Samantha “Sam” Matt, MS, RDN, LDN, is Drake’s on campus dietitian and a wonderful resource for faculty, staff, and students. Sam offers free one-on-one nutrition counseling and covers nutrition topics including 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, please contact Sam at samantha.matt@sodexo.com.
— Linda Feiden, Human Resources
You are invited to nominate a colleague for the Madelyn M. Levitt Employee Excellence and Distinguished Community Service Awards. Nominations are due to Human Resources by Friday, March 5.
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:
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 include:
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.
For additional information, please contact Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu.
— Linda Feiden, Human Resources
If you’re interested in working and living abroad after graduation, Working Worldwide might be the perfect program for you. Working Worldwide is an opportunity for recent graduates to live and work in China or Kosovo for a year.
Applications for 2021–2022 are due by March 1. You can apply through Terra Dotta, our online application system.
If you’re looking to expand your horizons, develop skills to be a competitive professional, and do something different after graduation, look no further than Working Worldwide!
Want to learn more? Please contact nathan.jacobson@drake.edu.
— Nathan Jacobson, Education Abroad Coordinator
If you’re interested in obtaining a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Certificate, Drake Global Engagement will be offering a 120-hour TEFL Certification course throughout April and May 2021.
During this course, students will learn broad educational theory, second language acquisition theory, classroom management techniques, and various formal and informal assessment strategies. Drake’s course is taught by two, long-time local ESL teachers with over 20 years combined TEFL experience.
A TEFL Certificate demonstrates an individual’s ability to teach English language to non-native speakers, and opens the door to countless teaching opportunities, both in the United States and abroad.
Register for the course today! The priority deadline to register for the TEFL Certification Course is March 15.
Contact Nathan Jacobson at nathan.jacobson@drake.edu to register or if you have questions.
— Nathan Jacobson, Education Abroad Coordinator
A Pop-A-Shot machine is now located in the lobby of the Bell Center. You do not need a reservation—just stop by and ask the front desk to play. Each month has a designated game mode. If you get the high score, your name will be displayed in the Bell Center and you could win an intramural champion T-shirt. Stop by and play today.
IM deadlines:
3-point contest: Feb. 28
Minigolf registration deadline: March 3
— Emily Madsen, Rec Services
The Board of Student Communications is looking for next year’s media leaders. The BSC oversees Drake’s campus media: Drake Broadcasting System, Drake Magazine, DrakeMagazine.com, Drake Political Review, DUiN, Periphery and The Times-Delphic. Students interested in serving as editor-in-chief of a BSC publication or president of DBS must apply for their desired position by March 12. To apply, send your resume and cover letter to Professor Inman (jeff.inman@drake.edu) and SJMC Student Senator Carson S.J. Reichardt (carson.reichardt@drake.edu). Interviews will be held March 26.
— Jeff Inman, Associate Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication
Come to Olmsted conference rooms 312 and 313 anytime from 4–6 p.m. on Friday, March 5, to write a postcard to one of your representatives. Learn about who represents you and how to see how they’ve voted on recent legislation. Then, write a short postcard in support or against recent actions they’ve made to help foster civic engagement and local change.
— Melanie Sadecki, AS’21
Friendly reminder: Check out this interactive PDF to get to know the leaders and leadership structure at Drake. This can be found on the Office of the President page (scroll down) and is maintained by the President’s Office. Instead of boring text, you will find photos of each person. Bonus feature: if you click on a person’s image, you will be directed to their corresponding web page to learn more. It is a handy tool, especially if you are new to Drake.
— Nate Reagen, Office of the President
If you encounter issues with a campus service, the first troubleshooting step is to try a different browser and see if you experience the same issue. Default browsers, such as Internet Explorer or Safari, are not always compatible with every tool. ITS recommends using Chrome or Firefox to access our academic campus services, such as Blackboard Learn, myDrake, Panopto, or Zoom.
To learn more about these tools and how to use them, review the following knowledge base articles.
Want to learn more about all of the tech available? Visit drake.edu/its/students/ or drake.edu/its/facstaff/.
— Carla Herling, ITS
The Catalyst Fund was created by a group of faculty committed to advancing the goals of equity and inclusion at Drake University. Catalyst Scholarships are awarded to students who are part of a historically and/or currently underrepresented group. Examples of underrepresented groups include domestic students of color, undocumented immigrants, refugees, and first generation college students.
The Catalyst Fund will host an evening of blues by Kevin Burt, Friday, March 5, at 7 p.m. Pick up a Latin-inspired boxed meal from Delicias by Lorena prior to the concert to enhance your evening and support a local caterer. Register at Eventbrite.
Suggested donation for the concert is $20. Donate Now.
— Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost
