All posts by Ryan Zantingh

Campus Announcements Archive

Discount on internet service and devices for qualifying households

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a program that  helps low-income households pay for internet service and connected devices. Eligible households can receive up to a $30/month discount on internet service (or $75/month for households in Tribal lands), as well as a one-time discount of up to $100 for computer or tablet purchases.

Eligibility is based on household income or the receipt of certain government assistance programs, including the Federal Pell Grant, SNAP (food stamps), Medicaid, Free and Reduced-Price Lunch, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and other programs. Visit acpbenefit.org for more information and to apply.

— Ryan Zantingh, Director of Financial Aid

For Faculty Archive

Faculty Writers’ Workshop Spring 2022: Virtual meetings, Fridays, 10–11 a.m.

Drake faculty members are invited to participate in a Faculty Writers’ Workshop (FWW) focused on working effectively on our writing and scholarship. We will meet virtually from 10 a.m.–11 a.m. on Fridays (Feb. 4, Feb. 25, March 25, April 22, May 13) to discuss issues with getting writing done and workshop work-in-progress, with optional additional meetings for writing quietly together.

Our goal will be to help set ourselves up to make progress on our scholarship over the semester. To the degree faculty are interested, we will read and discuss Joli Jensen’s book Write No Matter What. The session will also include discussion/workshop of the faculty members’ own scholarship and on-site writing time.

This writers’ workshop has been generously supported by the Provost’s Office, the Humanities Center, and the Dean of the College of the Arts and Sciences. There are spots for ten faculty participants. Should more than ten individuals express interest, priority shall be given to 1) Those who actively participated in the previous Faculty Writers’ Groups, 2) Tenure-track faculty who are not yet tenured, 3) Faculty who are members of groups under-represented. Participants who attend all five sessions will receive a stipend of $150 (approximately$109+38% benefits).If you are interested in participating, please fill out the interest form by 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 28.

If you have questions, please contact the co-facilitators of the FWW, Nate Holdren (nate.holdren@drake.edu) and En Li (en.li@drake.edu).

— Nate Holdren, Law, Politics & Society; and En Li, History Department

Campus Announcements Archive

Office of Spiritual Life introduces new programs

The Office of Spiritual Life at Drake University is excited to announce several new program offerings for the Drake community this semester:

Wednesday Drop In Meditation Sessions
Drake community members are welcome to join us for standing weekly meditation sessions with instructor Jenny Jones every Wednesday in Olmsted Center, Room 310, from 12–12:30 p.m. starting Wednesday, Feb. 9.

Group Spiritual Direction Opportunity
Spiritual Direction is not counseling, and it is not coaching, and it is also not necessarily religious. Rather, spiritual direction is a safe place to explore meaning and purpose and other issues that have a spiritual component, such as commitment and calling. In group spiritual direction, a small group of people meet once per month to support each other’s spiritual growth. Dr. Catherine Gillespie, who is the associate dean of the School of Education, and a spiritual director, will be present at all the meetings to act as a facilitator. There will also be an introductory meeting on Monday, Feb. 21, from 1–2:30 p.m. so that each group member can know what to expect. This group is limited to six students. Each student will have one opportunity to be the presenter. Those who are interested should sign up at: https://drake.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1WWWSLk6HO6UIKy. Information about Catherine’s Spiritual Director services can be found at: https://www.sdicompanions.org/about/what-is-spiritual-direction-and-companionship/

Monday, Feb. 28, 2022
1–2:30 p.m.
Max Capacity: Six Participants

Monday, March 28, 2022
1–2:30 p.m.
Max Capacity: Six Participants

Monday, April 25, 2022
1–2:30 p.m.
Max Capacity: Six Participants

Individual Spiritual Direction Sessions
Spiritual Direction involves meeting with a spiritual director (also called a spiritual companion), usually for one hour once per month, to explore your own spiritual life. Dr. Catherine Gillespie, who is the associate dean of the School of Education, and a spiritual director offers individual spiritual direction sessions to students. These sessions include asking questions to help students explore the spiritual aspects of their life. These sessions can be made via STARFISH by looking for Catherine Gillespie and making an appointment.

Spiritual Counselor Update
Ted Lyddon-Hatten, who has served as Drake’s spiritual counselor is unavailable for the Spring 2022 semester. Should anyone have questions regarding Spiritual Life at Drake, please contact Rudy Trejo, assistant dean of students, at rudy.trejo@drake.edu.

— Rudy Trejo, Assistant Dean of Students

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Deputy Provost 2:10 – Spring development opportunities, Center for Teaching Excellence plus Deputy Provost’s Office

Every Tuesday in OnCampus the Deputy Provost shares two articles with a read time of 10 minutes.

In January, more than two dozen faculty gathered across three mornings for workshops on pedagogical problem-solving, syllabus construction and the scholarship of teaching and learning, and setting appropriate goals for scholarship/creative work plus service in the spring. You can access recordings of these development opportunities here, in the folder for the Center for Teaching Excellence on Drake’s Panopto page.

We have several more faculty development opportunities planned for this spring, through the Center for Teaching Excellence. Please keep your eye out in this space every week for Eventbrite links to sign up.

The opportunities include a Books for Breakfast series. We’ll read Kevin Gannon’s teaching manifesto Radical Hope in February, and Jennifer Louden’s creativity manifesto Why Bother? in April.  Sean Severe (Associate Dean in CBPA) and Natalie Bayer (Associate Dean in A&S) have agreed to co-lead two sessions on Nathan Grawe’s newest book on meeting the challenges of the demographic trends in higher education, The Agile College, in March.

You can sign up for the February Books for Breakfast here. We’ll chat about Radical Hope on Feb. 15 and Feb. 22 in Howard Hall (I’ll bring pastries, tea, and instant coffee) from 8:30–9:30 a.m. If you want to talk about Radical Hope, but cannot make this time work, please email renee.cramer@drake.edu and we’ll think about finding a supplemental time.

CTE will also sponsor lunches this spring to talk about the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning—inviting our colleagues to share their research, and brainstorm about potential projects.  And, CTE will host faculty development relating to delivering on the promise of our AOI core curriculum, developed with help from the Drake Curriculum and Assessment Committee.

In May, we’ll have two-day workshops for new and aspiring FYS instructors, as well as for faculty interested in making sure their courses are absolutely accessible when they migrate to virtual spaces. Finally, keep your eyes out for a reprise of the goal-setting workshop. We’ll meet in community to plan a restful and productive summer for our 9- and 12-month faculty.

— Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Deputy Provost 2:10 – Reminders about remote teaching and learning

Every Tuesday in OnCampus the Deputy Provost shares two articles with a read time of 10 minutes.

Welcome to the spring semester! As you know—because you’re in the midst of it—we have moved to two weeks of remote instruction to begin the semester. In coordination with Drake’s Office of Global Engagement, as well as Drake Online and Continuing Education, I want to share these six essential steps to making the first two weeks work well for you and your students.

  1. Use Blackboard Learn Ultra. Our LMS allows you to easily distribute course materials, share your syllabus and course schedule, provide resources for support, communicate with students, and manage attendance. When we all use one common LMS, students know where and when their courses are and will experience less confusion these first two weeks.
  2. Use Blackboard Collaborate or Zoom when you meet with your students synchronously. Both are available through Blackboard Learn Ultra within your course. Students simply click the appropriate link within the course to “attend.” Using these within the course will simplify your communication to students and lessen any complications to joining their course.
  3. Create simple modules within Blackboard. Creating one or two simple modules for the first two weeks will help direct students to the right materials, readings, schedule, etc. Setting up a module in Blackboard is straightforward, once you know the steps. Drake Online has a quick video that can walk you through the steps if needed; ITS has a knowledge base article on building courses within the LMS.
  4. Communicate with your students. Send an email to students to share your plan for the first two weeks. Include all information about where and how you will meet, about what your expectations are, and about your learning objectives. A good practice is to sign-post everything; another good practice is to over-communicate: have the same information in multiple places (in the syllabus, on the course Blackboard site, as part of your introductory comments in class, as an announcement that is emailed). And remember, clear communication isn’t haphazard—it isn’t useful to email students every time you remember something, rather, plan your communications.
  5. Build engagement during these first two weeks. Blackboard, Blackboard Collaborate, and Zoom all have features that help build engagement and a sense of community.  Use discussion boards, breakout rooms, and other online activities that will help build excitement for your class and the semester. Even if you don’t normally have a group exercise, adding something small during the first two weeks will help our students interact with each other. A good example might be to have small groups find what they have in common as a “introduction” exercise. This is even more fun if you tell your students the commonality can’t have anything to do with Drake or their majors—but center instead on a favorite food, or a common popular culture reference.
  6. Support your international students who are remote these two weeks. In support of Drake as global university and in the spirit of flexibility, faculty are asked to be mindful that during the two-week remote period, there may be international students joining your classes remotely from other parts of the world and therefore different time zones. In addition, some international locations may have less stable internet connectivity.  Please work individually with these students to ensure the right balance of synchronous or asynchronous learning.

Doing these things will help set up your semester for success during the first two weeks. They represent the minimum expectation of what we want our online and remote instruction to embody to ensure students are engaged and satisfied with their learning experience. Thank you for the work you do to make a Drake education an excellent education.

— Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost

For Faculty Archive

New Crew Scholars opportunities for Drake faculty

The Office of Equity and Inclusion is thrilled to announce that the Crew Scholars Program is expanding. Beginning Fall 2022 the Crew program will triple in size, growing from one entering first year cohort of 20–25 students, to three EFR cohorts of 20–25 students each.

Three Drake faculty members will be competitively selected, each of whom will work with one Crew cohort for the 2022–2023 academic year in partnership with the Director of Equity and Inclusion Jazlin Coley.

Position Description – Crew faculty will:

  • serve as the instructor of record, alongside Director of Equity and Inclusion, for two one-credit Crew courses (pass/fall; no grading), taught in each of fall and spring semesters during the 22-23 academic year;
  • Participate in Crew Days (pre-Welcome Week orientation): August 21-23, 2022;
  • Provide consistent weekly contact hours (standing and “as needed”) for one EFR Crew cohort (20-25 students);
  • Provide occasional communication to Crew Mentors, and otherwise support connection and relationship-building between Crew students and Crew Mentors (mentors trained and assigned by Director of Equity and Inclusion and Associate Provost of Campus Equity and Inclusion).
  • **During summer of 2022 a small number of communications to incoming students, as well as limited participation in summer orientation sessions will be ideal (mutually acceptable/feasible engagement will be worked out with Director of Equity and Inclusion).
  • This is a one year appointment.

Qualifications – Successful candidates will have:

  • served on the Drake faculty for at least three years and currently have an ongoing faculty appointment;
  • a prior demonstrated commitment to the success of Drake students who are historically underrepresented, as well as an understanding of Drake’s commitment to DEIJ (diversity, equity, inclusion and justice) and the ways the Crew Scholars Program reflects that commitment;
  • an unwavering investment in championing Drake students who both experience various barriers related to systems of inequity and injustice (especially as these correlate with racial/ethnic identities and socioeconomic experiences), but who are also ready, able and eager to thrive and lead as members of this campus community;
  • a willingness to learn, grow and collaborate with students, and equity and inclusions-committed Drake staff and faculty (especially affiliated with the Office of Equity and Inclusion), in a spirit of humility, commitment and creativity.

Compensation and support

  • Each Crew faculty member will be compensated a total of $5,000 over the course of the academic year (this rate reflects two 1-credit courses, each of which will be taught engaging with an existing curricular plan/schedule, as well as obligations to provide contact hours and mentoring responsibilities essential to the success of Crew Scholars).
  • Each faculty member will be directly supported by the Director of Equity and Inclusion who is responsible for the staff leadership of the Crew Scholars Program, as well as by the Associate Provost for Campus Equity and Inclusion under whose supervision/support the Crew Scholars Program resides.
  • The Associate Provost will work with Crew Faculty to ensure all necessary documentation and communication is executed to ensure this vital institutional work is visible and counted in faculty member’s unit evaluation/promotion processes.

Application process

  • Applications are due by Monday, February 14, 2022.
  • Please submit to the Associate Provost for Campus Equity and Inclusion, harvey@drake.edu, the following materials:
    • A statement of interest that
      • describes applicant’s qualifications,
      • articulates applicant’s commitment to the well-being and thriving of historically underrepresented students, understanding of Drake’s approach to DEIJ as an institutional value, any prior experience with the Crew Scholars Program and/or other initiatives pertaining to student success and institutional transformation,
      • and speaks to readiness and ability to incorporate the time and energy required in this role into 22-23 workload.
    • An updated c.v.
    • A brief statement of support from chair of department or appropriate unit leadership indicating support for this overload appointment.
  • Interviews will be conducted during late February with the goal of making appointments by early March 2022.

— Jen Harvey, Associate Provost, Campus Equity and Inclusion

Campus Announcements Archive

Call for nominations: Levitt Mentor Award

All Drake faculty, staff, and students are invited and encouraged to nominate a faculty or staff member for the Madelyn Levitt Mentor Award, created in 1994 in honor of Madelyn Levitt’s commitment to Drake, and her ongoing interest in faculty and staff achievement and academic excellence.

Each year this award recognizes commitment to student success on the Drake campus by honoring a member of the Drake University faculty or staff for excellence in advising and mentoring of students.   In order to make a nomination, please submit a letter that speaks to the following qualifications:

  • an outstanding commitment to student success in and out of the classroom in support of the Drake mission.
  • integrity in personal relationships.
  • typifying the ideal student mentor by providing for students the support they need to graduate and move forward to live productive, fulfilling lives.

The nominee must be a faculty or staff member in at least her/his fourth year of service at the University.  The nominee cannot have won this award within the past five years.

The letter is due to Deputy Provost Renée Cramer no later than February 18, 2022  The letter should be sent as an attachment to renee.cramer@drake.edu and nicki.kimm@drake.edu

The nominated individual will be notified by the Provost’s Office of her/his nomination and asked if they are willing to be considered.

At the nominee’s acceptance, the nominator is asked to collect the following supporting material and submit it to Nicki Kimm by March 18, 2022: a curriculum vitae or resume, a minimum of one other letter supporting the nomination, and a description by the nominee of activities which illustrate her/his mentoring/advising involvement. At least one of the letters must be from a current student and there may be no more than five letter supporting the nomination. Electronic submission of materials is required. Send all documents to nicki.kimm@drake.edu

The Provost will appoint a screening committee to review the nominations and materials, and recommend an awardee to the Provost.

Any individual who was initially nominated for the award in 2020 or 2021 may be re-nominated if the nominator resubmits a letter offering the individual for consideration this year. Files of previous nominees are maintained for two years.  In the case of re-nomination, the nominator will be invited to review the file to ensure that the nomination is as current as possible. The limit of five letters of support, including one from a current student, also applies to re-nominations.

The 2022 recipient of the Madelyn Levitt Mentor Award will be announced at one of the spring 2022 commencements.

— Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost

For Faculty Archive

Applications invited for Troyer Research Fellowship

In 2009, the Board of Trustees of Drake University voted to create the Ronald Troyer Research Fellowship Endowment for full-time faculty members in recognition of Dr. Troyer’s many contributions to Drake University during his tenure as Provost, 2000–2009.  In creating this fellowship, the Trustees particularly wanted to recognize Provost Troyer’s unwavering commitment to the support of faculty research and development at the highest level.

The Troyer Research Fellow receives a stipend of $5,000 in support of his/her scholarly work.  The funds may be used for a variety of research-related purposes, including support of research assistants, equipment, travel and materials, but may not be used to provide a stipend for the recipient.  The funds must be expended by the end of the fiscal year for which they are awarded.

The Troyer Fellowship is awarded annually on the basis of a competitive application process conducted by the Office of the Provost.  Selection of the Troyer Research Fellow from among the applicants is based on the applicant’s record of scholarly accomplishment and future promise as a scholar. Applicants must be full-time faculty who hold the rank of Associate Professor or Full Professor and are in at least their fourth year of teaching at Drake University; faculty who have had a Troyer Research Fellowship in the past 10 years are ineligible to apply.

Applicants should submit a current curriculum vitae, a letter of application of no more than three pages, a preliminary budget suggesting how the fellowship dollars might be spent, and a one-paragraph abstract written for a non-specialist audience that summarizes the proposed research. The application letter should address the applicant’s record of scholarly accomplishment, future promise, how they will benefit and how the university will benefit if selected as the Troyer Research Fellow.

Please email applications to the Office of the Deputy Provost, via emails to both renee.cramer@drake.edu and  nicki.kimm@drake.edu on or before March 18, 2022. A committee comprised of faculty holding University professorships will review the applications, making a recommendation for the award to the Provost.

— Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost

For Students Archive

Back to campus ITS update

Welcome Back! Here’s what’s new over winter break from ITS as well as a reminder of what ITS offers and how to get assistance if needed.

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) now required: ITS rolled out multi-factor authentication across campus. This means you’ll need an additional method of proving your identity every time you log into key campus systems including myDrake, Blackboard, Self Service (formerly MyDUSIS), and Touchnet. This will help keep your information, and campus information more secure. Learn more at Using Multi-factor Authentication (FAQ).

MyDUSIS is now Self Service: The MyDUSIS link in the Commonly Used Apps section of myDrake was changed to Self Service and takes you to a new landing page–see Navigating Self Service (How-to). Additionally, other former MyDUSIS-related links have been renamed or removed as Self Service has prominent links to access key functions. You’ll see new screens for your student profile and will now need to use MFA to access Self Service screens. Learn more about the changes in these Self Service Guides for Students.

Proxy Access: A new method, Proxy Access, is now available for students to allow parent/guardian(s) access to their information (see Authorizing Proxy Access (How-to) for instructions). If you had previously authorized your parent or guardian, you’ll need to re-enroll them in the new system before February 1.

IT Service Portal: You can visit the IT Service Portal at service.drake.edu/its 24/7 to browse for tech guides, see what Drake ITS offers, or request assistance with a tech issue.

Support Center: The ITS support center is located in the lower level of Carnegie Hall. Walk-in support is available Monday–Thursday from 8–6:30 p.m. and Fridays from 8–4:30 p.m. Phone support is available 24/7 by calling 515-271-3001 or you can report an issue using the IT service portal.

ITS News & Announcements: Information on outages, new initiatives, and other news can be found at drake.edu/its, on service.drake.edu/its, or by following @DrakeITServices on Twitter. Want outage notifications texted to you? Opt in by texting DrakeITS2021 to phone number 226787. We also include regular announcements in OnCampus.

Live in the residence hall and want to connect a new game console or streaming device? Follow the instructions at Connecting a Game Console, Smart TV, or Streaming Device to the Drake Network (How-to) to connect wirelessly. Want a wired connection? Submit a Wired Network Issue to request one.

Looking for an on-campus job? ITS is hiring student techs. As a student tech, you support students, faculty, and staff with day-to-day troubleshooting of campus-wide technical resources. No prior IT support experience is needed-all majors encouraged to apply. Training will be provided. Apply to be a student tech from the Handshake link in myDrake today.

Need online training resources? Check out our curated list at Technology Training Resources for Students.

New and not sure where to get started? Visit service.drake.edu/its/newstudents.

—Carla Herling, ITS

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Back to campus ITS update

Welcome Back! Here’s what’s new over winter break from ITS as well as a reminder of what ITS offers and how to get assistance if needed.

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) now required: ITS rolled out a new method of multi-factor authentication earlier this month. This means you’ll need to use Microsoft Authenticator to prove your identity every time you log into key campus systems including myDrake, Blackboard, Self Service (formerly MyDUSIS), and Touchnet. This will help keep your information, and campus information more secure. Learn more about setting up using the Microsoft Authenticator app or text messages or calls at Using Multi-factor Authentication (FAQ).

MyDUSIS is now Self Service: The MyDUSIS link in the Commonly Used Apps section of myDrake was changed to Self Service and takes you to a new landing page–see Navigating Self Service (How-to). Additionally, other former MyDUSIS-related links have been renamed or removed as Self Service has prominent links to access key functions. You’ll see new screens for faculty and advising functions and will need to use MFA to access all Self Service screens. Learn more about the changes in these Self Service Guides for Faculty & Staff.

ITS News & Announcements: Information on outages, new initiatives, and other news can be found at drake.edu/its, on service.drake.edu/its, or by following @DrakeITServices on Twitter. Want outage notifications texted to you? Opt in by texting DrakeITS2021 to phone number 226787. We also include regular announcements in OnCampus.

IT Service Portal: You can visit the IT Service Portal at service.drake.edu/its 24/7 to browse for tech guides, see what Drake ITS offers, or request assistance with a tech issue.

Support Center: The ITS support center is located in the lower level of Carnegie Hall but is not currently available for faculty and staff walk ins. Phone support is available 24/7 by calling 515-271-3001 or you can report an issue using the IT service portal.

Have a classroom emergency? Call 515-271-3002. There’s also an on-campus support technician Saturdays from 8–12 p.m.

Need online training resources? Check out our curated list at Technology Training Resources for Faculty & Staff.

New and not sure where to get started? Visit service.drake.edu/its/newfacstaff.

—Carla Herling, ITS