All posts by Linda Feiden

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Madelyn M. Levitt Employee Excellence and Community Service Awards: Nominations due March 31

Only one week left to turn in nominations for the Madelyn M. Levitt Employee Excellence and Distinguished Community Service Awards. All nominations are due to Human Resources by Tuesday, March 31.

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:

  • A demonstrated personal commitment to volunteerism and community service.
  • An outstanding record of leadership or substantial involvement in community projects, services and activities contributing to the quality of life in our region, state and/or the nation.
  • Professional and personal values and behavior that typify the ideals of “giving back to others” and “making a difference in the lives of others.”
  • The nominee must be a current faculty or staff member with at least five years of service at Drake.

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:

  • Exceptional performance as an employee of Drake University
  • Outstanding dedication to providing courteous, prompt and quality service.
  • Demonstrated commitment to University programs, initiatives and services.
  • Professional values and behavior that demonstrate exceptional service to others and a commitment to Drake University
  • The nominee must be a current staff member with at least one year of service at Drake.

To nominate a colleague, submit a letter of nomination to the Levitt Award Committee, care of (c/o) 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.

The screening committee will review all nominations and make appropriate recommendations to the President’s Council.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Campus Announcements Archive

FAFSA requirement for tuition rebate

The University will now require all students pursuing an undergraduate degree from Drake University to complete the FAFSA prior to July 1 (preceding the academic year enrolled) as part of the Tuition Rebate Application process.

This requirement ensures that eligible students are considered for the Iowa Tuition Grant (which partially funds tuition and reduces the cost of offering this benefit). In addition, students will be considered for the Federal Pell Grant, which would be available to cover the costs of other educational expenses like room, board or books.

This new requirement was effective April 1, 2019. This requirement may be waived students who can demonstrate that they would not qualify for the Iowa Tuition Grant (see the Tuition Rebate Policy for details). The Tuition Rebate Policy is available here.

— Brandy Eganhouse, Student Financial Planning

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Faculty/staff golf league

The Drake University Faculty/Staff Golf League will once again run during the 2020 summer months. This is a 10-week league with eight weeks of match-ups and a two-week playoff format. We will continue to play on Wednesday afternoons starting at 4 p.m. We will play eight weeks at Bright Grandview Golf Course and two weeks at A.H. Blank Golf Course. Registration will close on Friday, May 15, and league play will begin on Wednesday, May 20.

More information on the flyer

— Ryan Parriott, Recreational Services

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Prize winners for Commitment to Mission drawing

Three winners received prizes at the Provost’s Drake Social on Tuesday, March 10. Their names were drawn at random from among those who were recognized by colleagues for their Commitment to Mission. Winners are:

  • Shannon Hilscher – Premier parking for one month
  • Cole Neary – $30 gift card to St. Kilda
  • Aimee Lane – Snack break for the office

— Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost

For Students Archive

Apply to be a student ambassador

The Office of Admission is now accepting applications for student ambassadors.

It is the job of a student ambassador to accurately and positively portray life at Drake through their interactions with prospective students. Student ambassadors provide campus tours during individual visit days and group visit programs, in addition to helping facilitate campus visit programs in a variety of capacities. Student ambassadors are required to work 4–8 hours per week during the academic year and are paid hourly.

Applications are due April 1. To access more information and the application materials, visit https://tinyurl.com/rve8akg.

Questions? email admissioncoleition@drake.edu.

— Lauren Kennon, AS’20

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Bulldog Applause goes to Harkin Institute

Drake’s All Staff Council Recognition Committee recognized staff at the Harkin Institute with a Bulldog Applause. Read the Q&A below to learn more about the Harkin Institute.

How many staff members are in the department?   
Seven full-time staff, 15 student employees, plus our honorary Harkinistas, political papers archivist Hope Bibens and senior advancement officer Stephanie Sinovic. 

What is the primary function of the team? Do you have a mission/vision/motto?  
At The Harkin Institute, our mission is to inform citizens, inspire creative cooperation, and catalyze change on issues of social justice, fairness, and opportunity. We conduct research and analysis in four policy areas that Senator Harkin (retired) focused on during his 40 years in Congress: labor and employment, people with disabilities, retirement security, and wellness and nutrition. We also host events to engage the Drake community, Iowans, Americans and individuals around the world with important policy issues and timely topics. 

Who has been with the team the longest, and what is their job title and length of employment?  
The Harkin Institute is young—we were established at Drake in 2013. Executive Director Joseph Jones has been with the Institute since August 2016.  

Who is the newest team member, and what is their job title and month/year of start?  
Our newest team member is Meg Johnson, our administrative assistant. She joined us in April 2019. 

What campus buildings do your team members “live” in?   
We currently live in the strip mall along University Avenue, next to Great Clips and across the street from Jimmy Johns, but we have a new home under construction at the corner of University Avenue and 28th Street. It will be a state-of-the-art accessible space that we can’t wait to share with the Drake community. 

What are some recent challenges and accomplishments of note that others in the University might not know about?  
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, monumental civil rights legislation. Senator Harkin was the principal author of the ADA and we have a whole host of events and activities planned to celebrate this important anniversary – on campus, online, and across the U.S. 

Anything else noteworthy/interesting/special about your department that bears mentioning?  
The Harkin Institute works closely with the Drake Archives and Special Collections, which is home to the papers of Senator Harkin and Ruth Harkin. Senator Harkin’s papers arrived at Drake in 2015 and include more than 800 boxes and 2.5 terabytes of legislative and campaign materials, photos, and memorabilia. 

— Amelia Klatt, On behalf of All Staff Council

Campus Announcements Archive

Meet and greet with Bill Adamowski, executive director of entrepreneurship, innovation, and human centered design

Faculty, staff, and students are invited to welcome Bill Adamowski, executive director of entrepreneurship, innovation, and human centered design, to the Drake family on March 24 from 3–4 p.m. at Pomerantz Stage. Coffee and desserts will be served.

Bill, a graduate of Syracuse University, brings a unique blend of entrepreneurial, corporate, and higher education experience to this new role. Prior to coming to Drake, he served as president of Iowa State University’s Startup Factory, where he led the implementation of the center from the ground up to being one of the top entrepreneurial centers in the country. Read the full news release.

— Stephanie Cardwell, Buchanan Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Preparing to teach at a distance

Emergencies happen, and it’s best to plan ahead in case you might need to teach remotely, whether due to severe weather, an outbreak, or a personal situation.

When teaching at a distance, you will have the best experience if you use technology and processes that are Drake-licensed and ITS-supported. ITS provides resources to help faculty provide synchronous and/or asynchronous distance learning activities, and offers assistance in using them.

We have created an introductory video covering best practices for distance learning to walk you through some of the available tools.

Additionally, self-paced resources can be found in our ITS knowledge base at Preparing Your Class for the Unexpected and/or Emergencies (Best Practices).

We will be scheduling additional virtual sessions in the coming weeks. Information will be posted on the Drake calendar and in the Blackboard Tips and Tricks section on the Blackboard homepage.

— Karly Good, ITS

Campus Announcements Archive

Cooling season switch over tentatively planned for April 15

With the arrival of spring and warmer temperatures, you may begin to wonder when the air will kick on in your building. Or, why you can’t have both heat and air as options at the same time. Drake has a two-pipe heating and cooling system. In basic terms, this means the system can be in either heating mode or cooling mode, but not both at the same time.

The changeover from heating to cooling or vice versa is made manually, and takes about a week to implement. The planned date to switch campus buildings from heating to cooling mode is April 15.

With that said, there is always the possibility that unusual weather patterns might cause some discomfort. Facilities Planning and Management monitors the weather forecast closely and adjusts switch over dates according to forecasted temperatures, but due to our fluctuating Iowa weather, it is often a guessing game.

Facilities Planning and Management switches the residence halls from heating to cooling first since they are occupied 24/7. It is also important to note that once the system has been switched over, there is no changing it back due to the manual process required to make the change.

Every building is a little different, too, so if anyone has any specific questions with their particular building or space, please contact Brett Lovelady, Drake HVAC manager, at 515–271–4728 or brett.lovelady@drake.edu.

— Brett Lovelady, Heating and Cooling, Facilities Planning and Management

For Faculty Archive

Midterm grades due 10 a.m. March 25

Midterm grade entry is now available in MyDUSIS. Midterm grades are due by 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 25. Students are able to view their midterm grades as soon as you submit them.

To access the MyDUSIS grade-entry link, log into MyDrake, click on the “Grading” icon under the Faculty & Advising section, and then click on “Mid Term Grades — Submittal Link.”

Those of you who would like to send your midterm grades from Blackboard to MyDUSIS can follow the instructions here.

Students have until 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1, to drop a course with a “W”.

— Kevin Moenkhaus, Office of the Registrar