All posts by Heather Winslow on behalf of All Staff Council, Governance Committee

Campus Announcements Archive

Nominate students for the Adams Leadership Awards

The Adams Leadership Awards are 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.

Please consider nominating any Drake students and student organizations who have exhibited strong leadership and excellence throughout the 2021–2022 academic year. Nominations can be submitted by any Drake student, faculty, or staff member. Award categories include:

  • Outstanding Bright College Student
  • Outstanding Transfer Student
  • 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 10th at 11:59 p.m.

All award nominees and winners will be recognized at the Adams Leadership Awards ceremony and reception, taking place in Sheslow Auditorium on Wednesday, May 4, at 6 p.m. (Save the date! All students, faculty, and staff are encouraged 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

Campus Announcements Archive

Back to Class: Antibiotic Resistance with Andrew Miesner

Hear from Andrew Miesner, PH’07, about his research related to antibiotic resistance on Monday, April 11, at 6:30 p.m. via Microsoft Teams. Anyone is welcome to attend, regardless of their affiliation to Drake. Register.

Andrew Miesner, PH’07, serves as an associate professor of pharmacy practice at Drake University and as a clinical pharmacist at Broadlawns Medical Center in the Department of Internal Medicine. Andrew Miesner graduated with his Doctor of Pharmacy degree at Drake University in 2007. His research interests include internal medicine, infectious diseases, antimicrobial stewardship, clinical teaching methods and interprofessional education.

— Courtney Conrad, Alumni Relations

Campus Announcements Archive

Teams calling update and maintenance

On Friday, April 8, at 4:30 p.m., ITS and our service provider, Lumen/CenturyLink will complete the move of campus telephone numbers to voice over IP (VOIP) service. The migration process could last up to four hours during which brief voice outages could occur on each number as it is moved to the new service.

This is the last major milestone in migrating away from Drake’s outdated phone systems to Microsoft Teams Calling. ITS acknowledges the transition to Teams for voice services has been difficult and caused frustration across campus due to poor call quality and dropped connections. We are optimistic that completing migration will address these issues by eliminating the need to route calls through old voice equipment. A pilot group of numbers was moved to the new voice trunk lines late last year and we have seen a marked improvement in voice quality and reliability in that group.

Additionally, ITS staff have been working with a third party vendor over the past several weeks to ensure Drake’s configuration of Teams Calling adheres to Microsoft’s best practices, prepare for the migration on Friday, and facilitate a smooth changeover to the new service. ITS is committed to improving Teams voice quality and trusts this investment will be another factor in improving the reliability of the system.

Thank you for your patience and support during this long transitional period away from our legacy voice system to Teams Calling.

— Chris Mielke, ITS

Campus Announcements Archive

Spring 2022 edition of DUSSJ is online

The Spring 2022 edition of the Drake University Social Science Journal (DUSSJ) is now online. See this year’s excellent lineup of papers: drake.edu/dussj/currentedition/

DUSSJ would like to extend a special thank you to this year’s student editorial board who did an excellent job administering the 2022 edition. The board members are:

  • Samantha Byrnes
  • Molly Green
  • Stephanie Kiel
  • Jacob Lish
  • Ariel Merritt
  • Gabby Neddermeyer

Thank you all for your excellent work!

— Heath Hendersen, Associate Professor of Economics, CBPA

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Submit requests for summer office moves by April 15

Friday, April 15, is the deadline to submit your request to Facilities Planning and Management to get on the schedule for summer office moves. We are moving more than 60 faculty and staff this summer as part of the Meredith and Knapp Center projects. To be able to accommodate move requests outside of these major projects, we will be scheduling the move logistics between July 15 and Aug. 15.  We will work to accommodate your requests in conformance with our campus-wide space-use plan.

Information to include:

  1. Name of person moving
  2. Existing office location (building and room number)
  3. Potential new office location (building and room number)
  4. Additional furniture needs
  5. FOAPAL to support move expenses. Typical moving cost is $500 to $1,000/office (pending moving of furniture)
  6. Signed approval from the respective dean (email approval is acceptable)

Please forward requests to Planning and Design Manager Michelle Huggins at michelle.huggins@drake.edu.

— Michelle Huggins, Facilities Planning and Management

HR Information Archive

HR hires first ever TA/DEI specialist

Human Resources is pleased to announce that it has hired its first ever talent acquisition and diversity, equity, and inclusion specialist. Some of you may already know Marli Jefferson, as she is an existing member of the Drake family. Marli joined Public Safety in 2017, and upon obtaining her master’s, she was eager to take on a new challenge.

Marli Jefferson receiving her diploma following completion of her master’s degree at Drake.

Although diversity, equity, and inclusion are topics we all deeply care about in Human Resources, our department has not yet had a person with the terms diversity, equity, and inclusion in their job title. Make no mistake, DEI is a part of each of our roles. However, we both wanted and needed additional expertise in these areas, as we strive to continuously grow, change, and improve. We are thrilled that Marli brings both expertise and enthusiasm to the table when it comes to DEI. And, if you have been involved in any hires recently, you already know that talent acquisition is a space where we could use some more help.

“I am so happy to continue my professional journey at Drake,” said Marli. “I am excited to bring my expertise but most of all my passion and willingness to learn to this new position. There is tremendous space for modernizing how we approach talent acquisition and further embed DEI principles in the work that we do. I am looking forward to contributing to these efforts.”

In the TA/DEI specialist role, Marli will play a prominent part our talent acquisition strategies and practices—including new employee orientation, search committee training, and student employment. As some of you may have heard, the parent company of Hire Touch, our current applicant tracking system, is going to sunset the program at the end of the year. Marli will be part of the project team searching for Hire Touch’s replacement. Her timing in joining our department could not be better.

We thank you for your Generosity of Spirit as we managed these past several months without a full team. We also want to thank those who served on the search committee as their feedback was incredibly valuable in the vetting process. Drake HR is happy to once again be fully staffed.

— Maureen De Armond, Human Resources

For Students Archive

Iowa Interfaith Conference

Drake will be hosting students and faculty from eight other Iowa colleges for the annual Iowa Interfaith Conference April 8–10. The conference includes a Friday evening reception, poster session, and Hindu bhajan at the Mercy Holiday Inn (7–9 p.m.); interactive sessions on interfaith leadership and religious literacy at Meredith Hall, Room 101, on Saturday and Sunday mornings (9 a.m.–12 p.m.); and site visits to a Buddhist temple, Hindu temple, and Islamic mosque on Saturday evening (4–9 p.m.). All meals are included.

For more information, contact tim.knepper@drake.edu or visit comparisonproject.wp.drake.edu/iowa-interfaith-conference-2022/. To register, go to iowainterfaithexchange.com/conference/.

— Timothy Knepper, Professor of Philosophy

Campus Announcements Archive

Civic Action Week list of events

Happy Civic Action Week! The Office of Community Engaged Learning is excited to partner with many departments and organizations to raise awareness of community and global issues, and to have the opportunity to participate in service. Please join for whatever events and initiatives you’re able to and share how you’re engaging with the week by tagging @drakeservice on social media. Together we can have a collective impact!

Tuesday, April 5

  • Sexual Assault Awareness Month Day of Action, 9am-3pm, Olmsted and/or Helmick Commons. Sign a pledge to support survivors, learn about Drake prevention response and resources around campus, and grab some swag. Wear Teal and get free food! (9am Donuts, 11:30am Jimmy Johns, 1:30pm Ice Cream). Sponsored by Drake Prevention Ambassadors.  (Pathway- Community Organizing & Activism). 
  • Careers in Social Change Virtual Panel: Direct Service, 4-5pm on Zoom. Panelists include Cecily Robinson from Easter Seals Iowa, Michelle Raymer from Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service, and Johnathan Preston from Community Youth Concepts. Register on Handshake. Contact amanda.martin@drake.edu. Sponsored by Office of Community Engaged Learning and Professional and Career Development Services. (Pathway – Direct Service)
  • Las Cafeteras Concert, 7:30pm, Turner Jazz Center. Las Cafeteras combine music with social justice and higher education. Songs and themes range from the Civic Rights Movement to immigration reform. Sponsored by the Office of Equity and Inclusion. (Pathway – Community Organizing & Activism)

Wednesday, April 6

  • Sprout Garden Volunteer Day, 2-4pm. Help prepare the garden for Spring planting by sprucing up the area, amending soil, and other projects as needed. Come and go as you are able. People are welcome to just come out and visit the space, as well! Contact marlee.rutledge@drake.edu. Sponsored by the Sprout Garden through the Office of Community Engaged Learning. (Pathway – Direct Service)

Thursday, April 7

  • Disability Services and Advocacy Event, 4-6pm, Harkin Institute. Representatives from Drake, Harkin Institute, and local non-profits will share information about their services. You’ll have the chance to participate in simulated activities and a roundtable discussion on topics related to disability services. The goal of the event is to create a space for people to bravely learn about and discuss disability experiences. Our hope is every participant will walk away with the tools to be a better advocate and ally for people experiencing disabilities. RSVP here.  Contact Kiley Kahler (kiley.kahler@drake.edu) and Mel Sadecki (mel.sadecki@drake.edu) for more information or to request accommodations. Sponsored by the Office of Community Engaged Learning. (Pathway – Community Organizing & Activism) 

Friday, April 8

  • Civic Action Academy, 10am-2pm.  This event is free and will happen virtually. All Drake students are welcome to attend. Participants can choose the sessions they want to attend and are not required to attend the whole thing. Topics range from Demystifying Advocacy to Reflective Practice for a Just Society to information on School Boards and more. Learn more and register. Sponsored by Iowa & Minnesota Campus Compact.
  • Drake Neighborhood Community Walk: 11:30am-12:30pm, Join Brian Orellana, Community Outreach Senator and Community Engagement Peer for Equity and Inclusion, for a walk around the Drake Neighborhood. Meet outside Olmsted. You are not required to sign up but it can be helpful – email brian.orellana@drake.edu. (Learn about the Drake Neighborhood Association!) Sponsored by the Office of Community Engaged Learning and Student Senate. (Pathway – Community Organizing and Activism)
  • APO & Phi Delta Chi Blood Drive – 11am-2:30pm. In partnership with LifeServe Blood Center. Appointments are required – sign up for a time.  (Pathway – Philanthropy)
  • Free Movie Friday, 9pm, Sussman Theater – Join for the film “Just Mercy,” the thought-provoking true story of young lawyer Bryan Stevenson and his history-making battle for justice. Sponsored by the Office of Community Engaged Learning and the Student Activities Board (SAB). (Pathway – Community Organizing and Activism)

Saturday, April 9

All Week –

Ukraine Humanitarian Aid Drive – drop off donations of first aid kits, socks, winter gloves, thermal underwear or sanitary and hygienic sets to various locations in Cowles Library, including the Global Engagement Office across from Midnight Hall and the Office of Community Engaged Learning in the lower level. Donations will go through Iowa Sister States to our Sister State of Cherkasy Oblast and will be collected until April 15.

Donate to the Little Free Pantries in the Drake Neighborhood – Drop off your donations of non-perishable goods and personal hygiene items. (Pathway – Philanthropy)

Donate Adult Dog and Cat food to the Griff Gives Back project. (Pathway – Philanthropy)

Visit www.drake.edu/volunteer for other volunteer opportunities.

— Amanda Martin, Community Engaged Learning