All posts by Adam Voigts

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Finance report on the Survey of Administrative Services

The Offices of Finance and Student Financial Planning would like to thank everyone for taking the time to complete the Survey of Administrative Services earlier this fall.  We have gained valuable feedback to help us maintain and improve the services we provide to students, faculty, and staff.

Ratings for every question were very consistent with prior year ratings.  Each of the departments individually scored between 4.5 and 5.0 on the 5-point scale.  The overall satisfaction with the services provided by the Offices of Finance and Student Financial Planning score was 4.57 compared to 4.59 in 2021.  While there is always room for improvement, the unit’s staff are clearly doing their best to meet our service-oriented objectives to:

  • Ensure our constituents are engaged and informed,
  • Ensure integrity and transparency,
  • Process university resources timely and accurately, and
  • Improve service excellence.

The comments included in the survey were very helpful.  We appreciate the many positive comments that recognized outstanding service provided by staff.  The following are items noted that we hope to improve over the coming year.

  • Dissatisfaction with travel management vendor – I am pleased to share that Finance staff are in the initial stage of conducting a thorough review and request for proposal process to consider other vendors and models of providing travel services. A working group including faculty, budget/office managers, athletics, and administrative offices with higher volumes of travel will provide valuable input to the process and vendor selection.
  • Confusion on who does what in Finance and who is on campus or working from home under a flexible work arrangement – We plan to update information on MyDrake and share communications with applicable constituents to more clearly articulate roles within Finance and working location. We also plan to update office signage regarding the availability of staff and backup support options.

Thank you again for participating in the Survey of Administrative Services and please know that your input is reviewed and analyzed by the entire staff of the Offices of Finance and Student Financial Planning.

— Adam Voigts, Chief Financial Officer

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Attend the Holiday Cheer event Dec. 15

All Staff Council and Human Resources invite faculty and staff to attend this year’s Holiday Cheer gathering this Thursday, Dec. 15, near the Pomerantz stage in the Olmsted Center. Faculty and staff are welcome to come and go as they please from 9 to 11 a.m.

Guests can enjoy a hot chocolate bar and cookie decorating station. Griff II will also be in attendance and ready for photos.

If you bring at least one non-perishable food or other goods for Drake’s Free Little Food Pantries, you will be entered into a drawing for prizes.

This event is a chance to give back to others in the Drake community, while mingling with coworkers.  Please take a moment to stop by, grab some cheer, and drop off a donation.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Campus Announcements Archive

Nominations being accepted for Newman Civic Fellowship

The Office of Community Engaged Learning is now accepting nominations for the Newman Civic Fellowship. 

The Newman Civic Fellowship is a national year-long program that recognizes and supports community-committed students who are changemakers and public problem-solvers. Students should engage in collaborative action with others from campus or from surrounding communities in order to create long-term social change, take action in addressing issues of inequality and political polarization, and demonstrate the motivation and potential for effective long-term civic engagement.  Through the fellowship, Campus Compact provides students with training and resources that nurture their assets and passions and help them develop strategies for social change. 

 Benefits include: regular virtual events focused on skill development and professional learning, an annual in-person convening of Fellows, one-on-one leadership development with a local mentor of their choice, connection to a nationwide network of engaged student leaders, public national recognition, special scholarship and career opportunities, opportunities to present or publish work.

Nominees must be enrolled at Drake University for the spring semester 2023, and the 2023-2024 academic year. 

 To nominate a student, please complete this short nomination form by Jan. 9 at 12 p.m. 

 A committee will review nominations to select one student from Drake University to be nominated for the Fellowship. That student will need to complete additional paperwork.  

 More information about the Fellowship can be found at https://compact.org/newman-civic-fellowship/.

— Amanda Martin, Community Engaged Learning

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Do your part to reduce utility usage over break

Facilities Planning and Management is taking steps to minimize the University’s utility usage over winter break.

Students in residence halls are tasked with closing and securing windows, unplugging all electronic items including refrigerators, keeping the doors open, and lowering thermostats as recommended. These simple steps not only reduce utility usage, but lower our carbon footprint by not consuming energy on buildings that are unused while students are away.  Many of these rooms are unoccupied until the start of the spring semester.

For buildings on campus that house instruments, libraries, or labs, FPM sets temperatures to 70 degrees to ensure that those items are unaffected by cold temperatures. Other office buildings and administration buildings, temperatures are reduced overnight and weekends when the facilities are unoccupied. Reducing thermostats 7–10 degrees for 8 hours can equate to 10% savings in heating costs. For some locations where there are local thermostats that can be adjusted by occupants, FPM request that when you leave your office or building for the day, please readjust the thermostat.

With the hybrid model of coming into the office and working from home being more of the normal schedule, FPM asks that faculty and staff also consider the items in their offices that may continue to use energy while they are away.  Many items, while not in use, have a plug load, meaning they continue to use electricity. Just a little savings can go a long way when everyone participates in assisting in electricity reduction.

For those who would like more information on plug load, Stanford University compiled this report and findings.

— Kevin Moran, Facilities Planning and Management

Campus Announcements Archive

Campus Cash service outage Dec. 17–18

Transact, Drake’s transaction management system, will be down for maintenance on Saturday, Dec. 17, from 12:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 18.  During this time, the following services will be unavailable:

  • Use of cards for printing, purchases, or meal plans.
    • Dining services and Starbucks will be closed during this time.
    • Use of cards for door access will continue to work.
  • Campus Cash at area establishments.
  • Bulldog Bucks including making online deposits to Bulldog Bucks.

Thank you for your patience while we perform this essential work.

— Tyler Spoon, ITS

Campus Announcements Archive

Traveling abroad? Let ITS know

Will you be traveling abroad over winter break, J-Term, or doing a semester overseas? Make sure to notify ITS before you go so we can ensure your access will continue uninterrupted. Submit an Account/Security Request before you leave and you’ll be set.

Also, remember that the eduroam wireless network is available at over 33,000 locations worldwide. Check to see if your destination is on the list at https://eduroam.org/where/.

— Becky Klein, ITS

Campus Announcements Archive

Make MFA work for you during the holidays

Multi-factor authentication is a great tool to protect the security of your Drake accounts and data, but it does take a little preparation to work smoothly. Here are some tips to reduce frustration while keeping your information safe during the holiday season.

Getting a new phone? Make sure to set up alternate approval options to make switching devices easier.

Planning to travel? Refresh yourself on how to use MFA abroad or without cell service to make sure you can login.

Need help? Visit the ITS Support Center in lower level Carnegie or call us at 515–271–3001.

— Becky Klein, ITS

HR Information Archive

New applicant tracking system is live, transition from HireTouch to Jobs@Drake begins

The Jobs@Drake page is live. Check it out: https://jobs.drake.edu/.

Moving forward, new job openings will be posted here. Any positions currently open will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, as we slowly transition from HireTouch. HireTouch will officially sunset on Dec. 31. We’ll likely use most of December, up until the winter break, to train, work out bugs, and post jobs on the new system.

We will be contacting search chairs of current searches to assess their positions. From Thanksgiving through the start of the new year is a tough time for recruitment—which makes this an ideal time to move to a new ATS. Whenever possible, we are encouraging staff positions to be held until the first week of January, as we do not expect robust job applications coming in over the next month. If you cannot wait, no problem. If you can wait, we think that is a better strategy.

Open faculty positions will require a case-by-case assessment, depending on where the search is and whether the search committee wants to continue to actively solicit additional applications.

Last week, Drake HR facilitated three introductory sessions for managers, the last of which was recorded. Anyone interested in viewing the recording can access it on our Recruitment and Selection page. This is also where we are posting Jobs@Drake guides and a series of short “how to” videos (these are still in the works and will be likely be updated in the first few weeks and months of using Jobs@Drake, as we get to know the system better). Please check this site regularly for on-demand resources and information about Jobs@Drake. We’ll be enhancing our recruitment resources on this page, too. For example, check out the behavior-based interview questions!

Naturally, anyone with questions or in need of support should just contact us. While we have a new generic email for recruitment matters (jobs@drake.edu), you are welcome to contact us directly.

  • Marli Jefferson will be supporting Drake Head Start; Facilities, Planning, and Management; and Public Safety (in addition to student employment, which will continue to be supported by Handshake).
  • Maureen De Armond will assist with all other staff and faculty positions.
  • Debra Wiley will be nearby to lend support as we learn this new system. She’ll also remain point for background checks as Marli and Maureen get through the initial wave of new job postings.
  • Kris Brewster and Tyler Spoon will remain on the project for ITS support.

More opportunities for large group, small group, and 1:1 training are coming. We’ll be reaching out to key groups and individuals. If you are excited to get into the new system, let us know. We can make time with you right away.

— Kris Brewster, ITS; Maureen De Armond, HR

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

SJMC hosting video workshop

Sneak in a little personal development before the holidays. Professor Chris Snider will be teaching a Smartphone Video Workshop on Tuesday, Dec. 20, on campus at Drake.

You’ll learn the basics of creating great videos and put those skills into action during this hands-on, one-day workshop. All you need to bring is your smartphone. Sign up here.

— Chris Snider, School of Journalism and Mass Communication