All posts by Maureen and Chris

Supreme Court weighs in on OSHA testing requirement

Last Thursday (Jan. 13), the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the vaccine/testing requirement aimed at large employers, such as Drake, that had been published by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). At the same time, the Court upheld the vaccine mandate for certain health care workers to go into effect nationwide, which had been adopted by the Department of Health and Human Services.

While OSHA could go back to the drawing board to re-envision a new Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), that will take time. For now, this means the OSHA weekly testing requirement for unvaccinated employees is not taking effect. As has been the case throughout the entire pandemic, Drake will closely monitor infection rates, public health guidance, and best practices to protect our students, employees, and visitors.

For now, there is an important part for you to play in all of this:

  • If you are not vaccinated, get vaccinated.
  • If you have not received your booster shot, get it as soon as possible.
  • Continue to self-monitor your health.
  • Do not come to campus with cold and flu symptoms.
  • Continue to appropriately mask on campus (and, please, when in public)
  • If you have not shared your vaccination status (including your booster) with the University, please do so through Drake’s secure online form.

Thank you for doing your part to keep not only yourself healthy, but also those around you!

 Maureen De Armond, Human ResourcesChris Nickell, Environmental Health & Safety

Call for nominations: Principal Global Citizenship Award

Nominations are being accepted for the Principal Global Citizenship Award, recognizing outstanding contributions to global engagement and internationalization of the campus and curriculum on the part of faculty or staff. The selected awardee will receive a plaque, up to $3,000, and will be announced at the 2022 Global Citizen Forum in March. A screening committee will review all nominations and make recommendations to the Provost.  Nominations should be submitted to Bonnie Ehler at bonnie.ehler@drake.edu by Monday, Feb.14, 2022. 

A letter of nomination should be submitted recommending an individual for the award and explaining the context and manner in which the nominator has come to know the faculty or staff member. This letter should speak to the following qualifications:

Pursuant to the University’s mission to develop “responsible global citizens,” explain how the nominee has made outstanding contributions at Drake toward realizing the following:

  1. Support Drake University as a global institution by creating linkages to global partners in local, national, and international settings;
  2. Develop and/or actively support global and intercultural learning opportunities for Drake students;
  3. Develop infrastructure, resources, and partnerships to support internationalization and global engagement.

The nominee must be a faculty or staff member with at least four years of service at the University. The nominee cannot have won this award within the past five years. Faculty and staff members who report directly to Global Engagement are ineligible.

Nominees who indicate a willingness to be considered will be invited to submit a resume or C.V. and a statement discussing their contributions to the above goals. Up to three letters of support from unit or institutional leadership, faculty, staff, or students will be accepted (this is optional).

Any individual who was nominated for the award in 2021 may be re-nominated if the nominator resubmits a letter offering the individual for consideration this year. Files of previous nominees are maintained for one year. If a faculty/staff member is re-nominated, the nominator will be invited to review the file from the previous year to ensure that the nomination is as current as possible.

Past recipients include:

2021 – Sally Haack, Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Clinical Sciences

2020 – Jody Swilky, Ellis and Nelle Levitt Professor of English/Writing Workshop

2019 – Pramod Mahajan, Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences

2018 – Tim Knepper, Professor of Philosophy/Comparison Project Director

2017 – John Rovers, Professor of Pharmacy & Health Sciences

2016 – Ellen Yee, Professor of Law/Director of International Programs

Nomination letters are due by Feb. 14, 2022 and should be sent as an attachment to bonnie.ehler@drake.edu.  Questions may be directed to Annique Kiel, executive director of Global Engagement and International Programs, at annique.kiel@drake.edu.

— Annique Kiel, Global Engagement

Call for nominations: Principal Global Practitioner/Scholar-in-Residence

The Office of Global Engagement invites nominations for the Principal Global Practitioner/Scholar-in-Residence Program for 2022–2023, seeking to attract talented individuals from academia or the professions who have outstanding international expertise to teach a course, mentor students, give public lectures, work on joint research with faculty, and aid the global capacity-building of the institution as a whole through fruitful collaborations. Nominations will be considered for fall, spring, or the full academic year.

Nomination Instructions:
Candidates should be nominated by faculty or administrators within the academic unit to which they will be attached. (Candidates must be non-Drake faculty or employees). Please submit the following supporting materials:

  • A nomination letter discussing the qualifications of the candidate and expected contributions to the department and Drake University as a whole
  • Candidate’s biographical information
  • A letter of interest from the candidate
  • A letter of support from the department chair and college/school dean

Nominations should be directed to Annique Kiel, executive director of Global Engagement and International Programs, by Feb. 18, 2022. Units considering a nomination are encouraged to consult with Annique prior to submission (annique.kiel@drake.edu).

Among the criteria to be considered for the nominee:
1. A record of recognized leadership in a global context and distinguished professional accomplishment in their field
2. A documented commitment to international understanding and global citizenship
3. An ability to bring global perspectives and experiences to the Drake community
4. A willingness and ability to offer a course(s) that complements the existing curriculum and meets rigorous academic standards.

In recognition of their contributions, Global Practitioners/Scholars receive a stipend, a travel allowance, an appropriate workspace in the host college/school, and access to university facilities. Global Practitioners/Scholars will be affiliated with an appropriate academic unit for at least one semester and offer at least one course per term.

This program is proudly sponsored by the Principal Center for Global Citizenship, housed within the Office of Global Engagement.

Annique Kiel, Global Engagement

Back to Class: Tips for virtual team success with Alanah Mitchell

Hear from Professor Alanah Mitchell about her research related to the effectiveness of hybrid teams and virtual collaboration in the time of COVID-19 and post-pandemic on Monday, Jan. 24, at 6:30 p.m. via Microsoft Teams. Anyone is welcome to attend, regardless of their affiliation to Drake. Register.

Alanah Mitchell is the Aliber Distinguished Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Information Management and Business Analytics in the College of Business and Public Administration. Learn more about Alanah here: alanahmitchell.com/​​​​​​​

— Courtney Conrad, Office of Alumni Relations

National Girls and Women in Sports Day youth clinic

We are excited to announce the return of our National Girls and Women in Sports Day Clinic. This year’s event will be held prior to the Women’s Basketball game versus Missouri State on Jan. 15. The clinic is open to all kids in kindergarten through 6th grade.

Each participant receives:

  • Free T-shirt (sizes based on availability)
  • Four (4) complimentary general admisison tickets to the Drake vs. Missouri State game at
    2 p.m.
  • Free concession voucher valid for one slice of pizza and one 21 oz. fountain drink

Registration is limited to the first 200 kids so visit DrakeTix.com/ngwsd to learn more and register today. Registration closes on Thursday, Jan. 13, at noon.

Please note that per Drake University policy, all guests at the Knapp Center are required to wear a face covering including all clinic participants and their guests.

Aimee Lane, Athletics

Check out the Spring 2022 BUILD schedule

Bulldogs United in Learning Drake (BUILD) is a learning and development series available to faculty and staff who wish to enhance their professional skills, improve their wellbeing, and expand their boundaries.

The Spring 2022 BUILD schedule is available in the Learning and Development section on myDrake. To register for any class, please send an email to linda.feiden@drake.edu.

Upcoming January classes include Leading Hybrid Teams on Jan. 19 from 10–11 a.m. with Alanah Mitchell, associate professor of information systems, and the two-part workshop S.T.A.R.T. Standing Against Racism Together on Jan. 20 and 27 from 1–3 p.m. with Jennifer Harvey, associate provost for Campus Equity and Inclusion, and Jazlin Coley, director, Equity and Inclusion. Both programs will be held in the Olmsted Center 310/311 conference rooms.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Multi-factor authentication now required on key Drake systems

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is now required for students, faculty, and staff when they log into key Drake systems including myDrake, Self Service, Blackboard, Banner, and web-based versions of Microsoft products. This means you will be prompted to verify your identity using a separate device when logging in. There are three verification methods available:

  1. The Microsoft Authenticator mobile app (on a smartphone or tablet)
  2. One-time password code sent via text to your mobile phone
  3. Answering a call from Microsoft (on cell, landline or office extension)

Instructions on these methods are linked below:

Using multi-factor authentication is the best way to protect campus accounts and data. If you encounter any problems while setting up MFA, please submit a Multifactor Authentication Issue or contact the Support Center at 515-271-3001. Additional information and troubleshooting tips are available at MFA Project FAQ.

— Jeff Regan, ITS

More updates coming to Self Service tomorrow

Drake is continuing to roll out changes as part of the project to update the MyDUSIS system to Self Service. The next round of updates will be coming tomorrow and focus on our Student and Faculty pages. Here are the changes to expect:

On myDrake:

  • The MyDUSIS link in the Commonly Used Apps section of myDrake will change to read Self Service and link to a new landing page (see navigation guide linked below)
  • The My Information link will also be removed from the Commonly Used Apps section (it will still be in the HR section for faculty/staff and the My Drake Profile section for students)
  • Other MyDUSIS-related links will be renamed or removed as Self Service has prominent links to access key functions

In Self Service:

Please remember multi-factor authentication (MFA) is now required for accessing all Self Service screens. Learn more about MFA at Multi-factor Authentication Project (FAQ).

— Kris Brewster, ITS