprint for Success helps students consider concepts and develop skills that are crucial for the development of meaningful personal lives, professional accomplishments, and responsible global citizenship. Students will explore the elements of an equitable and inclusive community, consider life skills necessary for success, and refine academic strategies. This course helps students transition into the Drake community with ease.

The course meets for 11 sessions, 50 minutes each session.  The sessions will be spread out through the fall semester. Instructors will be given all curriculum, materials, and facilitator guides for the course, and will not need to develop any curriculum on their own. In addition, instructors will partner with a peer mentor, and upper-class student leader who can help facilitate class sessions, support discussion, and be a valuable resource to your students.

In addition to assigned class time, chosen instructors will need to attend an all-day training the week of Aug. 1, a check-in meeting the week of October 15 and a wrap-up meeting during the week of Fall 2023 finals. Instructors will be paid a $1000 stipend for teaching Blueprint for Success unless this course serves as a part of your full-time teaching load.  Applicants must hold a master’s degree or equivalent, and teaching experience is preferred but not required. Have questions?  Sign up for a short consultation session. 

To apply, fill out the google form. The application is due Friday, April 7.

— Blueprint for Success Planning Team

Campus Announcements Archive

Self Service/Banner admin pages planned outage April 8 at 7 p.m.

ITS will be applying upgrades and patches to Banner Saturday, April 8, starting at 7 p.m. and lasting until Sunday, April 9, at 2 a.m. During this time, Self Service, Admin Pages, Workflow, eTranscripts, TouchNet, and other connected systems will be unavailable. These updates are necessary to keep our University data secure and to install the latest features from our vendor.

If you experience issues outside of this window, please call the Support Center at 515-271-3001 or visit https://service.drake.edu to report your issue. Thank you for your patience as we continue to strive to provide superior service.

— Tyler Spoon, ITS

For Students Archive

Federal student loans for Summer 2023

Undergraduate and pharmacy students who wish to borrow federal student loans for the summer semester must complete the Summer Financial Aid Application.

Graduate and law students who are registered at least half-time (5+ credits) for summer and who have completed the 2023–2024 FAFSA will automatically be offered their federal student loan eligibility for the summer semester.

— Ryan Zantingh, Director of Financial Aid

Campus Announcements Archive

Contribute to the Griff Gives Back pet food drive

Our live mascot, Griff II, is once again collecting donations of adult dog and cat food to benefit The Pet Project Midwest, a local pet food pantry. There are many easy ways to donate. Find all the info on how and where to contribute here.

The collection runs through the Beautiful Bulldog Contest on April 24. Thank you for support of Griff II and his annual initiative to help the greater Des Moines community!

News & Achievements Archive

Professor Kappen receives Principal Global Citizenship Award

The Principal Global Citizenship Award was presented during the 2023 Global Citizen Forum in early March. The award recognizes Drake faculty or staff who have made outstanding contributions to global engagement and internationalization of the campus and curriculum.

The 2023 recipient of the Principal Global Citizenship Award is Jeff Kappen, associate professor of international business in the Zimpleman College of Business.

Kappen arrived at Drake University in 2012, and from the beginning he has contributed to a multitude of projects and programs at Drake that have shaped the global mindset of students and built the global and intercultural capacity of Drake faculty and staff. Kappen has been active in engaging with many of Drake’s international partners. He has conducted collaborative research, taught faculty seminars and short-term courses on their campuses, and developed joint curricular programs. His work in this area has significantly contributed to Drake’s profile as a global university.

Kappen also provides direct advising support to more than fifty students each year on how they can achieve their study abroad goals. He has led short-term travel seminars for Drake students on programs to China, Italy, Uganda, and Mexico – impacting over 200 students. Many of these program participants have been student-athletes, beginning with the men’s and women’s soccer teams travelling to Mexico in 2015 as part of a unique model pairing international competition with academic experiences using the foreign destination as the classroom. He returned to Mexico with the soccer teams in 2019, led a women’s basketball trip to Italy and traveled with the entire football team to China.

Kappen has also notably supported the Mandela Washington Fellowship at Drake, the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) that Drake has hosted since 2016. Kappen has taught leadership and international business curriculum to 150 Fellows from across sub-Saharan Africa. He has also served as a mentor to many Fellows and continues to monitor some of their projects virtually. Kappen was awarded a Reciprocal Exchange by the U.S. Department of State in 2021 and spent two weeks in Ivory Coast delivering seminars on entrepreneurship while working with the U.S. Embassy to promote higher education.

On the Drake campus, Kappen has taught “Business 070: Globalization” since he arrived in 2012. He has worked collaboratively with students on global research and takes part in the Drake iBiz Young Scholars Program. Off-campus, Kappen has helped position Drake as a global hub in the Des Moines community through working with the Iowa Economic Development Authority and the Iowa International Center.

“Dr. Kappen’s efforts to develop responsible global citizens at Drake, and his work in creating impactful global partnerships have been transformative. His lifelong commitment to internationalization and his embodiment of a global mindset is a contagious inspiration to campus. We are very fortunate to have Kappen as a member of the Drake community, and he is very deserving of this prestigious award.” – Provost Sue Mattison, in her remarks at the Global Citizen Forum

— Hannah Sappenfield, Global Engagement

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

All Staff Council Bulldog Connect networking lunch

All Staff Council is holding a Bulldog Connect networking lunch on Wednesday, April 12, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The  Recognition Committee is hosting this month. Enjoy learning what staff on this committee focus on throughout the year. Anyone is welcome to come for a $5 lunch at Hubbell. Look for the table with the Drake swag and a special Bulldogs Connect table tent in Hubbell.

Also a reminder that All Staff Council invites you to share any suggestions, concerns, or other feedback you’d like us to look into using this form. (If you’d like us to respond to your feedback directly, please include your name and contact information, otherwise let us know your thoughts anonymously.)

— Megan Franklin, On behalf of All Staff Council

For Students Archive

Drake Cheer tryouts May 6

Drake Cheer tryouts for the 2023–2024 year will be held May 6 at 8 a.m. in the Knapp Center. The Drake Cheerleading Team consists of men and women whose primary purpose is to support Drake athletics and Drake University. The purpose of the squad is to boost school spirit, promote good sportsmanship, develop positive crowd involvement, and help student participants and spectators enjoy the athletic event. Cheer squad activities should center on leading and directing the cheering of fans. Find more information about Drake Cheer and tryouts.

— Megan Franklin, Athletics

Campus Announcements Archive

Nominate students for the Adams Leadership Awards

The Adams Leadership Award ceremony is an annual, campus-wide tradition to celebrate the achievements of student leaders and organizations at Drake University, and it’s only six weeks away!

Please nominate 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 9.

All award nominees and winners will be recognized at the 2023 Adams Leadership Awards ceremony in Sheslow Auditorium on Saturday, May 6, at 2 p.m. (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, Adams Leadership Institute