There are three new restaurants in the area worth checking out: Cafe Chai is in the old Subway in Drake West Village ($8 wraps!) with Haiku now open under new ownership next door (grab & go options!). Hugo’s at 32nd Street and University Avenue is relatively new as well. This is all in addition to the many, diverse lunch and dinner options in Dogtown, the Drake Neighborhood, and Hubbell as well!
— Nate Reagen, Office of the President
Bulldogs United in Learning & Development (BUILD) provides faculty and staff learning opportunities throughout the academic year to enhance professional skills, improve wellbeing, and create conversation. BUILD is a great platform for learning new ideas as well as an opportunity to collaborate with others from across campus.
The Spring 2025 schedule is available online and registration is open. Please take a moment to check out the classes on the Drake HR website under Learning & Development. Click on BUILD – Upcoming Sessions for the full list, including detailed descriptions. There is an online registration link to a Qualtrics survey that makes signing up easy.
This semester’s class list includes everything from safe space training and mental health first aid for higher education to vehicle and lawn equipment basics. Find out why sitting too long is bad for your health, create a vision board, or join one of a couple tours.
Most classes are only an hour in length, and many are facilitated by our own faculty and staff. This is a great way to invest in yourself, support your colleagues, and take in the culture that Drake has to offer.
— Linda Feiden, Human Resources
From Jan. 7–21, a J-Term class headed to Washington, D.C. with the goal of attending the inauguration. They visited the lying in state of Jimmy Carter, met Wolf Blitzer, explored the Capitol after hours, and so much more. Check out their blog for a glimpse into all they experienced.
Drake in DC student blog: https://drakeindc.org/
— Alan Fox, College of Arts & Sciences
Spring Semester facility hours begin Monday, Jan. 27.
Bell Center
Mon-Thurs: 6:30 a.m.–10 p.m.
Friday: 6:30 a.m.–9 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m.–9 p.m.
Sunday: 12 p.m.–10 p.m.
Underground Fitness
Mon-Thurs: 7 a.m.–9 p.m.
Friday: 7 a.m.–5 p.m.
Saturday: CLOSED
Sunday: 3 p.m.–9 p.m.
Roger Knapp Tennis Center
Mon, Wed, Fri: 6 p.m.–9 p.m.
Tues & Thurs: 12 p.m.–1:30 p.m. & 6 p.m.–9 p.m.
Saturday: CLOSED
Sunday: 4 p.m.–8 p.m.
Bell Center Pool
Check rec.drake.edu for updated hours
The annual Survey of Administrative Services (SAS) is a valuable tool for gathering feedback from faculty and staff about the services provided by Facilities Planning and Management. This survey helps highlight successes and areas for improvement, creating an opportunity for the team to assess their performance and address any concerns. By using the feedback, FPM staff can make informed decisions to enhance our services and ensure better support for the campus community.
The results from this year’s Survey of Administrative Services (SAS) indicate a strong positive trend in overall satisfaction with Facilities Planning and Management (FPM) services. Respondents have provided encouraging feedback, highlighting several areas where FPM has made significant improvements over the past year in staff courtesy, professionalism, knowledge, timeliness and exhibiting the core values.
The Electrical Services Team has achieved an outstanding milestone by winning the FPM Annual Golden Bulldog Award, thanks to their exceptional performance and an impressive satisfaction rating of nearly 92%. This year, the team stood out among nine FPM-specific services, with improvements in satisfaction across all FPM areas. Congratulations to Corey, Ron, and Josh for their hard work and dedication—this achievement truly reflects their commitment to excellence!
Overall satisfaction with FPM has seen a notable increase from the previous year, rising by 4.7% to reach over 78%. This improvement is a direct result of the hard work and dedication our team has shown throughout the year, successfully closing nearly 5,000 work orders.
FPM is dedicated to continuously identifying areas for improvement. In the coming year, improving communication with the campus will be a top priority. We will proactively clarify the roles and responsibilities of FPM services to the campus community. Furthermore, FPM management will consistently review and update work orders to ensure issues are addressed promptly and information is communicated back to building contacts.
— Kevin Moran, Executive Director FPM
As a faculty or staff member of Drake University, you are invited to attend the upcoming “Transforming the Teaching and Learning Environment Virtual Conference” which will take place from February 3–14, 2025. A variety of exciting topics will be covered, including:
Drake has covered the cost of institutional registration, allowing all faculty and staff to attend any of the sessions. You can view the complete schedule of sessions here, which will be updated regularly.
Every session has a “Join Session” link which will be your entry point. After clicking the link, you will be prompted to register via Zoom by entering your first name, last name, and Drake email address. Once registered, a direct link to the session will then be provided.
All sessions will be recorded and made available for viewing within an hour after each day’s conclusion. When a recording is available, the “Join Session” link will change to “View Recording”.
I encourage you to take advantage of this valuable professional development opportunity. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
—Jimmy Senteza, Deputy Provost of Academic Affairs
In 1994, the Madelyn Levitt Awards were created in honor of Madelyn Levitt’s commitment to Drake and her ongoing interest in faculty and staff achievement and academic excellence. Each year they are awarded to various individuals in recognition of their excellence in a respective area of achievement consistent with Drake University’s mission and core values.
This year, the Provost’s office has added the Madelyn Levitt Scholar of the Year Award to the list in honor of Madelyn Levitt’s awards. Each year a member of the Drake University faculty will be honored with this award for their scholarship excellence as detailed in the call for nominations accessible below.
Invitations for nominations for the various awards are accessible via the respective links below. All Drake faculty, staff, and students are invited and encouraged to nominate a Drake faculty member for the appropriate award(s) per the instructions included therein.
Nominations for the Madelyn Levitt Teacher of the Year Award.
Nominations for the Madelyn Levitt Mentor of the Year Award.
Nominations for the Madelyn Levitt Scholar of the Year Award.
— Madison Bemus, Office of the Provost
The Ronald Troyer Research Fellowship Endowment was created to recognize Provost Ronald Troyer’s unwavering commitment to supporting faculty research and development at the highest level. At this time, the application process for the Troyer Research Fellowship is open and applications are due on Feb. 21, 2025. Interested applicants should click here to access the call for applications.
— Madison Bemus, Office of the Provost
You are reminded that submissions for Fall 2025 First Year Seminar (FYS) course proposals are now open and that the deadline for receiving all course submissions is Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. Whether you have a new concept in mind or wish to revisit a previous topic, you are invited to share your vision. Additionally, you are invited to participate in the proposed FYS learning communities. Click here to browse information and submission guidelines for the Fall 2025 FYS call.
— Jimmy Senteza, Deputy Provost of Academic Affairs
Do you know a staff member who would like to make an impact to strengthen the staff experience on campus? Nominate them (or yourself!) NOW for All Staff Council. The following three-year positions are available:
Nominations are due Friday, Feb. 14, by midnight. Elections will be held in the spring. Newly elected members will begin their three-year term on June 1, 2025. Learn more about All Staff Council here.
— Ryan Harris, On behalf of All Staff Council
