Do you know a staff member who would like to make an impact to strengthen the staff experience on campus? Submit a nomination: https://drake.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3HGZMYeSgXt65Uh
Nominations are due Tuesday, Feb. 15, by 5 p.m. Learn more about ASC: https://www.drake.edu/asc/.
— Heather Winslow, On behalf of All Staff Council
More than eight in 10 (80.4%) Drake University students voted in the 2020 General Election, according to a national study published by Tufts University. Drake student turnout exceeded the national average of 66%.
Drake student voter turnout increased almost 10% from the 2016 General Election, when 71.1% of Drake students voted. Drake also saw an increase in voter registration rates (from 88% in 2016 to 91.6% in 2020) and the voting rate of registered students (from 80.8% in 2016 to 87.7% in 2020).
Drake was just one of two participating schools to receive a Platinum Seal, meaning achievement of voting rate between 80–90%. Drake’s full report can be found here.
Read the official press release.
Learn more about voting and civic engagement efforts with the Office of Community Engaged Learning.
The Office of Community Engaged Learning is a department within the Academic Excellence & Student Success unit.
— Amanda Martin, Community Engaged Learning
All Drake faculty and staff are invited and encouraged to nominate a colleague for the Madelyn M. Levitt Distinguished Community Service and Employee Excellence Awards.
Madelyn M. Levitt established the Distinguished Community Service Award to recognize the outstanding contributions of Drake faculty and staff to the Drake community. Recipients are chosen on the following criteria:
The nominee must be a current faculty or staff member with at least five years of service at Drake.
The Employee Excellence Award is presented to a staff member who demonstrates exceptional commitment to excellence in the performance of their duties. Criteria for the award includes:
The nominee must be a current staff member with at least one year of service at Drake.
To nominate a colleague, submit a letter of nomination to Human Resources. Nomination letters may be sent through campus mail or electronically to drakehr@drake.edu. The letter should detail specific examples of how the nominee exemplifies each of the applicable criteria. Additional letters of support are not necessary. Nominations are due to Human Resources by Friday, March 4.
For additional information, please contact Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu.
— Linda Feiden, Human Resources
Spring intramural deadlines are coming up! The deadline for tennis doubles and indoor soccer is Feb. 1.
— Emily Madsen, Recreational Services
Bulldog Bootcamp is a free four-week training program presented by Drake Wellness. Scan the QR code to sign up. Bootcamp begins Feb. 7, get ready bulldogs!
— Emily Madsen, Recreational Services
For those faculty and staff who are interested in finding new ideas to boost your nutritional goals, there are a couple good options.
Samantha “Sam” Matt, MS, RDN, LDN, is Drake’s on campus dietitian and a wonderful resource. Sam offers free one-on-one nutrition counseling for faculty and staff. Nutrition topics include healthy eating, cooking/shopping tips, disease management, weight management, sports nutrition, food allergy management, and general health and wellness. For more information, or to schedule an appointment, contact Sam at samantha.matt@sodexo.com.
In addition, Hy-Vee is hosting Wellness Wednesdays and a Virtual Freezer Prep event.
Wellness Wednesdays
Tune in virtually for a live complimentary wellness session over your lunch hour. Each week learn about hot trending nutrition topics and delicious foods and/or recipes to add to your routine. Register Here
Virtual Freezer Meal Prep Workshop
Free up time in your week by prepping ahead in this virtual class. In under an hour, prepare 5 freezer meals to feed 4-6 people. Cost is $10. Register Here
— Linda Feiden, Human Resources
In November 2021, we had a cybersecurity company, Grey Castle Security, perform a campus-wide review. One of the issues they identified was the sending of confidential information using insecure methods. As a response, we are beginning to send automated email messages to anyone who emails unencrypted confidential information.
This type of information can be emailed as long as it’s properly protected. See instructions linked below:
Sending and Receiving Encrypted Email Messages (How-to)
For now, anyone who sends an email with unprotected information will receive an automated response, but the email will still be sent. Starting May 1, any outgoing unencrypted emails including confidential information will need to be re-sent with appropriate security precautions.
Questions about this upcoming change? Please contact informationsecurity@drake.edu
— Carla Herling, ITS
Textbooks for the spring semester may be refunded through Feb. 4. For eligible returns, new textbooks cannot have bent binding or pages, no writing or highlighting. Loose-leaf books must be in their shrink wrap and access codes must remained sealed. For any textbook purchase after Feb. 4, the refund window is seven business days with the exception of the final two weeks of the semester.
Late fall semester rental returns will also be accepted until Feb. 4 and credited back to your account.
— Kyle McVay, University Bookstore
Actual comments I’ve received on course evaluations, over two decades of teaching: “Professor Cramer can be so random; adhd much? And I don’t even know why she bothers writing on the board—no one can read it.” “So.Much.Work for this class.” “If you’re going to assign all of that reading, we should at least discuss it.” “Keep her forever, Drake!” “This was my favorite class!” “Hawt.” “U dress so cute!” “Women with young children should be in the home.”
Yep – from the honest but hurtful, to the helpful critique – from the lovely (but vague) kudos to the inappropriate comments on my physical appearance and life choices – my end-of-semester evaluations from students have run the gamut. And, yep: I’ve obsessed over the mean ones, the pointless ones, and the ones that boost my ego when it flags.
We know, from the ample literature on student evaluations of teaching, that they are absolutely flawed instruments. We also know that we use them for developmental conversations with our chairs and colleagues, as evidence of teaching effectiveness in our tenure and promotion materials, and as a way to think about how we approach the same course, the second-third-fifteenth time around.
What should we do, then, with teaching evaluations? How can we read them in a way that helps our pedagogy? And, what other forms of evidence could we use to establish a record of excellent teaching?
Please join Deputy Provost Renée Cramer in a Center for Teaching Excellence conversation: What Do We Do With Student Evaluations? Our conversation on Friday, Feb. 25, from 11 a.m.–12 p.m. (lunch provided) in Howard Hall will explore how faculty can read, understand, and integrate what we learn from student evaluations of our teaching. We will also discuss the problems of relying on these kinds of evaluation, and talk about how we can, perhaps, better understand if we are meeting our goals and objectives in the courses we teach, than through sole reliance on a potentially problematic instrument.
— Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost
The Office of Global Engagement invites nominations for the Principal Global Practitioner/Scholar-in-Residence Program for 2022–2023, seeking to attract talented individuals from academia or the professions who have outstanding international expertise to teach a course, mentor students, give public lectures, work on joint research with faculty, and aid the global capacity-building of the institution as a whole through fruitful collaborations. Nominations will be considered for fall, spring, or the full academic year.
Nomination Instructions:
Candidates should be nominated by faculty or administrators within the academic unit to which they will be attached. (Candidates must be non-Drake faculty or employees). Please submit the following supporting materials:
Nominations should be directed to Annique Kiel, executive director of Global Engagement and International Programs, by Feb. 18, 2022. Units considering a nomination are encouraged to consult with Annique prior to submission (annique.kiel@drake.edu).
Among the criteria to be considered for the nominee:
1. A record of recognized leadership in a global context and distinguished professional accomplishment in their field
2. A documented commitment to international understanding and global citizenship
3. An ability to bring global perspectives and experiences to the Drake community
4. A willingness and ability to offer a course(s) that complements the existing curriculum and meets rigorous academic standards.
In recognition of their contributions, Global Practitioners/Scholars receive a stipend, a travel allowance, an appropriate workspace in the host college/school, and access to university facilities. Global Practitioners/Scholars will be affiliated with an appropriate academic unit for at least one semester and offer at least one course per term.
This program is proudly sponsored by the Principal Center for Global Citizenship, housed within the Office of Global Engagement.
—Bonnie Ehler, Global Engagement