All posts by Drinda Williams

Honor colleagues who model the Core Value ‘All In This Together’

Drake faculty and staff who exemplify the Core Value of All in This Together will be recognized at the Provost’s Drake Social on Tuesday, Feb. 4, from 4–6 p.m. at Shivers Hospitality Suite.

To nominate a colleague, please use the Qualtrics form. You can nominate up to five colleagues on each form. Feel free to fill out multiple forms. All those nominated will be recognized on a rolling display.

How do we define All in This Together at Drake? We look for colleagues who embrace robust communication and transparency, and who thrive through collaboration and teamwork. When you nominate colleagues, be prepared to describe how each colleague meets these descriptions. From among those nominated, several will be chosen at random for prizes.

The February Drake Social will be preceded by a Town Hall at 3:30 p.m. hosted by Craig Owens regarding the Center for Teaching Excellence.

Refreshments will include wine, beer, soft drinks, and light snacks. This is a family friendly event.

— Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost

Apply now for the D.C. Experience Scholarship

Let The Harkin Institute help cover the costs of your summer internship in Washington, D.C. Apply know for the D.C. Experience Scholarship, which covers housing and travel costs for Drake undergraduates with financial need completing internships in Washington, D.C.

The scholarship is designed to expose students to policymakers and the policymaking process. It is available to students interning with a nonprofit organization, congressional office or government agency in Washington, D.C. The scholarship is open to students working on Capitol Hill but an internship in politics is not required to be eligible.

Students do not have to have an internship secured to submit their application.

Visit https://harkininstitute.drake.edu/for-students/scholarships/ to learn more or contact Emily Schettler at emily.schettler@drake.edu. The deadline to apply is March 27, 2020.

— Emily Schettler, Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement

Immerse yourself in policy with a position at The Harkin Institute

Were you inspired by all the recent political activity on campus? Join The Harkin Institute team and help produce meaningful policy research and programming.

The Institute is hiring two undergraduate students to join our communications team this semester, including a graphic designer and a web designer.

Students from all backgrounds and majors with experience in these areas are encouraged to apply. Find out more and apply by searching “The Harkin Institute” on Handshake.

Applications are due January 26, 2020.

— Emily Schettler, Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement

Free smoking cessation program

If you are ready to quit smoking but need some help, the American Lung Association’s Freedom from Smoking program may be the answer. This free, at-work program features a step-by-step quit plan. Participants will meet once a week for eight weeks. Each class is 60- to 90-minutes long. The group format encourages individuals to work on the quit process both individually and as a group. Four to 10 participants are needed to hold a series.

For more information, please send an email to linda.feiden@drake.edu.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Eat Right for Life challenge

If you get confused by all the studies and theories on nutrition and want to improve what you consume, join the Eat Right for Life challenge. This five-week program begins Feb. 10. During the challenge you will be asked to read one chapter a week from the book Eat Right for Life by Ann G. Kulze, M.D. and take a short survey to assess your current eating habits. Then select a nutrition goal for the week from a list provided and track your progress. Along the way you will receive weekly emails with resources and tips. To register for this challenge, please send an email to linda.feiden@drake.edu.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Stress management class

We all experience stress in our lives. It comes from many sources, positive and negative. And although short-term stress may heighten your senses and help you in a crisis, chronic prolonged stress can have a negative effect on your physical and mental health. 

Join Danielle Green, director of the Student Counseling Center, on Feb. 12 from 2–3 p.m. in the Olmsted Center, Rooms 310–311, as she discusses stress, how it impacts us, how to cope with it, and how to make it your friend. Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hr-build-stress-management-tickets-83694084259 or send an email to linda.feiden@drake.edu.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Faculty Writers Workshop

Fridays, Jan. 31, Feb. 7, March 6, April 3, and May 1, from 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. Fill out the interest form by the morning of Tuesday, Jan. 28.

Drake faculty members are invited to participate in the Faculty Writers Workshop (FWW), a writing group focused on working effectively on our scholarship. We will meet from 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. monthly on Fridays. The FWW will be co-facilitated by Nate Holdren (LPS) and En Li (History). Our goal will be to help set ourselves up to make progress on our scholarship over the semester. We will read Joli Jensen’s book Write No Matter What and discuss it to the degree that participants find it useful. The session will also include discussion/workshop of the faculty members’ own scholarship and on-site writing time.

This writing group is generously supported by the Provost’s Office. There are spots for ten faculty participants. Should more than ten individuals express interest, priority shall be given to 1) Those who actively participated in the previous Faculty Writing Groups, 2) Tenure-track faculty who are not yet tenured, 3) Faculty who are members of groups under-represented.

Participants who attend all five sessions will receive a stipend of $150. Light lunches will be provided for the four sessions after the introductory meeting. (No lunch is provided at the first meeting.)

If you are interested in participating, please fill out the interest form by the morning of Tuesday, Jan. 28.

If you have questions, please contact the co-facilitators Nate Holdren (nate.holdren@drake.edu) and En Li (en.li@drake.edu).

— Nate Holdren, Assistant Professor of Law, Politics & Society

Call for nominations: Principal Global Citizenship Award

Nominations are invited for the Principal Financial Global Citizenship Award, recognizing outstanding contributions to global engagement and internationalization of the campus and curriculum on the part of faculty or staff. The selected awardee will receive a plaque, up to $3,000, and will be announced at the 2020 Global Citizen Forum in March. A screening committee, appointed by the Provost, will review all nominations and make recommendations to the Provost. Nominations should be submitted to Bonnie Ehler at bonnie.ehler@drake.edu by Monday, Feb.10, 2020. Please review the following details:

A letter of nomination should be submitted recommending an individual for the award and explaining the context and manner in which the nominator has come to know the faculty or staff member. This letter should speak to the following qualifications:

Pursuant to the University’s mission to develop “responsible global citizens,” explain how the nominee has made outstanding contributions at Drake toward realizing the following:

  1. Serve as a global knowledge hub that brings value to external partners in local, national and international settings.
  2.  Infuse global and multicultural perspectives across the campus and curriculum.
  3. Develop infrastructure, resources and communication systems to support internationalization and global engagement.

The nominee must be a faculty or staff member in at least her/his fourth year of service at the University. The nominee cannot have won this award within the past five years. Faculty and staff members who report directly for Drake International are ineligible.

Nominees who indicate a willingness to be considered will be invited to submit a c.v. and a statement discussing their contributions to the above goals. One or two letters of support from faculty, staff or students will be accepted (this is optional).

Any individual who was nominated for the award in 2019 may be re-nominated if the nominator resubmits a letter offering the individual for consideration this year. Files of previous nominees are maintained for one year. If a faculty member is re-nominated, the nominator will be invited to review the file from the previous year to ensure that the nomination is as current as possible.

Nomination letters are due by February 10, 2020, and should be sent as an attachment to bonnie.ehler@drake.edu.  Questions may be directed to Annique Kiel, annique.kiel@drake.edu.

— Annique Kiel, Executive Director, Global Engagement and International Programs

Faculty, staff appreciation games

Drake faculty and staff are eligible to receive up to four complimentary general admission tickets to the events listed below. Tickets may be picked up at the Knapp Center Ticket Office Monday through Friday between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. or at the ticket window on game day. Must show valid Drake Card at time of pick up.

Drake Men’s Basketball vs. Southern Illinois
Saturday, Feb. 1 , 5 p.m.

Drake Women’s Basketball vs. Missouri State
Sunday, Feb. 9, 2 p.m.

For more information, please contact the Drake Athletics Ticket Office at 271-3647 or tickets@drake.edu.

— Ryan Harris, Drake Athletics