All posts by Renee Cramer

Deputy Provost 2:10: Spring Writing Workshop

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

Reminder: Faculty and staff are encouraged to participate in the Spring Writing Project. The project consists of a one-semester commitment that will include: working with Director of Writing Jody Swilky on the development of a writing assignment, writing activities, or a writing project for one of his/her spring classes; meeting no later than the first or second week of the semester with the coordinator to discuss the assignment and project as well as issues related to instruction such as responses to writing; and attending 60-minute meetings of all participants in the program in February and March 2022. These meetings may be structured as two sessions each month, half of the participants at each session, in order to facilitate more in-depth discussion. There will be required meetings of all participating instructors held in late April or early May 2022. An additional aspect of the project is that faculty will require all students enrolled in their class to attend The Writing Workshop at least twice during the semester as the student works on the writing assignment/activities/project.

After the initial meeting(s) with the coordinator of writing instruction to develop a writing assignment or writing project, participants will receive a stipend of $500. After completing the project and attending the final meeting, participants will receive an additional $500.

Participation is limited to 10 individuals, and the deadline to respond to this call is Dec. 12.  If you are interested in participating, please contact Nicki Kimm (nicki.kimm@drake.edu). If you have questions, contact Director of Writing Jody Swilky (jody.swilky@drake.edu).

— Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost

Deputy Provost 2:10: Scholarship of Teaching and Learning luncheon

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

If you have engaged in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, please consider joining our new faculty at the final luncheon of the semester, Friday, Dec. 10, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., in Howard Hall, Room 210. We will discuss the way that SOTL helps inform our teaching and our research, and this will be a great way to meet some of the folks who are newer to campus.

Please email nicki.kimm@drake.edu to register.

Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost

Apply now: Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education program

Drake University students interested in a career in mathematics, the physical sciences, natural sciences, or engineering are invited to apply for the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program.

Established by Congress in 1986, the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation operates an educational scholarship program designed to provide opportunities for outstanding U.S. students with excellent academic records and demonstrated interest in, and potential for, careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, the physical sciences, and engineering.

In April 2022, the Foundation will award scholarships to students who will be college juniors or seniors during the 2022–2023 academic year. In order to be considered for an award, students must be nominated by their institution. The national DEADLINE for RECEIPT of all nominations is Jan. 28, 2022. There are earlier on-campus deadlines however. Please note them below.

The scholarship award covers eligible expenses up to a maximum of $7,500 per year. Sophomore scholarship recipients can expect to receive a maximum of two years of support. Junior scholarship recipients are eligible for a maximum of one year of support.

Who is eligible to apply?

  • Any Drake University student pursuing a career in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering is eligible if he or she majors in mathematics, physical sciences, or natural
  • Students must currently be full-time sophomores or juniors pursuing a baccalaureate
  • Students must have a cumulative Drake P.A. of 3.75 or better.
  • Students must be a U.S. citizen, resident alien, or U.S. national.
  • Students who plan to study medicine are eligible only if they plan a research career rather than a career as a medical doctor in a private
  • Strong candidates may have had the opportunity to participate in research or held internships in research facilities, either industrial or

The application consists of two to three pages student essay on a research problem in science, three letters of recommendation, most likely from Drake University faculty, transcripts, and a nomination from the Goldwater Scholarship Faculty Representative (Dr. Gholam Mirafzal). In the case of students with research experience, one of the three letters of recommendation must come from the research advisor.

Application materials are available at: goldwaterscholarship.gov/

Drake University can nominate up to four individuals. Qualified individuals will submit their essay to Dr. Mirafzal. They will then be read by the Drake Goldwater Scholarship Committee. From this pool of essays, four will be chosen and will be forwarded to the national scholarship committee. The internal review of essays will begin on Jan. 14, 2022.

To be considered, interested sophomores and juniors should contact: Dr. Mirafzal, (Department of Chemistry, 213 Morgan E. Cline Hall of Pharmacy and Science, x4811) no later than Dec. 10. I would encourage you to speak to me earlier than that, however, to get a start on the essay and on the other application material.

Several Drake students have received this scholarship in recent years and our hope is for that to continue. The scholarships are prestigious and the students that have received them have gone on to well known institutions for graduate studies.

Gholam Mirafzal, Windsor Professor of Chemistry

Preparing for multi-factor authentication in January

Starting on Jan. 4, when you login to a campus system set up with multi-factor authentication, you will be prompted to prove that you are the person logging in by using the Microsoft Authenticator app to verify your identity.

These systems will include:

  • Self Service (includes Employee Dashboard and Personal Information screens)
  • Blackboard
  • myDrake
  • Online versions of Microsoft Office programs

To help you prepare for this change, we’ve created a FAQ and knowledge base guides linked below:

We’re offering an incentive to the first 150 people who submit proof of downloading the Microsoft Authenticator app and connecting it with their Drake account. They will receive a $1 off coupon to use at the campus Starbucks. One coupon per person, and a screenshot of your phone is required. Visit forms.office.com/r/HGSY0L1JSf to enter and see complete rules.

Watch OnCampus for more updates as the January deadline approaches.

— Jeff Regan, ITS

Have lunch with the dean of students

Join us Nov. 29–Dec. 2  at 11:30 a.m. for lunch and a semester catch up with fellow students and Hannah Clayborne, dean of students. Lunch will be provided at Hubbell Hall and sign up is limited to 10 students per session on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration is required. Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up. Contact Gina Ryan (gina.ryan@drake.edu) with questions.

First-year students, Nov. 29  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4AAFA82AA7FFC52-lunch

Sophomores, Nov. 30  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4AAFA82AA7FFC52-lunch1

Juniors, Dec. 1
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4AAFA82AA7FFC52-lunch2

Seniors, Dec. 2
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4AAFA82AA7FFC52-lunch3

— Hannah Clayborne, Dean of Students

Call for papers: Spring 2022 edition of DUSSJ

The web-based Drake Undergraduate Social Science Journal (DUSSJ) is accepting submissions for its Spring 2022 edition. Any current Drake undergraduate (or recent graduate) is eligible to submit a paper on a topic in the social sciences (political science, international relations, anthropology, sociology, economics, history, and social psychology). Submissions may be short analytic essays or longer research papers. Papers that feature thoughtful, original analysis, polished writing, and careful citation are especially welcome.

The deadline for submission is Friday, Feb. 11.

No more than one submission per person will be considered. Submissions will be peer-reviewed by a student editorial board. When submitting a paper, please indicate if it is a research paper or short analytic essay. Also, please indicate the primary discipline and any secondary discipline(s).

Questions and submissions should be sent to the DUSSJ faculty advisors, Professor Li and Professor Henderson at advisor.dussj@gmail.com.

— Heath Henderson, College of Business & Public Administration

New discussion series to explore civil discourse

Drake Law School’s Recent Alumni Engagement Board is pleased to announce a new discussion series that will bring individuals from different parts of the political spectrum together to explore current issues in a respectful and informative forum. The series kicks off on Wednesday, Dec. 1, at noon with a virtual panel discussion about civility in politics. Panelists include Drake Professor Rachel Paine Caufield, Drake Law Professor Anthony Gaughan, State Representative Jennifer Konfrst, and former U.S. Congressman David Young. Register at eventbrite.com/e/civility-in-politics-registration-211731483567.

— Theresa Howard, Law School

Upcoming University Book Club meeting

The next gathering of the University Book Club is coming up in December—there is still time to read! Our December book is jointly sponsored by Human Resources, Cowles Library, and All Staff Council. We’ll be incorporating two of these jointly sponsored books (“Toolkit for Life” books) into the schedule this year, by member request. We hope that the content in these books will be valuable to our members.    

The first “Toolkit” book on our list is “Rising Strong” by Brene Brown.  We’ll be meeting via Zoom at 10 a.m. on Dec. 15.  If you would like to be added to the calendar/Zoom invite for this particular meeting, feel free to email sara.heijerman@drake.edu.    

You can also reach out if you are not currently a member of the University Book Club, and would like to be added to our email list or TEAM’s chat group.  We also have a Facebook page (Drake University Book Club), and welcome new members at any point in the year.    

Our upcoming book selections are listed below. Feel free to put them on your calendar, and we look forward to seeing you at any meeting you wish to attend.    

Dec. 15 – Toolkit for Life Book 1
Rising Strong by Brene Brown  

January 20 – The Premonition: A Pandemic Story by Michael Lewis  

March 3 – Toolkit for Life Book 2 Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport  

May 10 – The Rose Code by Kate Quinn  

July 20 – Carry On: Reflections for a New Generation by John Lewis

— Sara Heijerman, Student Services Center

More the Merrier Sale and Griff II calendars at the Bookstore

More the Merrier Sale
Get into the holidays with the Bookstore’s More the Merrier Sale Nov. 24–29. The sale is in-store and online Wednesday, Nov. 24 and Monday, Nov. 29, and online only Nov. 25–28. Use promocode: MOREMERRY at www.universitybook.com.

Griff II 2022 calendars
2022 wall calendars featuring beautiful, unique, and iconic photos of the beloved official live mascot for Drake University, Griff II, are now available in-store and online.

— Kyle McVay, University Bookstore