The Spring 2021 edition of the Drake Undergraduate Social Science Journal (DUSSJ) is now available online. Please see here for the current edition.
DUSSJ would like to extend a special thank you to this year’s student editorial board: Camryn Huyser, Aimsley Kadlec, Kathleen McCracken, Rosalind Carey, and Pawel Barnas. We had an extraordinary number of submissions this year and we appreciate your hard work in reviewing each of them.
— Heath Henderson, Assistant Professor of Economics
The sixth annual Griff Gives Back pet food drive is underway! Griff II is collecting donations of adult dog and cat food to benefit The Pet Project Midwest, a local pet food pantry, in the weeks leading up to the Beautiful Bulldog Contest and Drake Relays.
His goal this year is 10,000 pounds to benefit area pets in need. Let’s assist Griff II, in his first year at the helm, with reaching his goal! Thank you!
— Erin Bell, University Communications and Marketing
Full-time faculty and staff received an email yesterday from ModernThink with an invitation to participate in this year’s Great Colleges to Work For survey. Thank you to those of you who have completed the survey already. If you haven’t, please take time to complete it. It is easy, quick, anonymous, and the primary tool used by the University to gather feedback on our workplace culture.
Instructions on how to access the survey are included in the email. The survey period ends Friday, April 2. For further questions, contact Nate Reagen.
— Nate Reagen, President’s Office
The School of Education is proud to announce a new minor in adult learning and talent development.
Do you like designing or running presentations? Do you enjoy teaching but would rather teach adults, working at for-profit or non-profit organizations? Do you like to investigate and solve problems? Training and Talent Development professionals come from all majors and often start their careers with a bachelor’s degree.
The adult learning and talent development minor requires 12 credit hours in creative and “out-of-the-box” courses such as designing learning, learning and technology, and performance consulting. Students will also complete a practical capstone, a project they may add to their portfolio and show future employers.
The six remaining credit hours come from approved electives. We especially recommend elective courses in psychology, digital media, technical writing, leadership, and human resource management.
For additional information, contact Cris Wildermuth at cris.wildermuth@drake.edu or SOE’s website.
— Cris Wildermuth, Associate Professor of Education
In Blackboard Learn, as a part of the Courses list in the Assorted Dates area, you will find the Blackboard Learn Ultra Instructor Orientation course. This course was created to help you prepare to use Blackboard Learn Ultra before its Fall 2021 launch. If you have several active courses, you may need to search for the course by title or expand your course listing to see more than 25 courses per page.
Each week, for the next four weeks, you will be notified of a new module to complete. This series of modules will be the final self-paced portion of the Blackboard Learn Ultra user training to prepare for the transition to Learn Ultra Courses. Modules 1–4 were released last fall and are still available if you haven’t yet completed them. This spring we are releasing Modules 5–9 (9 is optional) to prepare you for creating and using Ultra Courses. By completing this orientation course, you will gain insight into the experience your students will have when we switch to the Ultra Course View in Fall 2021. These Orientation course activities won’t be graded or reviewed.
In addition, on November 3, 2020, you should have been provided access to Ultra Course View sandboxes in your Courses list in the Assorted Dates area or under the Sandboxes group of courses. These sandboxes provide a space for you to experiment with new features while you complete modules in the Orientation course. If you don’t have sandboxes available, please request them by submitting a Blackboard Site Creation request and asking for “Ultra Sandboxes”.
In next week’s OnCampus we will share more information about Module 6.
— Karly Good, ITS
Thank you to everyone who responded to the Faculty and Staff Wellness Interest Survey in January. We appreciate your time and value your feedback on how to provide employees with the programs, presentations, and activities best designed to meet your needs.
Based on the overall results of the survey, the most highly requested programs and presentations are mindfulness programs, healthy cooking/healthy eating, wellness challenges, walking and running clubs, and stress management programs.
Top-rated, stand-alone events include CPR/first aid, flu shots, CPHS health services (health coaching and bone density screening), chair massages, and fitness assessments.
The survey showed that most employees receive information on wellness programs through OnCampus and the HR Monthly, prefer participating over lunch or after work during the work week, and prefer programs that run 30-45 minutes. The primary barrier to participation is lack of time and inconvenient time or location.
The comments included in the survey were also helpful. Several employees requested group sports (pickle ball and volleyball), a self-defense class, and continued online webinars and fitness classes for those working remotely.
These results will provide us with areas to focus on in the coming academic year. Next steps include:
Thank you again for participating in this survey. If you have any feedback on these next steps or other suggestions, please feel free to contact Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu.
— Linda Feiden, Human Resources
Faculty, if you need to purchase or rent regalia for Spring 2021 commencement, please contact the Bookstore for sizing by March 26.
— Kyle McVay, University Bookstore
Faculty: Please submit your Summer and Fall 2021 textbook and course material requests by April 15. Follow these steps to submit your adoptions:
1. Log into myDrake.
2. Click on the Blackboard icon under Commonly Used Apps.
3. Log into Blackboard with your Drake ID and myDrake password.
4. Find the Tools channel, scroll down, and click Follett Discover or find the Follett Discover channel and click the launch discover link.
5. Start Discovering.
If you would like to use an updated version of your current textbook, please do not choose “same as previous term.” Also, notate whether bundled access codes are required or if text only will suffice. If you are not using materials, it is helpful if you still log into discover and select “no titles/complete.” You may also contact the Bookstore directly to submit your requests.
— Kyle McVay, University Bookstore
As we “march” through staff appreciation month, take a few moments to show appreciation to your peers. In addition to “shout-outs” and nominating staff for a Called to be True Blue award, here are a few additional ways to say thanks.
Voice a verbal thank-you. In the workplace, things move fast and sometimes “thank-you” gets left behind. Make it a point to show your appreciation by simply saying thanks.
Microsoft Teams Badges. Send praise to a peer using Microsoft Teams badges. There are a number of badges to choose from, including “thank-you,” “achiever,” “awesome,” and “team player.” To start sending praise, go into Teams Chat. Create a new message. Select *** below the compose box, then select Praise. If you don’t see Praise as an option, click additional apps to find it. Select your badge, compose your message and send. That’s it!
Hand-written note. A personal note written with sincerity and specifics can sometimes mean the most to a colleague. If the person is working remotely, consider sending an electronic thank-you card or email.
Give kudos in a team meeting. An individual, face-to-face thank you is personal and effective. For some individuals, there is also room for more public appreciation—and a team meeting is the perfect place to recognize someone who has helped you out recently. It doesn’t have to be big and flashy, but be sure to be specific in how they helped.
Share a treat. Being COVID safe, share a pre-packaged treat with a co-worker with a small note of thanks.
Offer to help. Giving thanks is always a good idea. But for some, offering to help is even better. Show your appreciation to a colleague by offering your assistance. Think of those you would like to thank and then try to think of a way you can give them a hand.
— Linda Feiden, Human Resources
You are now able to work out with a partner at the Bell Center and Underground Fitness. Please be sure to:
— Emily Madsen, Rec Services
