All posts by Carla Herling

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

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Unencrypted emails containing confidential information

In November 2021, we had a cybersecurity company, Grey Castle Security, perform a campus-wide review. One of the issues they identified was the sending of confidential information using insecure methods. As a response, we are beginning to send automated email messages to anyone who emails unencrypted confidential information.

This type of information can be emailed as long as it’s properly protected. See instructions linked below:

Sending and Receiving Encrypted Email Messages (How-to)

For now, anyone who sends an email with unprotected information will receive an automated response, but the email will still be sent. Starting May 1, any outgoing unencrypted emails including confidential information will need to be re-sent with appropriate security precautions.

Questions about this upcoming change? Please contact informationsecurity@drake.edu

— Carla Herling, ITS

For Students Archive

Textbook refund period

Textbooks for the spring semester may be refunded through Feb. 4. For eligible returns, new textbooks cannot have bent binding or pages, no writing or highlighting. Loose-leaf books must be in their shrink wrap and access codes must remained sealed. For any textbook purchase after Feb. 4, the refund window is seven business days with the exception of the final two weeks of the semester.

Late fall semester rental returns will also be accepted until Feb. 4 and credited back to your account.

— Kyle McVay, University Bookstore