All posts by Maureen De Armond

For Staff Archive

Task force on remote work finalizing recommendations

The task force that was assembled to consider the future of remote work and flexible schedules for staff is finalizing its general recommendation and will soon be soliciting the feedback of University leadership.

The task force first met on June 29 and has been diligently working to consider how Drake may best take the lessons learned from the pandemic to rethink and modernize its policies and practices guiding when, where, and how staff work.

“Following the valuable feedback received from campus, the task force has been focused on bringing a more modern look and feel to the proposed policies and guidance. We are working toward building a framework that will stimulate workplace culture and be sustainable for the future,” said task force member Heather Travis, associate chief financial officer/controller.

Once the President’s Council has had the opportunity to review and consider the task force’s recommendations, the task force will schedule a virtual “Task Force Debrief,” where staff can learn more about the collaborative process the task force applied to its work, including the importance of the feedback provided in the staff survey. This would also be a good opportunity to hear ideas and suggestions on where the task force approach may work in other policy, operational, and strategy spaces.

The task force will share additional details with campus about its recommendations and outline next steps once it is clear which recommendations are being adopted. It is possible the President’s Council will have some suggestions that will require an additional round of work by the task force. In short, we want to be transparent with campus, but we also want to be sure that the final versions of recommendations are shared to avoid confusion or the circulation of outdated drafts.

The task force does want to share now that the approach it is recommending is to consolidate remote work and flexible work options into one holistic policy, a Customized Work Arrangement Policy. If that policy moves forward, it will undergo Drake’s normal policy review process, where it will be posted for comment for at least 15 days. Any staff member with a question, comment, or suggestion will be empowered to share their thoughts through the existing policy review process.

The task force is excited to be wrapping up this stage of the work and is looking forward to next steps.

— Maureen De Armond, Human Resources

Strategic Updates Archive

Faculty and Staff: Please complete the Survey of Administrative Services—Your input is very important

An important aspect of our Continuous Improvement Plan is assessing our performance in delivering services to the campus. To that end, I encourage you to complete this year’s survey of administrative services. It is completely anonymous and often takes less than five minutes to complete.

The survey focuses on six areas: Facilities Planning and Management, Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology Services, Public Safety, and University Communications and Marketing. You will only be asked to provide feedback on the services which you worked with in the past year. The survey was developed by the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment in collaboration with several other of our colleagues.

Continuous improvement efforts such as this drive intentional and strategic action. Your input is reviewed, and acted upon as your feedback helps us better meet the needs of our University. Direct action plans are developed as a result of your input.

Thank you in advance for your participation by Tuesday, Oct. 19.

— Nate Reagen, Office of the President

For Staff Archive

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

All Staff Council (ASC) and Human Resources are teaming up to facilitate a virtual town hall for staff tentatively planned for Friday, Oct. 22, at 1:30 p.m. While we want staff members to feel comfortable, empowered, and encouraged to bring questions to the town hall, we want to gage the amount of time needed to have a productive and meaningful dialogue. Consequently, we invite staff to submit questions to ASC ahead of time.

Final decisions regarding the meeting date and time will be based on the topics and volume of questions received. 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 and schedule the event if we have some sampling of the ASC and HR questions that are top of mind for staff.

At present, HR’s new Executive Director Maureen De Armond will kick off the event with a few comments about early observations at Drake and describe some of the HR initiatives staff should expect to hear more of in the coming months.

Members of the ASC Executive Committee, including Andy Verlengia, Jenny Jones, Sara Heijerman, and Linda Feiden, will be present to share information about upcoming ASC events and describe some of the ASC priorities for the academic year.

If this sounds like an event you are interested in attending, save the date: Friday, Oct. 22, at 1:30 p.m. As soon as we solidify the date and time, we will provide an update with meeting details.

— Andy Verlengia, Director, Alumni Relations

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Tuition exchange applications now open for 2022–2023

Full-time employees in a regular position at Drake are eligible to participate in two tuition exchange programs, which offer waived or discounted tuition at other participating institutions for employees, their spouse/partner, or eligible dependent(s).

Those wishing to apply for tuition exchange in the 2022–2023 academic year can apply now. Applications are only for students not currently participating in tuition exchange—those who are receiving tuition exchange during this academic year will automatically be re-certified for consideration in the 2022–2023 academic year (assuming the employee is still eligible).

There are three main steps in the tuition exchange application process:

  1. Employee submits the tuition exchange application (and the student should also apply for admission at the schools listed on the application).
  2. Drake’s Office of Student Financial Planning will confirm and certify the employee’s eligibility to participate in the tuition exchange program. This is done on a rolling basis as applications are received.
  3. Each school listed on the application will determine whether they can offer the student a tuition exchange award.

Schools have different application deadlines and timelines for announcing award determinations. It is the employee’s responsibility to submit the tuition exchange application early enough to allow time for step #2 to be completed in advance of each school’s deadlines.

Details about each of Drake’s tuition exchange programs are provided below:

Tuition Exchange, Inc. (TE)
TE has over 670 participating schools. Visit tuitionexchange.org to learn more, view participating schools, and to submit an application.

Council of Independent Colleges & Universities Tuition Exchange Program (CIC-TEP)
CIC-TEP has over 440 participating schools. Visit cic.edu/tep to learn more, view participating schools, and to submit an application.

— Ryan Zantingh, Director of Financial Aid

For Students Archive

Become an Orientation Leader

Orientation leaders are dedicated to providing incoming students and their families with all of the information and resources necessary to ensure their transition to Drake is a smooth and enjoyable one.

We need you to help make this happen. Each year we recruit current Drake students to become part of the orientation leader staff. Orientation leaders play a vital role in this exciting process, working closely with new students and their families on a wide variety of topics including academics, student involvement, housing options, and more.

We highly encourage you to attend one of the information sessions being offered. Click here to sign up for a session.

  • Wednesday, Oct. 13., at 7 p.m. in Olmsted Conference Room 310
  • Thursday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m., Zoom session

You will be compensated for your time and effort and gain valuable skills in this position.

Learn more about the position. For questions, contact Marina Verlengia at marina.verlengia@drake.edu.

— Marina Verlengia, New Student Programs

For Students Archive

Apply for financial aid for 2022–2023

The 2022–2023 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is now available. Students who wish to be considered for need-based grants and federal work-study for the 2022–2023 year must complete the FAFSA. The FAFSA is also required in order to borrow federal student loans, which are usually the best student loans available.

Pharmacy students who would like to be considered for the Health Professions Loan must include parental information on the FAFSA (even if not required to do so).

If you need assistance with the FAFSA, contact the Office of Student Financial Planning.

— Ryan Zantingh, Director of Financial Aid

News & Achievements Archive

SJMC Professor Lee Jolliffe gains publication

Lee Jolliffe, Drake University professor of Journalism and Mass Communication, is editor and co-author of Adventure Journalists in the Gilded Age: Essays on Reporting From the Arctic to the Orient, published by McFarland,  in July 2021, with colleagues Katrina Quinn and Mary Cronin. The book features:

  • 12 meticulously researched chapters
  • 57 archival images, including some of history’s greatest adventure journalists and their Gilded Age destinations. Images also include woodcut engravings from the nineteenth century illustrated press.
  • a foreword by Michael S. Sweeney, a distinguished journalism historian and past editor of Journalism History, the oldest mass media history journal in the US
  • a preface by editor Katrina J. Quinn, a Hazel Dicken-Garcia distinguished scholar in journalism history
For Faculty Archive

Seeking new director of writing

The Office of the Provost seeks applications for the director of writing. The director of writing serves a three-year appointment with possibility of renewal. Tenured faculty interested in the position should send a letter of interest and CV to Renee Cramer, Deputy Provost, at renee.cramer@drake.edu by Oct. 20, 2021. The statement of interest should address why you want to serve as the director of writing and discuss your qualifications for the position. The position will begin June 2022.

Responsibilities of the director of writing:

Directing the Writing Workshop:

  • Teaching two courses per academic year: one First-Year Seminar (or another writing-intensive course) in fall semester, and one section of “Teaching and Tutoring of Writing: Theory and Practice” in spring semester.
  • Recruiting and training undergraduates to work as tutors in the Writing Workshop. Training primarily occurs through the spring “Teaching and Tutoring of Writing: Theory and Practice” course, but also entails ongoing mentorship and instruction as needed.
  • Promoting the Writing Workshop to the university community, exploring new avenues for publicizing and promoting the Workshop, including establishing a more robust social media presence.
  • Managing all aspects of the tutor program including supervision, scheduling, budget management and usage reports.
  • Fielding inquiries and requests for information from university students, faculty, administrators, and staff, as well as the general public.
  • Providing Workshop usage reports, including student evaluations of their tutoring appointments, to administrators.

Working with Drake University faculty, staff, and administrators:

  • Leading Fall and Spring Writing Projects in collaboration with the Provost’s Office
  • Collaborating with faculty to design writing assignments or projects for their courses.
  • Encouraging faculty to send their students to the Writing Workshop.
  • Leading the May “Writing Inside and Outside the Classroom” Workshop
  • Organizing other workshops and events for faculty wishing to enhance their ability to teach writing for discipline-specific courses and/or general education classes.
  • Serving as a resource for faculty with questions or concerns about student writing.
  • Keeping up-to-date with scholarship in writing studies, possibly including attending conferences in the field and collaborating with Writing Center Directors at other institutions.

Resources

  • $10,500 tutoring budget
  • Four course reassignments funded through the Office of the Provost
  • $4,000 in summer compensation from the Office of the Provost for work carried out over the summer including end of the year reports, finishing work with those in the Spring Writing Project and beginning work for those in the Fall Writing Project. This compensation comes from a Restricted and Endowed Account, not the University’s Operating Budget. This money will be paid in one $2000 installment in July and a second $2000 installment the following June.

— Renee Cramer, Deputy Provost

For Students Archive

Take the ITS student phishing quiz Oct. 1–18 and be entered in prize drawing

One in five people can’t identify a phishing email. That’s why ITS works to educate the campus community about how to detect and avoid being caught by malicious emails that “phish” for personal and campus data. In recognition of National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), ITS is sharing tips and tools for keeping you safe online and not becoming a cyber-victim.

From Oct. 1–18, ITS is holding a phishing quiz, a contest where students can take a quiz to learn more about how to identify phishing emails and fraudulent websites.

Everyone who takes the 10-question quiz will be entered to win one of six prizes, no matter how many answers they get right. Visit drake.edu/its/quiz to see the full contest rules and take the quiz starting Oct. 1.

The goal of this contest is to empower students to be able to keep their data secure. Learn more about IT Security this month and beyond by following Drake ITS on Twitter at @DrakeITServices.

— Carla Herling, ITS

For Students Archive

Young Professional Brunch with nationally recognized pollster J. Ann Selzer Oct. 2

Join The Harkin Institute for Public Policy and Citizen Engagement on Saturday, Oct. 2, at 9 a.m., for our exclusive Young Professional Brunch with nationally recognized pollster J. Ann Selzer who has been referred to as “the best pollster in politics” by FiveThirtyEight.

This event is open to Drake University undergraduate and graduate students. Registration is free and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Only 25 spots are available so sign up now!

J. Ann Selzer has worked in polling for more than three decades. Her career began at The Des Moines Register in 1987, and she began her own company, Selzer and Company, in 1994, currently serving as the president. She has been in charge of the nationally-renowned Iowa Poll since her start at the Register.

Selzer’s polling in Iowa has consistently been the most accurate of all available polling. Selzer’s polling accurately predicted Barack Obama’s 2008 victory in the Iowa Caucuses and closely mirrored the results of the Presidential Election in Iowa in 2016 and 2020.

The Harkin Institute’s student brunches and events offer intimate opportunities for Drake University students to learn from industry leaders about their careers and gain advice about future career opportunities. Past participants have included U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, United Way of Central Iowa President Elisabeth Buck and Delta Dental President and CEO Jeff Russell.

— Emily Schettler, Harkin Institute for Public Policy and Citizen Engagement