All posts by Laura Shell

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

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Principal Global Citizen of the Year nominations due Feb. 14

Nominations are being accepted for the Principal Global Citizenship Award, recognizing outstanding contributions to global engagement and internationalization efforts on the part of faculty or staff. The selected awardee will receive a plaque, up to $3,000, and will be announced at the 2023 Global Citizen Forum in March. A screening committee will review all nominations and make recommendations to the Provost.  Nominations should be submitted to Bonnie Ehler at bonnie.ehler@drake.edu by Tuesday, Feb.14, 2023. 

A letter of nomination should be submitted recommending an individual for the award and explaining the context and manner in which the nominator has come to know the faculty or staff member. This letter should speak to the following qualifications:

Pursuant to the University’s mission to develop “responsible global citizens,” explain how the nominee has made outstanding contributions at Drake toward realizing the following:

  1. Support Drake University as a global institution by creating linkages to global partners in local, national, and international settings;
  2. Develop and/or actively support global and intercultural learning opportunities for Drake students;
  3. Develop infrastructure, resources, and partnerships to support internationalization and global engagement.

The nominee must be a faculty or staff member with at least four years of service at the University. The nominee cannot have won this award within the past five years. Faculty and staff members who report directly to Global Engagement are ineligible.

Nominees who indicate a willingness to be considered will be invited to submit a resume or C.V. and a statement discussing their contributions to the above goals. Up to three letters of support from unit or institutional leadership, faculty, staff, or students will be accepted (this is optional).

Any individual who was nominated for the award in 2022 may be re-nominated if the nominator resubmits a letter offering the individual for consideration this year. Files of previous nominees are maintained for one year. If a faculty/staff member is re-nominated, the nominator will be invited to review the file from the previous year to ensure that the nomination is as current as possible.

Past recipients include:

2022 – Debra Bishop, Professor of Practice in Management & International Business

2021 – Sally Haack, Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Clinical Sciences
2020 – Jody Swilky, Ellis and Nelle Levitt Professor of English/Writing Workshop
2019 – Pramod Mahajan, Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences
2018 – Tim Knepper, Professor of Philosophy/Comparison Project Director
2017 – John Rovers, Professor of Pharmacy & Health Sciences
2016 – Ellen Yee, Professor of Law/Director of International Programs

Nomination letters are due by Feb. 14, 2023, and should be sent as an attachment to bonnie.ehler@drake.edu. Questions may be directed to Annique Kiel, executive director of Global Engagement and International Programs, at annique.kiel@drake.edu.

— Bonnie Ehler, Global Engagement

HR Information Archive

W-2 forms available on myDrake

If you worked and were you paid by Drake in 2022, your W-2 is available online through myDrake’s Employee Dashboard. To access and print your W-2, look to the “Taxes” section of the Employee Dashboard.  Within this section, click “W-2 Wage and Tax Statement” and select the tax year for 2022.  Instructions are available for your reference.  If you have questions, contact Human Resources at 515–271–3133.

— Debra Wiley, Human Resources

For Students Archive

PMAC info session Feb. 3

Welcome Weekend 2023 planning is underway, and we want you to be a part of it. There are multiple opportunities to participate in the PMAC program this year, so we hope to see many applications. These roles include FYS PMACs (working with a group of students), Event Planner PMACs (planning Choose Your Own Adventure events and facilitating Welcome Weekend activities), and Social Media PMAC (a unique role within the Event Planner PMACs that will run the new Instagram page to showcase our awesome PMACs and all the fun activities of Welcome Weekend)

To hear more about these roles and get all your questions answered, please attend our information session on Friday, Feb. 3, in Sussman Theater in Olmsted. The session will be around 30 minutes long and will be very helpful if you want clarification on any part of the process.

You can sign up here: PAB: PMAC Information Session’22/’23 (signupgenius.com)

In addition, you can follow the @drake.pmacs Instagram account for more information about the position.

Applications are due Feb. 12 at 11:59 p.m. For questions, email pab@drake.edu.

— Lesly Velazquez, junior

Campus Announcements Archive

Save the date: 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. Each spring we honor students and organizations who have made valuable contributions to the campus community through their outstanding commitment to leadership.

Consider nominating 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 9th.

All award nominees and winners will be recognized at the 2023 Adams Leadership Awards ceremony in Sheslow Auditorium on Saturday, May 6th at 2pm. (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, Office of Student Involvement and Leadership

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Deputy Provost 2:10: Levitt Teacher and Mentor Awards, Troyer Research Award

Please consider nominating your colleagues, or yourself, for our distinguished university-wide research, teaching, and mentoring awards: the Madelyn M. Levitt Teacher of the Year Award and the Madelyn M. Levitt Mentor of the Year Award.  And, please apply for the Troyer Research Fellowship. 

The deadline for nominations for the Teacher and Mentor Award, as well as for applications for the Troyer Award is Feb. 17.

— Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost

Deputy Provost 2:10 (two articles with a read time of 10 minutes) is a communication series by Deputy Provost Renée Cramer sharing important scholarship, teaching, and development opportunities.

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Deputy Provost 2:10: Writing a book proposal and finishing a project

My office is hosting a two-session workshop on writing and shopping a book proposal.  The sessions will be Thursday, Feb. 9, and Thursday, March 9, from 12:45–1:45 p.m.  If you are interested in attending, and haven’t told me yet, please email renee.cramer@drake.edu and let me know you intend to join. I’ll send details—room info and a request for information from you.

If you’re working on finishing a writing project this semester—an article, a chapter, a grant, or book proposal—please consider joining a group of us for dedicated writing time. We have meetings this semester on select Wednesday and Friday mornings from 8:30–10 a.m. and select Friday afternoons (12:30–2 p.m.). If you’ve not already signed up, email me (renee.cramer@drake.edu) and I’ll send you our schedule.

— Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost

2:10 (two articles with a read time of 10 minutes) is a communication series by Deputy Provost Renée Cramer sharing important scholarship, teaching, and development opportunities.

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

January Provost’s Social: Generosity of Spirit and welcome reception

Drake faculty and staff who exemplify the Core Value of Generosity of Spirit will be recognized at the next Provost’s Drake Social, Thursday, Jan. 26, in Cline Hall Atrium beginning at 4 p.m.

To nominate a colleague, please use the Qualtrics form. Feel free to fill out multiple forms. All those nominated will be recognized on a rolling display at the event.

How do we define Generosity of Spirit at Drake? We look for colleagues who trust, empower, and presume the best of each other; who practice civility, caring, and respect; and who commit to equity and inclusion.

When you nominate colleagues, be prepared to describe how each colleague meets these descriptions. From among those nominated, several will be chosen at random for prizes.

Additionally, this month we welcome Timothy Albers as Interim Dean of Admissions. Please come introduce yourself and enjoy a slice of cake!

Refreshments will include wine, beer, soft drinks, light snacks, and cake. This is a family friendly event. Feel free to bring your children and partner.

— Madison Bemus, Provost’s Office