All posts by Drinda Williams

News & Achievements Archive

Drake’s Fulbright international exchange winners named

Three students at Drake University received Fulbright awards for the 2022–2023 academic year.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is an international educational exchange program that offers finalists a federally funded grant and the opportunity to spend a year researching, studying, or teaching abroad.

“We are so proud of our Fulbright finalists who have been chosen from among the country’s top candidates for this prestigious international scholarship,” said Karen Leroux, associate professor of history and the University’s coordinator for post-graduate scholarships. “Drake’s unprecedented number of Fulbright recipients reflects the University’s excellent academic programs and the unique learning experiences it affords to students, globally and locally.” Drake has been recognized as a top institutional producer of Fulbright recipients. The University has produced 46 Fulbright Students since 2000.

This year’s Fulbright finalists from Drake include:

  • Emily Kellogg (SoE, Elementary Ed major; Spanish minor), Spain ETA
  • Katie Lajoie (A&S, IR & Spanish majors; French minor), Mexico ETA
  • Kathlyn Wagner (A&S, IR major; Japanese and East Asian Studies minor), Taiwan ETA

Alternate:

  • Ben Schultz (A&S, Philosophy & LPS major; German minor), Belgium ETA

Fulbright recipients are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated service and leadership potential in their fields. According to Leroux, the Fulbright application process is extensive, and many of the candidates began working on their applications nearly a year in advance.

Drake University congratulates all of its Fulbright Students. For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit http://eca.state.gov/fulbright.

— Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost

News & Achievements Archive

Drake Law School named a “Best Law School for Practical Training” by preLaw Magazine

Drake Law School once again earned a place on preLaw magazine’s list of “Best Law Schools for Practical Training.” Law schools were graded based on key offerings such as clinics, externships, simulation courses, and moot court participation. The annual rankings were featured in the Spring 2022 issue of the magazine.

“At Drake Law, we like to say that ‘practice makes professional,’” said Drake Law School Dean Jerry Anderson. “Practical training is key to ensuring that Drake Law students are ready to excel after graduation. In addition to an outstanding foundation in legal theory, students gain real-world experience through clinical programs, internships, and clerkships. At graduation, they have the skills and experiences they need to hit the ground running, making them strong candidates for many different employment opportunities.”

Drake Law School provides numerous experiential learning opportunities to students, beginning in their first year with two intra-school moot court competitions and the unique First-Year Trial Practicum. Drake is the only law school in the country where all first-year classes shift to a campus courtroom for a week, enabling students to view an actual state or federal trial. The Trial Practicum dissects every phase of a trial, from jury selection to verdict. Not only do students witness a trial, but they also have opportunities to discuss the proceedings with the presiding judge, lawyers and jurors.

Drake Law’s legal clinics give students the opportunity to build valuable professional experience by working with clients in real-world situations. Clinics include the Children’s Rights Clinic, Criminal Defense Clinic, General Civil Practice Clinic, Transactional/Entrepreneurial Clinic, Refugee Clinic, and Wrongful Convictions Clinic.

As the only law school in the capital city of Des Moines, Drake Law students have countless opportunities to participate in internships, externships, and clerkships. Students have served as legislative interns, drafted legislation, tried and won felony jury trials, interned for the Iowa Supreme Court, worked for government agencies and nonprofits, and more.

Drake Law students also develop practical skills in interschool competitions at the regional and national levels. The Law School sponsors nine Moot Court, Mock Trial, and skills teams, which annually are among the best in the nation.

“Many law schools like to say they teach students to think like a lawyer,” said Dean Jerry Anderson. “We teach them to be one.”

— Terri Howard, Law School

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Save the date: Sapphire Awards May 12

Entertainment, snacks, and the change to recognize amazing colleagues!  That’s what you can expect at the Sapphire Awards on Thursday, May 12, from 1–1:45 p.m. in Levitt Hall. We will recognize True Blue individual and group nominees and announce the Sapphire Award winners. The Madelyn M. Levitt Employee Excellence Award and Distinguished Community Service Award winners will also be presented. Dance without Borders will be our entertainment as they share their Mexican cultural dance with us. Please save the date. We look forward to seeing you there!

— Teresa Downs, Human Resources

For Students Archive

Dine with the dean

Join Hannah Clayborne, dean of students, for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  Meals will be provided at Hubbell Dining Hall and sign-up is limited to ten students on a first-come first-served basis. Registration is required for this event. Please review the available slots below and register.

Monday, April 18
8–9 a.m. – Breakfast
9–10 a.m. – Breakfast
6–7 p.m. – Dinner

Thursday, April 21
5:30–6:30 p.m. – Dinner

Friday, April 22
11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. – Lunch

For questions, contact Gina Ryan at gina.ryan@drake.edu.

— Gina Ryan, Dean of Students Office

For Staff Archive

All Staff Council and HR to host second virtual town hall for staff

All Staff Council (ASC) and Human Resources are teaming up to facilitate a second virtual town hall for staff on Thursday, May 19, at 1 p.m. Join the meeting via Teams.

While we want staff members to feel comfortable, empowered, and encouraged to bring questions to the town hall, we invite staff to submit questions to ASC ahead of time.

We ask that questions be of general interest to staff and can be directed to All Staff Council and/or Human Resources. We will reserve time during the town hall for interactive dialogue but believe we can best plan the event if we have some sampling of the ASC and HR questions that are top of mind for staff.

Maureen De Armond, executive director of Human Resources, will review some of the current and upcoming HR initiatives staff should expect to hear more of in the coming months.

Members of the ASC Executive Committee will share information about upcoming ASC events and describe some of the ASC priorities going forward.

We hope to see you at the virtual town hall!

—All Staff Council and Human Resources

HR Information Archive

Walk this May step challenge

Now that spring has sprung, it is time to go outdoors and get moving. If you need a little nudge, we are bringing back the Walk this May team step challenge. During the month of May, teams of four to five will record their weekly step counts. Totals and how teams rank will be shared weekly to keep the competitive juices flowing. Prizes will be awarded at the end of the month.

To register, send an email to linda.feiden@drake.edu by April 26 with your team members and team name. Grab your shoes and let’s get going!

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Deputy Provost 2:10: Being energized by learning and connection

Every Tuesday in OnCampus the Deputy Provost shares two articles with a read time of 10 minutes.

Do you know that rare, rare feeling, as a faculty member or part of university staff, when you’re talking with someone from outside of your institution, but within the profession, and they absolutely get it? It’s that feeling when you connect with someone who understands deeply the context you’re working within, sees the potentials and the roadblocks, and has actual ideas for moving forward. It’s the sometimes too frequently rare feeling of being energized through work—motivated to plan a bit, think a bit, act a bit, even though you’re tired and overwhelmed.

I had the opportunity to experience that feeling yesterday, for the brief twenty seven minutes I spent on the telephone with Cathy Davidson, the author of The New Education: How to Revolutionize the University to Prepare Students for a World in Flux. That energetic conversation carried me through the entire rest of an email-and-meeting-filled day. To be honest, that conversation carried me through an intense evening of parenting, painting my bathroom, and avoiding doing dishes-laundry-tidying.

I am so happy to be able to provide an invitation for you to spend a virtual hour with Cathy on Wednesday May 4, at 7 p.m. because I know it will energize you, focus you, and provide you with concrete examples of how to shift your pedagogy and practices in ways that will benefit our students. Dr. Davidson is the winner of the 2021 Annual Advocacy Award from the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences, the Founding Director of the Futures Initiative at CUNY, and a founding member of HASTAC: Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Alliance and Collaboratory.  Her keynote address to the campus community will kick off an entire month of programming that I’m designing, meant to help our faculty and staff address the ethical imperative of meeting our students where they are—emotionally, intellectually, and socially—in a post-pandemic but always-disrupted world.

Sign up to receive the link to this event. If you’d like to join us for a catered Watch Party and after-presentation discussion, please let us know, here. We will also have the opportunity to gather together on Monday, May 9, from 3:30–5 p.m. in Howard Hall, Room 210, to discuss Dr. Davidson’s book, after her visit. Please register here, so we know how many books to buy and can provide an appropriate amount of refreshments.

If you are teaching an FYS in the fall (or have always wanted to spend a day or two learning more about FYS), or a writing intensive course, or a course that you want to make certain is accessible to all learners, extend the energy you’ll get from Cathy’s talk, by attending a newly imagined All Faculty Development Workshop: Meeting Our Students As We Find Them Post-COVID. You can plan now for an intensive two-and-a-half day workshop; we will meet as a whole group, and in cohorts, on May 18 and 19 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, and from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Friday, May 20.  Faculty who attend and participate will receive $375 stipends, access to some terrific guest speakers, all materials, ample time in shared conversation and directed learning, and meals – as well as an invitation to be part of compensated faculty learning communities meeting through fall and summer. To assist in our planning, please register at this link, as soon as you are able to commit.

— Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost

Campus Announcements Archive

National Volunteer Week

It’s National Volunteer Week. National Volunteer Week is an opportunity to recognize the impact of volunteer service and the power of volunteers to tackle society’s greatest challenges, to build stronger communities and be a force that transforms the world.

To help us share the impact of Drake’s volunteer contributions, student organizations and other groups are invited to submit volunteer projects and service hours for the 2021–2022 academic year. Please submit this form (https://drake.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eKb6RXtgt3wUyuW) by May 11. Groups can also send information directly to amanda.martin@drake.edu if it is tracked in another format.

We’d also like to give a shoutout to everyone who engaged with Civic Action Week last week! More than 215 members of the Drake and Des Moines community participated in a number of events organized by several groups.

To see an ongoing list of volunteer opportunities, visit drake.edu/volunteer. To set up a 1-on-1 meeting to discuss your skills and interests in order to get connected to the community, contact servicelearning@drake.edu.

— Amanda Martin, Community Engaged Learning

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Join the University Book Club

Do you like to read, or want an outlet to meet co-workers from across the University? Join the University Book Club.

The University Book Club reads several books each academic year and meets for a casual discussion on each book. The next book is Rose Code by Kate Quinn. A discussion will be held Tuesday, May 10, at 3 p.m. at Louie’s Wine Dive (yes, the group is back in person!).

Our final book of the year will be “Carry On: Reflections for a New Generation” by John Lewis. We’ll meet to discuss the book in July.

Please feel free to reach out to sara.heijerman@drake.edu or dan.chibnall@drake.edu if you would like to participate in this discussion or would like to join the TEAM’s chat or email notification list.

— Sara Heijerman, Student Services Center