All posts by Trevon Smith

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Bulldog Applause goes to Drake Relays staff

The Relays Team is a small but extremely important and valued team. Each year, they work to put on the Drake Relays—one of the biggest events in the state, currently in its 113th year.

On behalf of the University, this group proudly serves as a primary point of contact for thousands of athletes and coaches, hundreds of volunteers, our dedicated Relays Committee, and countless others who come together each April to celebrate the century long tradition of America’s Athletic Classic alongside Drake students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

The team led an effort to rethink the Drake Relays competition format to better benefit the collegiate athletes. This culminated in the successful announcement at the US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Convention in December, placing Drake Relays at the center of the National Conversation.

You may have noticed the #RelaysResolution campaign—encouraging those across the state of Iowa to make a healthy resolution in 2023. We have hundreds who registered for the Drake Road Races during this campaign and ensured the event will host thousands of walkers and runners on April 23, 2023. The team did all of this while the rest of the University was closed for winter holiday. Completely dedicated to the event, this team, this campus, this community, and the ever-evolving art that is track and field.

There have been big updates over the last few years to the Drake Road Races and the Grand Blue Mile. The Drake Relays team worked diligently at these events for two years before seeing them come to life in their new, full form.

The team really exemplifies the Drake Relay vision of generating a unique experience for athletes and spectators while honoring athletic achievement. They really drive home the mission of delivering thrilling and memorable events, all within the rigid federation protocols by educating, entertaining and inspiring. A constant Commitment to Mission, a continuous All in This Together attitude and an abundance of Generosity of Spirit.

There is a lot of work that goes into putting on any athletic event, let alone one of the top track and field events in the United States. Drake University Recognition Committee would like to celebrate the Drake Relays team for all the determination and perseverance they exhibit every day to ensure a successful event is held. Your time, effort and daily commitment are genuinely appreciated!

— Trevon Smith, On Behalf of All Staff Council

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Claim your free tickets to upcoming basketball games

The Athletics Department is hosting faculty and staff appreciation days during the Drake basketball games on Jan. 24 and March 2. Faculty and staff can claim four complimentary tickets to attend the games listed below.

Tickets must be claimed online and are not available at the ticket windows on the day of the event.

  • Jan. 24 at 8 p.m. – Men’s Basketball vs Indiana State
  • March 2 at 6 p.m. – Women’s Basketball vs Missouri State

How to Redeem:

  1. Press on Claim Tickets below or go to draketix.com/facultystaffdays.
  2. Enter your Drake email as the password to claim your tickets.
  3. Tickets will be sent to your AXS MobileID. For help with the AXS App please go to draketix.com/axsmobileid

Faculty & Staff Appreciation Day Men’s Basketball: Claim Tickets
Faculty & Staff Appreciation Day Women’s Basketball: Claim Tickets

For questions, email tickets@drake.edu.

— Logan Krause, Athletics

For Students Archive

Seeking student researchers for “Drake in China: Past and Present” documentation project

Drake undergraduate students are invited to participate in a pilot documentation project entitled “Drake in China: Past and Present.” There is a $450 stipend available for undergraduate researchers this spring semester (up to two awards).

Are you interested in China? Are you interested in finding out more about how Drake engaged in modern and contemporary China, or the other way around?

Are you interested in writing your own history, and first, learning to create a research guide/annotated bibliography of sorts that would help future students from different disciplines find areas of possible research?

Do you have 10+ hours per month and 40+ hours this spring?

If you answered yes to the questions above, keep reading:

The project will be co-facilitated by En Li, assistant professor of history, and Hope Bibens, associate professor of librarianship. We are looking for undergraduate researchers to create a collection of materials related to Drake University’s historical engagement in China and to explore possible platforms to showcase their research. Sample topics include but not limit to:

  • First Chinese students came study at Drake, 1890s;
  • First missionaries sent from Drake to China, early 20th century;
  • Madame Chiang Kai-shek’s visit to Drake, 1959;
  • Exchange students between Drake and China since the 1980s;
  • Drake Football Team’s visit to China in 2018;
  • The “Teach in China” program;
  • The Branstad archives recently acquired by Drake;
  • Gift exchange between Drake and China.

Researchers are encouraged to submit their projects for publication in the Drake Undergraduate Social Science Journal(DUSSJ). The digital/physical exhibit will be featured during the Asian Heritage Month in May 2023.

This project is generously supported by a Drake Research Grant from the Provost’s Office. There are spots for two researchers. Selected researchers will be awarded a stipend of $450 upon completion of the research.

What do you need to do to receive a $450 stipend?

  • Choose a topic that you are interested in, related to Drake and China;
  • Conduct the research by collecting, categorizing, and interpreting primary sources;
  • Identify a platform to publish/exhibit your research by the end of the fall semester.

Selection criteria:

  • value of the proposed topic and intellectual inquiry;
  • feasibility of the research scale (within one semester);
  • creativity of the proposed platform to publish/exhibit the results to engage the broader community;
  • previous research experience and research ability;
  • previous knowledge about China—being able read and write in Chinese is not required, but would be a plus.

If you are interested in participating, please submit your proposal by filling out the form below by Feb 3, Friday. Selected candidates will be notified via email by Feb 10, Friday.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoNlnj7XopG4VmQN5yfV36ZPteqB8WPPg9PCTY1rubGy4ccQ/viewform?usp=pp_url

For research and China related questions (for example, what might make the Drake Football Team’s visit to Drake an interesting topic), please contact En Li (en.li@drake.edu); for archive related questions (for example, what would be considered to be valuable archives to collect from the Football Team’s trip to China, and what would be feasible platforms to publish/exhibit the results), please contact Hope Bibens (hope.bibens@drake.edu); for experience about being a student researcher at the DIC project, please contact Kaiya Kielb Young (kaiya.kielbyoung@drake.edu).

— Kaiya Kielb Young, AS’23

News & Achievements Archive

Drake’s Legal Clinic courtroom named in honor of founding director Daniel L. Power

Drake University Law School is pleased to announce the naming of the courtroom in the Neal and Bea Smith Law Center as the Daniel L. Power Courtroom. This naming honors the founding director of Drake’s Legal Clinic, Professor Emeritus Dan Power. The recognition is made possible through a lead gift from members of the Drake Law Class of 1981 to honor Power’s legacy and impact on generations of Drake Law alumni.

Dan Power served as director of Drake’s Legal Clinic from 1971 to 1994. He was a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice when he joined the Drake Law faculty as the first Director of Clinical Programs. Power’s vision and dedication helped develop the clinic into the nationally recognized program it is today. His partnership with the late Congressman Neal Smith led to funding to build the Neal and Bea Smith Law Center that now houses the clinic programs. His kind and generous mentorship inspired and shaped countless successful Drake Law alumni.

The naming was initially announced at the Drake Legal Clinic’s 50th anniversary celebration banquet in late October. Power and members of his family, along with many friends and clinic alumni, were there to celebrate the honor.

Funds raised through this initiative will be used to maintain the clinic facility and is programs. For more information about making a gift in honor of Professor Power, please contact Senior Advancement Officer Thomas Smith at thomas.smith@drake.edu.

Learn more about Drake’s Legal Clinic programs here.

— Terri Howard, Law School

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Call for PechaKucha presenters: Faculty/staff social impact showcase

The Global Citizen Forum planning committee seeks presenters for the second annual Faculty and Staff PechaKucha Night March 2 from 4–6:30 p.m. in Turner Jazz Center.

This gathering will leverage a fast-paced visual storytelling format known as PechaKucha. We seek proposals from a wide range of contexts that speak to the Global Citizen Forum theme: Social Impact & Responsibility. 

  • Presenters may highlight current or past initiatives, feature course projects, personal scholarship, or community partnerships that are yielding social impact opportunities for students.
  • Presentations that focus on challenges and opportunities in the private, public, and non-profit sectors (or across sectors) are all welcome.
  • It is recommended that presentation topics align with one (or more!) of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs provide a framework for tackling complex global pressing issues such as poverty, sustainable communities, climate action, and justice.
  • All presentations will follow a Pecha-Kucha format and selected presenters will be provided a PowerPoint template.
  • Selected presenters will each receive a $75 honorarium for participating.

To apply, submit a brief description (500 max) of the initiative, project, course, or research you would like to present and how it exemplifies the theme of Social Impact & Responsibility. Submission Form

Proposals are due Jan. 20, 2023

Missed last year’s event? See the 2022 PechaKucha Presentation Archive

— Renee Sedlacek Lee, Community Engaged Learning

For Faculty Archive

Don’t cancel class, call Academic Excellence and Student Success

Presenting at a conference? Attending a national meeting? Not feeling well? Don’t cancel class; instead call Academic Excellence and Student Success.

Additionally, we are happy to address your class even when you are available. Please fill out this form to request a presentation and find out more information on the possible topics.
Don’t Cancel Class Survey.

— Brooke Sanders, Academic Excellence and Student Success

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

True Blue: Nominations due March 1

Time is running short to submit a nomination for a True Blue Award. Submit your nomination by Wednesday, March 1 to make sure the individual or group you want to honor will be in the running for a coveted Sapphire Award in April. Nominations of any length are meaningful, and there aren’t any requirements about a specific number of paragraphs. Click here to read more about the award criteria and submit your nomination. Cheers to starting the New Year by reminding folks that they are appreciated!

— Betsy Wilson, On behalf of All Staff Council

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Using Starfish for student success

Helping our students be successful is a team effort. Starfish helps faculty and campus resources across our institution address specific student needs.  Overall, the vision of Starfish is to help students succeed and graduate.

Now is a great time to make sure your Starfish account is ready for another semester. Don’t forget to adjust your office hours for the spring. Join Laura Shell, Access & Success Coordinator, for Starfish support via Zoom during one of the following times:

  • Thursday, Jan. 19, from 9–10 AM
  • Friday, Jan. 20, from 1:30–2:30 PM
  • Monday, Jan. 23, from Noon–1 PM

More resources can be found at https://www.drake.edu/starfish/facstaff/. For additional Starfish assistance, please email starfish@drake.edu.

— Laura Shell, Access and Success Coordinator