Intramurals are back in full swing this semester and you can get involved in the fun. Download the Drake Rec App or IM leagues / Drake and register with a team or as a free agent to reserve your spot today. Spots will fill up quickly, so don’t wait.
Reach out to Intramurals@drake.edu for any questions.
— Alex Fearino
Drake’s annual career fair is coming up in just a couple of weeks, and we need help from our faculty and staff colleagues to ensure it’s a success for our Class of 2023 and Class of 2024 alumni, current students, and employer and graduate/professional school partners.
There are several ways you can help:
Encourage Participation: Date, time, and location are below. Please distribute these details via email with recent alumni, students, and advisees; post them in your course syllabus; print and post a promotional flier outside your office; share an announcement and reminders in class and during appointments; shout it from the rooftops!
Thursday, Feb. 13
Olmsted Student Center
3–6 p.m. (3–3:30 p.m. is reserved for recent alumni and graduating students)
Volunteer: We still need a number of volunteers to help with event set-up, student check-in and registration, employer check-in, and especially event tear-down and clean-up. It’s a great opportunity for faculty and staff to connect with students outside of our usual areas, meet our employer and graduate school partners, and go “all in this together!” If you and/or colleagues from your college/school or department are interested in volunteering, please sign up for a shift on the Career Fair Volunteers SignUpGenius.
Save-the-Dates: February is a busy month in Career Services! In addition to our career fair, we have two additional, campus-wide events to help support students’ career and professional development. Please also help us to promote:
Thursday, Feb. 6
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Olmsted Student Center Conference Rooms (Upper level)
This is a drop-in, in-person opportunity for students to meet with our Career Services staff, employer partners, and other faculty and staff volunteers for feedback and input on their resume or CV in preparation for the career fair. No appointments necessary!
Friday, Feb. 28
8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Olmsted Student Center, Parents Hall South
Join Career Services, the Office of Alumni Relations, and 20–25 alumni guests for breakfast, networking, and a keynote address from Drake alumna and Senior DEI Associate at the Weitz Company, Shekinah Fountain, on using LinkedIn as a tool for professional networking and career engagement. All students must register on EventBrite. Space is limited. Thanks to our event sponsors: Principality Group of Wells Fargo Advisors.
—Jill Batten, Strategic Director of Advising & Career Services
’Twas a few weeks before the fair, and all through Drake’s campus,
Students were stressing out but preparing with focus.
Polishing their resume, practicing their pitch,
Each student ready to impress, without any hitch.
The emails were sent and OnCampus invites,
“Sign up for the Career Fair!” in flashing lights.
From business to STEM, education and journalism, too,
So many employers and graduate programs will be looking for talent like you.
(modified from OpenAI, 2024)
Drake students from all majors and Class of 2023 and 2024 alumni are invited!
When: Thursday, Feb. 13, 3–6 p.m.
*3–3:30 p.m. is reserved for recent alumni and graduating students
Where: Olmsted Student Center
Student Check-In – Olmsted Breezeway
Career Fair – Upper Level
Student Registration is open NOW!
Sign up on Handshake: https://app.joinhandshake.com/stu/career_fairs/49427
Professional attire is required.
No jeans or sweatpants. A suit is recommended. If you don’t own a suit, wear trousers/dress pants/skirt and a button-down shirt, blouse or sweater.
Polish Your Resume and Practice Your Pitch:
Thursday, Feb. 6; drop-in, in-person anytime between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
—Jill Batten, Strategic Director of Advising & Career Services
The fresh semester means fresh fits! Explore the Bulldog Shop’s newest arrivals and refresh your Drake styles to start the new semester looking your best and showing your school spirit. Not back on campus yet? No problem. Shop your favorites online and select “Ship to Campus” at checkout for easy, convenient in-store pickup when you arrive on campus.
And don’t forget to gear up for basketball season too. Find exclusive basketball gear at the Bulldog Shop or visit us at Spike’s Locker Room on game days. We’re open at all men’s and women’s home games. Go Bulldogs!
— Bulldog Shop
Get ready to level up your fitness game! 🎉 Join us for the Fitness on Demand Launch Party—a high-energy event designed to make wellness fun and accessible for everyone. Experience the hottest virtual workouts, sample healthy snacks, and win prizes. Whether you’re a fitness fanatic or just looking to try something new, this party is your ticket to sweat, socialize, and stay inspired. Let’s make fitness your favorite new habit—don’t miss out!
The launch party will take place from 10:00 am – Noon on Saturday, February 8 in the Bell Center Studio
– Gail Witte, Recreational Services
Stay fit during J-term! Gail will be teaching two lunchtime (12:15-12:45) classes every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the month of January in the Bell Center Studio.
Tuesdays will be FUNctional Fitness, and Thursday will be all about Kettle Bells. We have so much fun, and we hope to see you in class!
—Gail Witte, Recreational Services
With the start of the new year, it is wise to review your Pay Information through the Employee Dashboard.
For your quick reference, we have highlighted a few of these important sections.
Within the Pay Information section on the Employee Dashboard, you can access current and previous paystubs and direct deposit information. As the new year begins, you may see slight variations in your pay. This could be due to a multitude of factors including: a new tax year which causes payroll deductions to “restart” with the calendar year; a change in compensation; and newly elected benefit deductions for the upcoming year, as well as taxes related to any graduate level courses that you or your dependents may be taking.
The Benefits section navigates you to the Benefits Portal for easy access to review your benefits information. A separate link for Retirement Plans is available to provide information about your TIAA retirement payroll deductions.
Within the Taxes section, the online W-2s will be available during the last week in January. The online 1095-C forms will be available in March.
Please email drakehr@drake.edu if you have any questions. We are happy to assist you.
Teresa Downs, Human Resources
The countdown to the Drake Road Races is on! It’s the perfect time to make your Relays Resolution, whether you’re aiming for a personal best or simply enjoying the excitement of race day. We’ve already shared some inspiring stories of participants who are gearing up for the event—check them out and get motivated! Don’t miss your chance to join the Drake community in this exciting tradition. Register today and start your journey toward the Blue Oval!
Register here: https://www.drakeroadraces.org/
– Ben Huftalin, Assistant Director, Event Production
In January, the Center for Teaching & Learning will offer four sessions of a workshop called “Kickstart Your Semester: Strategies for Effective Course Planning.”
Each hybrid session will be offered on campus in Howard Hall and virtually through Zoom.
All faculty and staff are invited to connect with colleagues to reflect on your goals for the spring, organize your calendar, and consider how you might use generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot for support.
Session dates include: Wed, Jan 15 (1:00-3:00 pm); Thurs Jan 16 (10 am-Noon); Tues, Jan 21 (1:00-3:00 pm), and Wed, Jan 22 (10:00 am-Noon).
The Offices of Finance and Financial Aid would like to thank everyone for taking the time to complete the Administrative Services Survey earlier this fall. We have gained valuable feedback to help us maintain and improve the services we provide to students, faculty, and staff.
Ratings for nearly every question improved over the prior year ratings. Each of the departments within Finance individually scored between 4.4 and 4.8 on the 5-point scale. The overall satisfaction with the services provided by the Offices of Finance and Financial Aid score was 4.62 compared to 4.42 in 2023. While there is always room for improvement, the unit’s staff are clearly doing their best to meet our service-oriented objectives to:
The comments included in the survey were very helpful. We appreciate the many positive comments that recognized outstanding service provided by staff. An item for improvement that we noted and plan to work on over the next year is to review our rules and processes for unnecessary complication and difficulty in navigation. Another is to ensure that we are timely in our communications and responses. Like most areas of campus, reductions in staffing within the Finance and Financial Aid functions have put additional pressure and expectation on the existing staff and we request continued grace as we work to streamline and continually improve our operations.
Thank you again for participating in the Administrative Survey and please know that your input is reviewed and analyzed by the entire staff of the Offices of Finance and Financial Aid.
– Adam Voigts, Chief Financial Officer
