All posts by Hannah Sappenfield

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Support for collaborating with global partners

As a globally engaged institution, Drake University continually seeks cooperation with higher education institutions, government, and non-governmental entities throughout the world. Drake currently maintains 15 active partnerships in 13 countries. Learn more about our global partners.

Faculty and staff are essential for sustaining active collaboration with Drake’s global partners. This collaboration may include providing international academic experiences for students, faculty research and scholarship, teaching and mentoring, joint curriculum development, or other initiatives. We also encourage faculty and staff to seek out new opportunities to engage with international universities and institutions.

Support for Faculty and Staff
In addition to resources and funding available through Global Engagement, Professors Sally Haack (CPHS) and Inbal Mazar (A&S) will be hosting conversations with interested faculty and staff throughout the 2021–2022 academic year.

The first in-person conversation “Establishing and Enhancing Transnational Partnerships” will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 6 at 10 a.m. It will be an opportunity to exchange existing ideas about global partnerships work and learn new ones. Registration is encouraged but not required. Learn more and register

If you are interested but unable to attend during this time, please email sally.haack@drake.edu and inbal.mazar@drake.edu regarding additional opportunities to meet.

2021 IDEAS Grant
Professor Haack and Professor Mazar are serving as faculty fellows as part of the 2021 IDEAS Grant Program. Drake was one of 26 U.S. institutions selected from a pool of 132 proposals to receive the IDEAS Grant, awarded by USA Study Abroad and World Learning. Grant funds will be used, in part, to develop new partnerships to support academic, professional, and experiential learning opportunities. Learn more about the IDEAS Grant.

— Hannah Sappenfield, Global Partnerships Coordinator

Campus Announcements Archive

Drake Hoops Fest Sept. 30 on Court Avenue

The Drake men’s and women’s basketball teams are set to take to the streets of Des Moines Sept. 30 for Drake Hoops Fest, a one-of-a-kind fan experience on Des Moines’ historic Court Avenue. The centerpiece of the event will be a basketball court, provided by Sport Construction Midwest, at the intersection of 3rd Street and Court Avenue.

In partnership with the Court Avenue Entertainment District, all vehicular traffic will be restricted from the entertainment district, allowing fans to freely walk along Court Avenue while getting a preview of the 2021–2022 Bulldogs.

Schedule:
5 PM – Happy Hour

6 PM – Kids Activities including photos with Griff II, face painting, prize wheel, Dress Like a Bulldog photo station and more

6:30 PM – Basketball Showcase

8 PM – Silent Disco by Hush

More information.

— Aimee Lane, Athletics

HR Information Archive

Get your flu shot and receive a free Drake sports bottle

As a reminder, the first 100 faculty and staff who stop by the Human Resources Office at 319 Old Main with proof they have received a flu vaccine will receive a Drake 24 oz. Tritan Sports Bottle.  We also have a limited supply of Drake 1 oz. hand sanitizers with a travel clip top.

Getting the flu vaccine is recommended every year. However, with the continuing threat of COVID-19 and all its variants happening at the same time as the flu season getting a flu shot and reducing your risk of contracting the flu is especially important this year.

Let’s roll up our sleeves and fight the FLU!

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Access and Success offers a variety of resources: Coaching, tutoring, workshops, and more

Access and Success is a resource that offers academic coaching, disability services, and tutoring. We also offer workshops and webinars on a variety of topics.

If you have a student who could benefit from coaching in areas such as developing more effective study habits, building a time management routine, or addressing motivation challenges, refer them to Access and Success, and we will help them out.

Our next workshop, Tests and Time, is coming up soon. Check out our website for more information: Access & Success Workshops.

— Michelle Laughlin, Access and Success

For Students Archive

Access and Success offers a variety of resources: Coaching, tutoring, workshops, and more

Are you feeling overwhelmed? Are you needing help getting organized?  Are you struggling in your classes?  Access and Success can help!

Access and Success is a resource that offers academic coaching, disability services, and tutoring. We also offer workshops and webinars on a variety of topics.

If you are interested in any of these resources, check out your Starfish Success Network to get connected quickly and easily. Our next workshop, Tests and Time, is coming up soon. Check out our website for more information: Access & Success Workshops.

— Michelle Laughlin, Access and Success

HR Information Archive

Reminder: Community service leave benefit

Drake University recognizes the importance of community involvement and encourages faculty and staff to participate in volunteer and service activities.  This benefit is an excellent reflection of Drake’s Core Value of Commitment to Mission, which encourages us to serve not just our students, but also our communities.

The Drake University Community Service Leave benefit allows non-bargaining, non-grant funded staff employees to voluntarily participate, with pay, in community service activities that occur during regularly- scheduled work hours, with manager approval.

Full-time staff may receive up to eight hours of paid time to engage in community service leave each fiscal year.  Part-time staff, working 20 or more hours per week, may receive up to four hours of paid community service leave each fiscal year.

If you are looking for a great way to get involved, a list of volunteer opportunities can be found at drake.edu/volunteer.

Please note that employees wishing to provide community service leave must complete a Community Service Leave Request Form.

For more information, please view the Community Service Leave Policy.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Update: Teams calling/phone disruptions

In January, ITS began upgrading the campus phone system and moving faculty and staff extensions to Microsoft Teams. Previously, our phone system consisted of a patchwork of four different systems connected by a hub that was more than 30 years old. 

Throughout the year, ITS staff have moved additional extensions in common areas to Teams calling and have continued to decommission older systems. The overall project, however, is still in progress.  

Throughout this transition, faculty and staff have notified us of issues with response delays and dropped calls. If you have already reported an issue to the IT service portal, thank you. Our staff continue to work through these requests. As we troubleshoot issues it is very helpful for us to know when calls are dropped or other issues occur. If this happens, please submit a Calling/Phone Issue at the IT service portal.  

Thank you for your patience and assistance as we work toward this project’s completion. We are dedicated to providing reliable services and expect disruptions to decrease as this work progresses.   

— Keren Fiorenza, acting CITO, Information Technology Services  

News & Achievements Archive

Flores among five applicants to receive competitive CVS Health Minority Scholarship

Gustavo Flores, a second-year student pharmacist in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, is one of five student pharmacists in the nation among 489 applicants to receive a 2021–2022 CVS Health Minority Scholarship. Flores will receive a $8,000 scholarship and national recognition. The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy and CVS Health partner to offer the annual scholarship program. The purpose of the scholarship is to reduce challenges and financial barriers that underrepresented minority students who are pursuing a PharmD degree face and to support them in caring for an increasingly diverse population of patients as part of a health care team.

Flores hit the ground running from his first day in Drake’s PharmD program in 2020 and asserted himself as a student leader and an advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion. He spent many days volunteering at Drake’s COVID-19 student testing clinic as students moved on campus and volunteered at vaccination clinics throughout the spring 2021 semester. Flores is also the president-elect of the American Pharmacists Association Academy of Student Pharmacists.

He is a member of the College’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Workgroup and was a co-leader for the College’s virtual Spanish Medical Conversation Hours project during the 2020–2021 academic year. Flores is also recognized by his instructors for his passion in giving back to assist Spanish-speaking patients at clinical sites.

“I am honored and thankful to be one of the recipients of the CVS Health Minority Scholarship,” said Flores. “This award will lighten the financial burden of pharmacy school which will allow me to focus on my academics and volunteering within the community. As a first-generation Hispanic student, it is one of my goals to increase representation in the health care community and be an advocate for underrepresented and low-income communities. Once again, thank you CVS Health and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.”

Read more.

— Kaylyn Maher, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Internal department sites coming to myDrake Sept. 23

In an effort to better target communications to both internal and external audiences, ITS and University Communications and Marketing are collaborating to expand myDrake. This team has been developing an internal website (intranet) to house campus-facing information securely, and provide an easier path to navigate to forms, instructions, department news, and other key information for the Drake community. This internal website (intranet) is built on the same platform as the myDrake campus portal and the new navigation page will become available from myDrake on the evening of Sept. 23.

A new link called Department Sites will be added to the Campus Resources section of myDrake and will initially take you to existing departmental sub-sites on www.drake.edu. ITS will be working with departments to move selected content into the new internal website and out of www.drake.edu.

If your department would like to volunteer to be an early adopter, please reach out to Jeff Regan at jeffrey.regan@drake.edu.

— Carla Herling, ITS