All posts by Joan McAlister

Campus Announcements Archive

The Speaking Center is open

Social distancing and remote learning have reduced or altered opportunities to practice oral communication techniques that we all need in a variety of situations. Drake University’s Speaking Center is here to support students, faculty, and staff in our shared efforts to develop and advance these crucial skills.

The Speaking Center is now open for both online and campus appointments. Students can book appointments to meet with a tutor for help in preparing, composing, and delivering speeches and presentations—or even to get advice for initiating difficult conversations and participating in interactive discussions. The Speaking Center Director is also available to consult with faculty and staff or to offer classroom presentations and workshops.

Location and hours: The Speaking Center will be holding appointments online through Blackboard and also in the tutoring space downstairs in Cowles Library. Tutoring appointments are available Monday through Wednesday in the afternoons and evenings.

To make an appointment: Visit library.drake.edu/speaking to schedule a personal meeting with a tutor. Please enter a note specifying whether you prefer a virtual or campus appointment. Virtual tutoring sessions are held on Blackboard Collaborate Ultra at the following link: https://us.bbcollab.com/guest/7989fbe8f9314fa98d680dca692582e9

Appointments are scheduled for 30 minutes each, and students are encouraged to schedule multiple times while preparing for a single event if they wish. Any questions or concerns should be directed to speaking-help@drake.edu.

Speaking Center Services: Speaking Center tutors have experience and training in speech pedagogy and are prepared to assist students when selecting and narrowing topics, organizing ideas, drafting and revising an outline, preparing visual aids, and practicing delivery. The Speaking Center’s staff also facilitates access to research and resources that can help speakers and presenters, and can address a variety of oral communication issues.

— Joan McAlister, College of Arts & Sciences

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Deputy Provost 2:10 – Lunch and money (SOTL and student assistantships)

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

Drake faculty engage our students in learning in ways that serve our own growth and development—it’s one of my favorite things about teaching, and one of my favorite things about our commitment to our students.  We do this by hiring undergraduate research assistants, by mentoring students as they move through Honors theses and internships, and by developing projects around the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning—where our pedagogy becomes a focus of our own self-reflection and study.

The Center for Teaching Excellence invites you to join us for lunch with Adam Case, assistant professor of Computer Science, to hear about his scholarship of teaching and learning project. Lunch will be held in Howard Hall, Room 210, from 12:30–1:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 18.

And, the Office of the Deputy Provost is partnering with student financial aid to offer awards to faculty in order that they can hire student assistants for their research, in the coming academic year.

— Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Finance Self Service coming March 1

The next phase in the Self Service project replacing MyDUSIS functions is coming on March 1—Finance Self Service.

Finance Self Service provides a safe and secure portal to electronically submit and approve payment requests, journal vouchers, and budget changes. It is also a more user-friendly and modern platform for budget and financial queries and year-to-year analysis.

A pilot group has been busy testing Finance Self Service and we are using their feedback to finalize resources and training. Pilot testing will conclude on Feb. 11.

Beginning March 1, users will be required to use Finance Self Service to submit and approve payment requests, journal entries, and budget changes.

Direct emails have been sent to users who may be impacted by this change. If you are someone who will need to use Finance Self Service and haven’t been receiving direct emails, please reach out to Heather Travis. This will ensure you get information about upcoming training sessions taking place the week of Feb. 21.

Additionally, several resources have been created in the IT service portal at https://drake.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/2025/Portal/KB/?CategoryID=22690.

For questions, contact payments@drake.edu or Heather Travis at heather.travis@drake.edu.

—Heather Travis, Finance

For Faculty Archive

Seeking nominations: Levitt professorships

Three new Levitt Professorships will be named this year.  The Office of the Provost invites nominations at this time.

The Ellis and Nelle Levitt Distinguished Professorship has long been an important way to recognize and reward superior performance by Drake University faculty members. Levitt Professors are full professors who have demonstrated teaching effectiveness and/or mentoring excellence, professional contributions through scholarly activity, demonstrated leadership, consulting activities, and contributions to the mission of the department, college and university.  

In addition to the title, Levitt professors receive a $5,000 annual supplement to their salary.  The initial appointment is for five years.  During the fifth year, performance is reviewed to determine whether continuation as a Levitt professor is merited.  

 Nominations should be submitted to the Dean of the nominee’s college or school by March 8, 2022.  Self-nominations are welcomed and encouraged. Each nomination must include a letter of nomination that makes clear the qualifications of the individual to become a Levitt Professor and a current c.v.  

Deans will send their recommendations, along with the nominees’ credentials, to Deputy Provost Renée Cramer, who will convene a selection committee composed of faculty members holding distinguished professorships, to review the submitted nominations.  This group will make recommendations to Provost Mattison, who will make recommendations for appointment to President Martin and the Board of Trustees for appointment.  The professorship will be awarded effective July 1, 2022.

 Please direct any questions to Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost.  

Thank you for your attention to this opportunity to recognize the excellence of our outstanding faculty members. 

— Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost

News & Achievements Archive

More than 80% of Drake students voted in 2020 election

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

HR Information Archive

Call for nominations: Levitt Distinguished Community Service and Employee Excellence Awards

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:

  • A demonstrated personal commitment to volunteerism and community service
  • An outstanding record of leadership or substantial involvement in community projects, services and activities contributing to the quality of life in our region, state and/or the nation
  • Professional and personal values and behavior that typify the ideals of “giving back to others” and “making a difference in the lives of others”

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:

  • Exceptional performance as an employee of Drake University
  • Outstanding dedication to providing courteous, prompt and quality service
  • Demonstrated commitment to University programs, initiatives, and services
  • Professional values and behavior that demonstrate exceptional service to others and a commitment to Drake University

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

HR Information Archive

Boost your nutrition in 2022

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

  • February 2nd- Heart Healthy Hummus
  • February 9th- Heart Healthy Cooking Oils
  • February 16th- Smoothie Boosters
  • February 23rd- Dietitian’s Dessert

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

  • February Menu: Egg Burritos, Tomato Basil Cheese Tortellini, Balsamic Honey Pork Tenderloin with Pears, Maple Glazed Salmon, Mississippi Pot Roast
  • March Menu: Ranch Pork Chops, Beef Stroganoff, Chicken Burrito Bowl, Lasagna Ravioli, Teriyaki Shrimp Stir-fry

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources