All posts by Kris Brewster & Maureen De Armond

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Project update: Applicant tracking system

As we previously shared, Drake’s applicant tracking system (ATS), Hire Touch, is being sunset at the end of this year. We have contracted with PageUp to provide our new ATS.

In our last update, we asked for your help in naming our new job postings site. After considering suggestions from campus, we have decided to call the new application page Jobs@Drake. This will be the place to find and apply for Drake faculty and staff jobs. Handshake will continue to be the place for our students to find and apply for on campus student employment opportunities.

The ITS and HR project team continues to work closely with PageUp representatives to be prepared for the switch later this year. The team is currently working to connect Banner and PageUp and recently began testing to confirm PageUp is setup correctly. At present, the project team is anticipating a late fall launch. You can expect to hear from us next when we have determined the actual launch date and are ready to begin our training and transition work.

Here’s a high-level sneak peak on what’s ahead. We plan to have training and simulation opportunities for those involved in faculty and staff recruitment. Additionally, we plan to create documentation to help guide you through the new system. Finally, we will work with departments that have live postings so they are properly transitioned to PageUp.

For now, please keep following current recruitment practices using HireTouch. If you have any specific questions, concerns, or suggestions, please feel free to share them with us. You can contact the project manager, Kris Brewster, ITS, or send them to Maureen De Armond, Human Resources.

— Kris Brewster, ITS; Maureen De Armond, HR

Campus Announcements Archive

Spring 2023 registration, schedule of classes

The Spring 2023 schedule of classes and related registration information is available online. Registration begins Monday, Oct. 31.

View registration information, including the registration time table that shows when you become eligible to register. View the schedule of classes.

Some courses will be temporarily reserved for students who have declared a certain field-of-study (major, minor, concentration, or endorsement). On Monday, Nov. 14, those reservations will be removed. Note that some courses have restrictions that are permanent.

If you are an undergraduate or pharmacy student intending to make any changes to your field-of-study and have those changes take effect before registration begins, file your changes via the change of record request no later than 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 24. Requests submitted after this date may be delayed.

— Ryan Trump, Office of the Registrar

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Support and wellbeing for yourself and others

During suicide prevention month (and beyond), it is imperative to validate and appreciate each person working at Drake and the incredible job each person does to make sure that Drake is on mission for our students and our community.

Did you know that, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, 1 in 5 workers will experience a mental health condition in a year? 

What can you do if you are feeling mentally strained?

What can you do if you see that a coworker seems to be struggling with mental health?

  • Talk with them privately and listen without judgment. You are not expected to be a mental health professional, but you can still help them by opening the conversation.  Ask open-ended questions like:
    • How are you feeling today?
    • Why do you think you feel this way?
    • How can I help?
  • If comfortable and appropriate, relate to them on a personal level and share your own experiences.
  • Always respect the employee’s right to privacy if the disclose a mental health condition.
  • If someone is at immediate risk of suicide, stay with them until you can get further help. Contact emergency services or call/text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

All in This Together—Together we can make a difference.

— Teresa Downs, Human Resources

Campus Announcements Archive

Online citation payment now available

Starting in October, the Student Services Center will begin using our payment system to allow convenient payment of parking citations via email.  Whenever possible, we will send an email invoice to your Drake email address allowing you to pay citations at your convenience online, rather than needing to visit us in Olmsted.  These invoices will come from “Drake University Student Services Center (via Clover)”, and will allow you to easily pay the citation with a debit or credit card.

If you do not receive an emailed invoice for a new citation, or would like an invoice created for a previously issued citation, feel free to send us a note at studentservices@drake.edu with your license plate number.  We’ll email you an invoice to save you the walk/drive across campus. You are also always welcome to stop by to pay citations at our desk in Olmsted.

As a reminder, you must have a valid Drake permit to park in the Drake parking lots.  You must also park in the correct zone indicated on your permit from 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday (you may park in other zones after 4:30 p.m. or on weekends, but do not park overnight in a commuter lot—commuter lots need to be cleared by 2 a.m. daily).  Failure to follow Drake parking regulations can result in parking citations.  Parking citations should be paid within 30 days of receipt—unpaid fines are treated as any other past due obligation to the University, and may result in restrictive holds.  Multiple unpaid citations can prompt use of a boot or your vehicle may be towed (additional owner expense for both options).

If you wish to appeal a citation, you may do so on this online form. If you haven’t purchased a parking pass for this academic year, you may purchase your pass in the myDrake portal.

We hope that this new offering of allowing online citation payment will make this process of paying for parking tickets slightly less painful.  We appreciate your help in making sure campus has adequate and predictable parking available.

If you have any questions/concerns about this process, feel free to contact sara.heijerman@drake.edu.

— Sara Heijerman, Student Services Center

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Panopto retention policy

Starting this month, ITS will perform monthly audits to archive and remove unused content from the University’s Panopto service. Videos with zero views within a 13-month period will be archived and no longer immediately accessible. Videos can be restored through a self-service process, and instructions for restoring archived these videos are available in the ITS Knowledge Base.

Archived videos will remain on the Panopto service for an additional 13-month period, or 26 months from the last view. After that time, if there are no requests to restore the video, it will be permanently removed. Drake University will not archive, backup, or otherwise save any Panopto videos in any alternate manner.

This change is due to a new Panopto license model which bills the University for both hours created and shared as well as stored on the system. If you have any questions, contact the ITS Support Center.

— James McNab, ITS

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Drake Social Oct. 24, submit a colleague’s name for recognition

Mark your calendar for the Provost’s October Drake Social Monday, Oct. 24, at 4 p.m., at Shivers Hospitality Suite.

During the social, faculty and staff who demonstrate the Drake core value Joyful Accountability will be recognized as part of a PowerPoint scroll. From all those recognized, names will be drawn at random for prizes. Honorees must be present to win. 

You can recognize a colleague who demonstrates Joyful Accountability by completing this Qualtrics form by Wednesday, Oct 19. In your recognition, please share how your colleague demonstrates Joyful Accountability: 

  • I am curious and creative, brave and bold. 
  • I strive each day to be my best. 

— Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost

For Faculty Archive

Bright College seeks associate deans

The John Dee Bright College at Drake University seeks two current Drake faculty members to serve as joint associate deans during the 2022–2023 academic year (renewable pending budgetary approval).

Working closely with the dean and faculty of Bright College, the associate deans will provide leadership support, including…

  • Coordinating ongoing faculty governance and college policy development efforts.
  • Leading the development of internal and external bachelor’s-degree completion pathways for Bright College graduates.
  • Collaborating with the College’s Student Professional and Academic Support specialist to forge partnerships with area businesses, enterprises, and non-profit organizations in support of student professionalization experiences such as internships and immersive professional learning.
  • Supporting student recruitment efforts and internal and external faculty recruitment efforts.
  • Occasionally serving in the dean’s absence, including representing Bright College at events and meetings.

Responsibilities will be shared and/or divided between the associate deans according to the strengths and primary interests of each.

Prior affiliation with Bright College is not required.

Qualifications:

  • Tenure or otherwise permanent (non-probationary, non-visiting) faculty appointment at Drake University. Tenure-track faculty who have completed their probationary period as of September 1, 2022, are also eligible.
  • Genuine enthusiasm for supporting colleagues and the ability to create and sustain collegial, collaborative campus and external partnerships.
  • Commitment to innovative, interdisciplinary curricula and best practices in teaching and learning.
  • Familiarity with Drake’s learning management systems and IT environment.
  • Ability to work productively across disciplinary and institutional boundaries.
  • Excellent interpersonal and communications skills.
  • Demonstrated commitment to working effectively and supportively with people from diverse backgrounds.
  • High-level ability to act decisively in response to changing situations.

Compensation:

  • $5,000 annually for each associate dean.
  • Average weekly hourly responsibilities: 4 hours, including a weekly JDBC staff meeting.
  • Weekly range of hours will vary from 2-8, depending on the areas of responsibility each individual covers.
  • Additional summer responsibilities (with additional compensation) are possible.

Timeline

  • September 24: Review of materials begins.
  • Target start date: 7 October 2022

To Apply

Please attach a cover letter, CV, and the names and email contacts of two colleagues who will serve as references—all as a single document—to Sofia Turnbull (bright.college@drake.edu), Administrative Support Specialist to Bright College, with the words “Associate Dean” in the subject line.

Joint applications are welcome: Two colleagues may submit a joint application by attaching all materials to a single email and, in the email, explaining the reasons for a joint submittal. Joint applicants should indicate whether they would be willing to be considered individually for the positions, as well, or if they would consider appointment only as a team. Applicants considering a joint application are strongly encouraged to partner with a colleague from another division, college or school.

About Bright College

Bright College offers affordable access to high-quality higher education to students who seek an alternative to traditional post-secondary schooling. Through high-impact, inquiry- and problem-based learning in interdisciplinary seminars, our learners develop higher-order, transferrable habits of mind as they earn an associate’s degree in Business, Organization, and Professional Studies or in the Interdisciplinary Arts, Sciences, and Humanities. Students will be prepared to enter the professional workforce in business, enterprise, non-profit, arts, and civic organizations or complete a bachelor’s degree at Drake or elsewhere—or both.

Students progress through the year-round sequence of coursework as members of a cohort—a team of students who take seminars and short courses together, form lasting relationships, and practice collaborative learning and problem-solving together.

Questions?

Please contact Craig Owens, dean of Bright College, at craig.owens@drake.edu.

— Craig Owens, Bright College

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Black faculty and staff invited to meetings with Provost Mattison

Black-identifying faculty and staff are invited to monthly conversations with Provost Sue Mattison. These will generally be at 11 a.m., the third Thursday of each month, with two exceptions: September and March will be the fourth Thursday. See the list of dates and locations on the Campus Calendar.

Last spring there were a number of administration listening sessions with faculty, staff, and students following a racist incident on campus. One request from Black faculty and staff was for regular and ongoing communication with campus leadership, not just emails or meetings in response to a crisis situation. The Office of the Provost has worked with the Black Affinity group on campus, organized by Brandi Miller, to schedule these monthly meetings.

— Drinda Williams, Provost’s Office

Campus Announcements Archive

Drake Legal Clinic celebrates 50th anniversary

The Drake Legal Clinic celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, marking a half-century of service to the community and the education of law students. To commemorate this milestone, Drake Law School will hold a celebratory banquet on Saturday, Oct. 29, at Drake University Olmsted Center, Parents Hall. The evening will begin with a reception at 6 p.m.; dinner and a program will follow at 7 p.m.

The 50th Anniversary banquet will celebrate the evolution of Drake’s Clinic from humble beginnings to its current stature: six subject-matter clinics housed in the state-of-the-art Neal and Bea Smith Law Center representing hundreds of clients each year. The celebration will recognize the faculty, staff, donors, alumni, and community partners who have played a part in that success. In addition, the Clinic will look toward the future, as it continues to adapt to changes in pedagogy and practice.

The Law School will also recognize recent foundational donors who have supported the Clinic’s operations in the past and put the program on a firm foundation for the future. Among those recognized will be J. Locke, LW’48, and Harriet Macomber, whose estate gift of $3.25 million will support Drake’s Entrepreneurial and Transactional Clinic. Additionally, Karen Shaff, LW’79, and Steven Jayne, LW’78, pledged $1 million to endow the Law School’s Refugee Clinic. Rose Vasquez, LW’85, recently provided key sponsorship of the Civil Practice Clinic. Gifts such as these, along with many others, have allowed the Drake Legal Clinic to provide free legal help to low-income citizens for the last 50 years.

The Drake Legal Clinic is often described as a “win-win” because it provides a high-quality educational experiences for students while performing critical legal services for the community. Professor Suzan Pritchett, Director of Clinical and Experiential Programs, agreed with this sentiment, stating, “Our students get the opportunity to practice before they become licensed attorneys. The community gets the resource of quality legal representation for free. We have many clients who get exceptional legal representation that they otherwise wouldn’t have if it weren’t for the Clinic and its students.”

Pritchett attributes the preparedness of Drake Law graduates to the work that is done in the Clinic. “At the Drake Legal Clinic, students get to experience the law in action. Unlike in the classroom, they get to witness where the law intersects with real people and real cases, work directly with clients, go to court. They get to really live it,” Pritchett said. “While having the guidance of supervising attorneys – our clinical faculty- and the support of their fellow students, they get to have the experience of practicing law before graduation while still being a law student. There is no better way to learn the skills you need to succeed as a lawyer.”

The banquet will feature keynote speaker Jane Aiken, University Distinguished Professor at Wake Forest Law. Professor Aiken previously served as Dean of Wake Forest Law, after serving as Associate Dean for Experiential Education and Public Service at Georgetown. A leading scholar in the field of clinical legal education, Professor Aiken will provide a national perspective on this work. The celebration banquet will take place as Drake plays host to the Midwest Clinical Legal Education Conference, which will see legal educators from numerous schools come together to discuss current issues in experiential education.

Sponsorship opportunities for the 50th Anniversary celebration are available. Contact Theresa Howard theresa.howard@drake.edu for more information.

Tickets for the banquet are $35 each and are available at eventbrite.com/e/drake-legal-clinic-50th-anniversary-celebration-banquet-registration-400305433327.

About Drake Legal Clinic

For 50 years, the Drake Legal Clinic has provided real-life experience opportunities for second- and third-year law students. The Clinic provides numerous clinical programs such as the Children’s Rights Clinic, Criminal Defense Clinic, Civil Clinic, Entrepreneurial and Transactional Clinic, Refugee Clinic, and a Wrongful Convictions Clinic. The Clinic takes clients from the surrounding community and offers high-quality legal representation for those who may not otherwise have access to legal assistance. Learn more about the Drake Legal Clinic.

— Taylor Johnson, Law School

Campus Announcements Archive

General Counsel of U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to speak at Drake

Drake University Law School is pleased to announce that they will be hosting alumnus David Berdan, LW’95, General Counsel at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Berdan will present “Key Initiatives and What Else is New in Patents and Trademarks at USPTO” on Tuesday, Oct. 11, at 5 p.m. at Drake University Law School. A reception will follow at 6 p.m. This event is open and free to the public.

David Berdan was appointed General Counsel for the USPTO in 2020. The USPTO is the federal agency responsible for granting patents and registering trademarks.  In addition, the agency advises the President and other agencies on policy related to intellectual property protection and promotion domestically and internationally.  As General Counsel, Berdan serves as the principal legal advisor to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO. Berdan also supervises the Office of General Counsel and its three component offices: the Office of the Solicitor, the Office of General Law, and the Office of Enrollment and Discipline.

Berdan graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering. He is a combat veteran of Operation Desert Storm and is the recipient of numerous military awards, including a Bronze Star. He worked for two years as an engineer and then chose to attend law school at Drake University. Since then, he has held a variety of notable legal positions, including Patent Counsel at Corning, Inc., Vice President and Intellectual Property Counsel at The Coleman Company, Chief Counsel Intellectual Property at INVISTA, Vice President Legal and Deputy General Counsel at International Game Technology, and, most recently, as General Counsel and Compliance Officer of Gaming Arts. He also worked in private law practice for seven years.

While at Drake Law, Berdan was an exceptional student with a passion for Intellectual Property Law. He was a founding member and president of the Drake Intellectual Property Law Society.  Professor Edmund J. Sease, LA’64, LW’67, an intellectual property law expert and one of Berdan’s former law professors, said, “Berdan was a driven and disciplined student in my classes during his time at Drake Law School. These traits followed him in his successes as a remarkable professional in Intellectual Property Law. I am proud to count him among our distinguished graduates.”

To learn more about Intellectual Property Law and Berdan’s impressive professional experience, register for free here. CLE credit for this event has been applied for and is pending approval.

About Drake IP Certificate Program

Drake University Law School offers a certificate in Intellectual Property and has the advantage of many prominent adjunct professors to help enrich the curriculum. Drake Law School recently announced a new distinguished professor position in Intellectual Property Law called the Edmund J. Sease Faculty Research Scholar. This position honors Sease’s service as an adjunct professor at Drake Law School for the past 44 years. This distinguished faculty position contributes to the recruitment of new faculty and helping to hire some of the best candidates to teach students. Learn more about the Intellectual Property Law Certificate at Drake Law School.

— Taylor Johnson, Law School