All posts by Jenifer Baugher

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

2021 mileage reimbursement rate

Drake reimburses mileage for use of personal automobiles by employees for actual miles driven during business travel. The reimbursement rate is based on the current standard mileage rate issued by the Internal Revenue Service.

Effective Jan. 1, 2021, the standard mileage rate issued by the IRS for the use of a car will be 56 cents per business mile driven, down from 57.5 cents in 2020.

The standard mileage rate is evaluated annually by the IRS and is based on an annual study of the fixed and variable costs of operating an automobile.

If you have any questions regarding the reimbursable mileage rate, please visit the IRS website or contact Accounting at accounting@drake.edu.

— Jennifer Baugher, Accounting

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Drake Trivia event

Please join your friends and colleagues for Drake Trivia, hosted by All Staff Council and Drake Human Resources. The trivia event will take place Thursday, Jan. 21, from 3–4 p.m. on Microsoft Teams.

Teams of five will compete for prizes. Members of the top team will each receive $10 Bulldog Bucks.

If you want to create your own team, please designate a team leader and email ascspecialevents@drake.edu with your team. You do not need to join a team, however. Those without full teams will be randomly placed in a team of five, if possible.

Please see the event on the University Calendar for the link to the Teams Meeting.

— Tyler Spoon, on behalf of All Staff Council

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Deadline extended: FY22 Global Partnership Grants

The deadline has been extended to Jan. 15 for Drake faculty and staff to submit a proposal for the FY22 Global Partnership Grants.

Drake University has established formal partnerships with multiple institutions abroad. Joint faculty and staff projects with our global partner institutions may be eligible for financial support through the Global Partnership Grants. Full details are available on our website.

Eligibility:
Full-time faculty and staff members are eligible to apply for activities taking place during FY22.

Application process:

  1. Discuss the proposed activity with your unit director or dean prior to submission.
  2. Submit the online application via Qualtrix, which includes a description and budget.
  3. Deans/directors will review all proposals for their unit with the Global Partnerships Coordinator and the Executive Director of Global Engagement for prioritization and to make collaborative funding decisions.

Contact Hannah Sappenfield, global partnerships coordinator, with any questions about the grant program or application process.

— Hannah Sappenfield, Global Partnerships Coordinator

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Get involved with the Global Citizen Forum

Drake is partnering with the University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) to host a virtual conference on equity and inclusion in higher education March 3–5, 2021.

The 2021 Global Citizen Forum will bring together educators, students, policy makers and citizens from around the world to explore the struggles, strategies, and solutions for creating a more equitable and inclusive higher education field.

Call for proposals
There is still time for Drake faculty and staff to submit a presentation proposal for the conference. We invite proposals for practitioner and paper presentations; workshops and interactive sessions; posters; and roundtable or panel discussions. To submit a proposal, please fill out this Google form by Jan. 15.

Registration is open
Drake University faculty and staff are eligible to attend all three days of the conference free of charge. Register via Eventbrite using the access code DUFACSTAFF.

— Hannah Sappenfield, Global Partnerships Coordinator

For Students Archive

Get involved with the Global Citizen forum

Drake is partnering with the University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) to host a virtual conference on equity and inclusion in higher education March 3–5, 2021.

The 2021 Global Citizen Forum will bring together educators, students, policy makers, and citizens from around the world to explore the struggles, strategies, and solutions for creating a more equitable and inclusive higher education field.

Registration is open! Undergraduates and graduates are eligible to attend all three days of the conference free of charge. Register through Eventbrite.

Call for student research presentations
The Nelson Student Research Symposium will take place on the final day of the Global Citizen Forum, giving Drake students the opportunity to share their research related to international and global topics.

This year’s theme is “International Perspectives on Racial Justice.” While research presentations that support the theme are encouraged, all global topics from any academic discipline are welcome.

Submit your paper or concept via the online submission form for consideration. Submission deadline is Feb. 18.

— Hannah Sappenfield, Global Partnerships Coordinator

For Students Archive

Purchasing textbooks

Students: As we prepare for the Spring 2021 semester, and keeping with safety protocols, we are asking you to order textbooks online through the University Bookstore website, universitybook.com, rather than in-store. If you believe you will be taking classes remotely, please choose to ship your books home. If you plan to be on campus or in the Des Moines metro, you may select free in-store pickup. We are planning a separate pickup area within the Olmsted Center to better protect you and those around you with social distancing. As with the rest of campus, masks are required in-store.

— Kyle McVay, University Bookstore

Strategic Updates Archive

Reminder: Microsoft Teams Calling to deploy Jan. 14

As previously communicated in OnCampus, ITS is upgrading the campus phone system and moving faculty and staff to using Microsoft Teams. On Thursday, Jan. 14, the Microsoft Teams client will replace traditional handsets and allow faculty and staff to make and receive telephone calls using their office extension from anywhere they are connected to the Internet. This change won’t affect physical phones in conference rooms, classrooms, or public areas.

ITS staff will be moving groups of phone extensions throughout the day, so you may not be on Teams calling until the evening. We will post progress updates several times during the day to our communication channels including our news feed at drake.edu/its and on the IT Service Portal at service.drake.edu/its.

We distributed headsets to all full-time employees last year. If you experience any headset issues, please consult the user guides linked from ITS Recommended Phone Headsets (FAQ). If you need further assistance, please submit a Telephone Issue request.

On Jan. 14, you’ll receive an email outlining how to get started along with the first steps you’ll need to take to set up your voicemail and begin using Teams to make calls.

There are links to ITS-curated resources at Using Microsoft Teams for Phone Calls and Voicemail (How-to) and Using Advanced Calling Features in Microsoft Teams (How-to).

We’ve also created a FAQ page that we’ll keep up into the beginning of the spring semester at drake.edu/its/teamscalling/. If you don’t see your question there, please share it with us at drake.edu/its/giveitsfeedback/.

— Chris Mielke, ITS

For Students Archive

Bell Center hours; Wellness webinar

The Bell Center is open. Hours are Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Jan. 29. Reserve equipment and schedule a time slot at rec.drake.edu.

Join Drake alumna Mackenzie Woolwich Tuesday, Jan. 12, at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Mackenzie is a licensed and registered dietitian. She will be giving a presentation titled “New Year, New Goals: How To Set Realistic Health Goals for Success.”

Meeting ID: 879 9997 2690
Password: 409754

— Emily Madsen, Recreational Services-Wellness

Campus Announcements Archive

Recognize civically-engaged projects and individuals

The Office of Community Engaged Learning invites you to recognize civically-engaged projects, alumni, and community partners by nominating them for an Iowa & Minnesota Campus Compact “Engaged Campus Award.”

Nominations are due Feb. 24. View the nomination form.

  • Emerging Innovation Award: A recent project, program, or initiative making unique and innovative contributions that demonstrate strong future potential, including student-led projects.
  • Community Collaboration Award: A collaboration co-created with community organizations, leaders, and/or partners that is deep, reciprocal, and transformational.
  • Civic-Minded Employer Award: An Iowa or Minnesota business nominated by a member institution for its commitment to corporate social responsibility and employee engagement in community.
  • Alumni Leadership Award: An alum of a member institution making strong contributions to their community and demonstrating the values of the civic mission of higher education.

The CEL office also invites your feedback on three other awards. If you know of a student, individual/group, or community partner that you feel is deserving of one of the following awards, please send a paragraph of justification to amanda.martin@drake.edu no later than Feb. 15. If selected, you will be contacted for further information.

  • Student Leadership Award: This award is for an individual student or a student organization that models a deep commitment to civic responsibility and leadership, evidenced by initiative, innovative and collaborative approaches to addressing public issues, effective community building, and integration of civic engagement into the college experience.
  • Civic Engagement Leadership Award: This award is for a member of the faculty, administration, or staff or for a group (e.g., advisory committee, task force, project team) that has significantly advanced their campus’ distinctive civic mission by forming strong partnerships, supporting others’ civic and community
  • Community Partner Award: This award is for a community-based individual or organization that has enhanced the quality of life in the community in meaningful and measurable ways and has engaged in the development of sustained, reciprocal partnerships with the college or university, thus enriching educational as well as community outcomes.

Read about last year’s winners.

— Amanda Martin, Community Engaged Learning