All posts by Hannah Sappenfield

Campus Announcements Archive

Last chance to submit Nelson Student Research Symposium proposals

The Nelson Institute will again be hosting a student research symposium as part of the spring Global Citizen Forum to be held March 1–3, 2023. Proposals to present research as the symposium are due Friday, Feb. 10. The theme for the 2023 Global Citizen Forum is Social impact and responsibility.

The Nelson Student Research Symposium promotes a university-wide discourse on global intercultural tops. It is recommended that presentation topics for the 2023 symposium with one (or more!) of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs provide a framework for tackling complex global issues such as poverty, sustainable communities, climate action, and justice.

While Research presentations that support the theme are encouraged, all global topics from any academic discipline are welcome. We anticipate that the presentations will be about 15 minutes each. Undergraduate and graduate students are both eligible to present at the symposium.

Below are a few reasons why students (including, potentially, you!) should be encouraged to consider submitting papers for the symposium.

  • It is a great opportunity to practice presentation skills, and obtain useful feedback!
  • It is a platform to share the outcomes of research on a global topic of interest.
  • It is a great addition to resumes, especially for students who are considering going to graduate school.

Proposal Submission

Papers (or concepts) should be submitted via Qualtrics form. Deadline: Friday. February 10th, 2023.

Questions?

Learn more by visiting the Nelson Institute website or by contacting Professor Jimmy Senteza at jimmy.senteza@drake.edu.

— Hannah Sappenfield, Global Engagement

News & Achievements Archive

Drake Law School named a 2022 top school for criminal law by PreLaw Magazine

Drake University Law School earned an A- ranking for criminal law in preLaw Magazine, placing Drake among the top law schools in the nation for this field.

The publication based the rankings on law schools’ offerings in criminal law, including clinical programs, certificates, externships, partnerships, and courses. The results are reported in preLaw’s Back to School 2022 issue.

Drake Law offers students substantial opportunities to learn about and develop skills in the field of criminal law. With coursework ranging from prosecution and defense to scientific and expert evidence to global issues in criminal law, students can explore a range of subject areas. The Drake Criminal Defense and Juvenile Delinquency Clinics provide students hands-on experience representing indigent clients in court appearances, depositions, and negotiations. Since the ranking was completed, Drake has expanded its criminal law program even further with the introduction of a new Wrongful Convictions Clinic.

Students also gain practical experience through internships with offices such as the Polk County Prosecutor’s Office, Federal and State Public Defender, and U.S Attorney’s Office. The Law School offers a certificate in Prosecution and Defense which is specifically designed to prepare students for careers in criminal law.

Professor Bob Rigg, director of the Criminal Law Clinic, said “This honor reaffirms what we as faculty at Drake Law have known and worked hard to achieve.”

The issue also highlights a collaborative effort between Drake’s Criminal Defense and the Refugee Clinics to serve clients with issues involved in “crimmigation,” the merging of these two areas of law. Students from the Refugee Clinic provide research regarding subjects such as detention and deportation that may be triggered by a criminal conviction. Through this effort, the Drake Legal Clinic has been able to provide high-quality legal representation to noncitizen defendants and gives students the opportunity to develop essential skills and learn from real experiences.

— Taylor Johnson, Law School

News & Achievements Archive

Anderson Gallery celebrates 25 years

The Anderson Gallery is celebrating 25 years with the release of a book that chronicles the Gallery’s history and its first 25 years of exhibitions. In its 25-year history, the Anderson Gallery has left a mark on many individuals and on Drake University as an institution. Serving as a space for the community to see high-quality and innovative art exhibitions as well as an invaluable teaching space that supports material-based learning, the Anderson Gallery’s impact is significant.

The Art and Design Department invites you to a reception and book release that commemorates this milestone. The 25 Years of the Anderson Gallery Celebration will be held in the Anderson Gallery and the adjoining Performing Arts Hall lobby on Feb. 9 from 5–7 p.m. with a brief program at 5:15 p.m. More details can be found on the Anderson Gallery webpage.

— Lilah Anderson, Anderson Gallery Exhibitions and Community Engagement Manager

Campus Announcements Archive

Calling Out Race: Art and Activism

You are invited to a panel discussion Calling Out Race: Art and Activism on Friday, Feb. 3, from 5:30–7 p.m. in the Turner Jazz Center, Harmon Fine Arts Center. The panel will explore ways that artists and activists work to change current ideologies of race and racism. Panelists will include: Ako Abdul-Samad, former lieutenant of distribution for the Black Panther Party in Des Moines in the 1960s and 70s; Patti Miller, a Drake student in the 1960s who participated in Freedom Summer Project in Mississippi in 1964; artist Nate Young, whose art includes video, sculpture, and installation; and Phillip Chen, a print artist. Both Young and Chen pinpoint racist attitudes and offer different ways to imagine race through art.

Lenore Metrick-Chen, associate professor of art history, will be the panel moderator. This panel is offered in conjunction with the exhibition A Thin But Powerful Difference: Race | Embodiment, which is running through Feb. 19 at Drake’s Anderson Gallery.

— Lilah Anderson, Anderson Gallery Exhibitions and Community Engagement Manager 

Campus Announcements Archive

Study abroad applications open

Student deadlines for studying abroad are fast approaching. The deadline to apply for a summer study abroad scholarship is Wednesday, Feb. 1. Study abroad applications will continue to be accepted until Feb. 15.

For students thinking about studying abroad during the fall semester, or next academic year, the study abroad scholarship deadline will be March 1. Study abroad applications will continue to be accepted until March 15.

To find more information about joining an international program, please check out Drake’s study abroad website: https://www.drake.edu/global/studyabroad/

J-Term 2024 study abroad programs will open on March 8 during the J-Term Fair.

Spring 2024 study abroad programs will open in April, and the application deadline for spring study abroad has moved to Sept. 1.

Students can find a full list of approved study abroad programs and apply on our website: https://drake-sa.terradotta.com/.

If you have any questions about studying abroad while at Drake, or want meet with a Peer Advisor or Study Abroad Advisor, email: studyabroad@drake.edu.

— Karen Williams, Global Engagement

Campus Announcements Archive

Periphery, Drake’s student literary magazine, now an award winning journal

Periphery Art & Literary Journal, a student publication at Drake, has been recognized with distinction for excellence in art and literary magazines in the REALM (Recognizing Excellence in Art & Literary Magazines) Contest on Jan. 31 by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

This year, schools in 42 states and five countries nominated 262 student magazines. Magazines from middle school, high school, and higher education were welcomed for the 2022 contest.

Editor-in-chief of Periphery, Anna Richardson, stated, “Periphery is honored to receive recognition for our publication on a national scale. We would especially like to thank the editorial staff on the 59th edition (myself, Aanika Pfister, Atlas Desmond, Jordan Roubion, Taryn Ripple, Lily McIntosh, Emily Albers, Andrew Reitman, and Ashley Peldiak) plus all the writers and artists who entrusted us with a home for their creative endeavors. Cheers to another great edition this year!”

The REALM program publicly recognizes excellent literary magazines produced by students with the support of their teachers. REALM is designed to encourage all schools to develop literary magazines that celebrate the art and craft of writing.  Schools in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, US territories, Canada, and American schools abroad are eligible to nominate magazines.

For more information about the REALM program, visit: https://ncte.org/awards/program-to-recognize-in-student-literary-magazines/.

— Carol Spaulding-Kruse, Professor of English

Campus Announcements Archive

Complete the transportation survey to help track our carbon footprint

The Office of Sustainability is conducting a transportation survey to gain insight on the transportation behaviors of students, faculty, and staff. Your feedback will provide important information to make sustainable transportation more obtainable and convenient. More importantly, it will provide a baseline for Drake to accurately track scope three greenhouse gas emissions. This will allow Drake to complete an updated carbon footprint report and track the University’s progress toward meeting the carbon reduction targets outlined in the Climate Action Plan.

Thank you to those of you who have completed the survey.  If you haven’t, please take five minutes to complete it.  The survey is quick, anonymous, and will help Drake identify opportunities to reduce our Carbon footprint.

For more information about alternative transportation and Drake’s sustainability initiatives, visit Drake’s Sustainability Website.

— Hannah Remke, Sustainability Coordinator

News & Achievements Archive

Drake recognized as Tree Campus for 11th consecutive year

Drake has been honored with the 2022 Tree Campus Higher Education (formerly Tree Campus USA) recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation. The hard work of Drake’s Grounds Department has ensured this designation for the 11th year in a row. Facilities Planning and Management is committed to promoting healthy urban forest management and engaging the campus community in environmental stewardship.  The dedicated team cares for over 1,500 trees on campus and recently updated and published a new Tree Care Plan. 

Trees on campus and in urban spaces can lower energy costs by providing shade, cleaner air and water, and green spaces for students and faculty. In addition, trees improve students’ mental and cognitive health, provide an appealing aesthetic for campuses, and create shaded areas for studying and gathering making their care a high priority. 

If you are interested in being involved, stay on the lookout for information on how you or your groups can participate in our annual Arbor Day observance tree planting in May, or reach out to Hannah Remke, Sustainability Coordinator at hannah.remke@drake.edu. You can also visit the Tree Campus Higher Education page on Drake’s Sustainability website. 

 — Hannah Remke, Sustainability Coordinator

For Faculty Archive

Supporting students with accommodations

In Access & Success we have been connecting with students who have completed disability documentation to receive accommodations for the spring semester. When accommodations are confirmed, the Access & Success team raises the accommodation notification flag in Starfish to alert instructors. Additionally, students are expected to follow-up with instructors to discuss accommodations.

Faculty can view current student accommodations by class in Starfish using the following steps (view example):

  1. Log in to Starfish (available in MyDrake)
  2. Click on the hamburger icon (three lines in the upper left corner) and click on “Students”
  3. Under connection you can sort by class or select “All My Students”
  4. Select the current term
  5. Disregard cohorts
  6. Click the blue “Add Filters” button and select the following from the Tracking Items menu
    1. Students with Tracking Items
    2. Status = All
    3. Tracking Type = Flag
    4. Item Name = Accommodation Notification
  7. Hit submit to generate a current list of student accommodations in your course

Common accommodations might include test taking accommodations (such as extended time, distraction reduced testing location), flexibility in attendance, and note taking. When note taking accommodations are requested, instructors can support students by making an announcement and/or sending a message to their class requesting a peer take and share notes. These notes are intended to be supplemental to the notes created by the student requesting accommodations.

For any questions, please contact Michelle Laughlin, director of Access & Success, by phone 515–271–1835 or email Michelle.Laughlin@Drake.edu.

— Laura Shell, Access and Success Coordinator

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Getting the most out of Jobs@Drake

Drake’s new applicant tracking system is celebrating its one month anniversary. During this time, we have already had 450 applicants apply for more than 60 positions.

While we remain extremely excited about Jobs@Drake, we are identifying some kinks that need to be worked out and making adjustments that will enhance our use of the slick new system. We have been working with departments with their current recruitment needs—doing a lot of the heavy lifting ourselves. This is the best way for HR to really learn the system inside and out. However, we will be looking to create and facilitate training and training materials in the coming months.

In the meantime, if your department needs to launch a search, we recommend you complete the pre-work first:

  1. First review the essential job functions, minimum qualifications, and preferred qualifications
  2. The new system has a place for both a job description and a department description—put some thought into crafting those pieces (we’re happy to help, though); and
  3. Assure you’ve completed the budgetary steps and have approval to initiate a new search process.

For now, Marli Jefferson will be point for positions in Facilities, Planning, & Management; Public Safety; and Drake Head Start. For all faculty/instructor positions and other staff, contact Maureen De Armond. You can always reach out to us with the new jobs email, too, if that’s easier: jobs@drake.edu.

We will want to work with search chairs to think recruitment strategies, too. Passive recruiting (cross your fingers and hope you get good applicants) is not a strategy. We can help come up with some strategies for your specific search to try to generate applications. Even the best strategies do not work 100%, but no strategy at all is not advised.

We want to provide some special thanks to Kris Brewster and Tyler Spoon in ITS for all of their support, expertise, and generosity of spirit during this project. Working with them was a great reminder of the power and importance of collaboration. Thank you, Kris and Tyler!

— Maureen De Armond, Human Resources