All posts by Amanda Martin

Nominate a student for the Newman Civic Fellowship

The Office of Community Engaged Learning is now accepting nominations for the Newman Civic Fellowship.

 The Newman Civic Fellowship is a national award that recognizes and supports community-committed students who are changemakers and public problem-solvers. Students should engage in collaborative action with others from campus or from surrounding communities in order to create long-term social change, take action in addressing issues of inequality and political polarization, and demonstrate the motivation and potential for effective long-term civic engagement.  Through the fellowship, Campus Compact provides students with training and resources that nurture their assets and passions and help them develop strategies for social change.

Nominees must be enrolled at Drake University for the spring semester 2020, and the 2020–2021 academic year.

 To nominate a student, please submit 1–3 paragraphs including information about the nominee’s approaches to addressing the root causes of social issues. This may include involvement in public policy reform, community organizing, community-based research, social entrepreneurism, or other efforts to build the capacity of community-based organizations. Additionally, please include why you believe this person has the motivation and potential to develop innovative and collaborative approaches to addressing public problems and to contribute to a network of similarly committed students.

 A committee will review nominations to select one student from Drake University to be nominated for the Fellowship. That student will need to complete additional paperwork. 

 Please submit nominations to Amanda Martin, Assistant Director of Community Engaged Learning, at amanda.martin@drake.edu, no later than Jan. 10.  More information about the Fellowship can be found at https://compact.org/newman-civic-fellowship/.

— Amanda Martin, Community Engaged Learning

Final benefits meeting Thursday

“Know Your Benefits” meeting scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 21, at 2 p.m. in Olmsted, Room 310.

Drake University strives to provide quality benefits responsive to the needs of employees and their families. This fall, the University Benefits Committee worked closely with Benefit Consultant, Mark J. Becker & Associates, to monitor Drake’s overall benefit plan performance. This collaborative approach to the benefit review process has allowed Drake to consistently maintain benefits that are better than average, current with market trends and competitive with peer groups.

Mark J. Becker & Associates will be present Thursday, Nov. 21, to highlight the value of Drake’s benefit package and provide an overview of shared benefits costs.  Please take this opportunity to learn more about your Drake benefits Thursday, Nov. 21, at 2 p.m. in Olmsted, Room 310. Registration is not required.

— Marlene Heuertz, Human Resources

Planned power shutdown for Aliber, Cartwright, and Jewett

On Friday, Nov. 29, electricity will be shut off to Aliber, Cartwright, and Jewett from approximately 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. so Facilities Planning and Management can safely clean three high voltage vaults on campus. Please remember to turn off your computers and electronic devices before leaving for Thanksgiving. Please contact Ron Tart, chief electrician, if you have any question or concerns.

— Ron Tart, Facilities Planning and Management

Finance shares Administrative Survey results

The Offices of Finance and Student Financial Planning would like to thank everyone for taking the time to complete the Administrative Survey in October.  We have gained valuable feedback to help us maintain and improve the services we provide to students, faculty, and staff.

Ratings in nearly every question increased over the prior year. Each of the departments individually scored between 4 and 5 on the 5-point scale with only one exception. While not a statistically significant difference, the overall satisfaction with the services provided by the Offices of Finance and Student Financial Planning increased to an average score of 4.38 this year compared to 4.26 in 2018. While there is always room for improvement, the unit’s staff are clearly doing their best to meet our service-oriented objectives to:

  • Ensure our constituents are engaged and informed,
  • Ensure integrity and transparency,
  • Process university resources timely and accurately, and
  • Improve service excellence.

The comments included in the survey were very helpful. There were many positive comments all centered around the staff being knowledgeable, approachable, courteous, service-oriented, responsive, and helpful, as well as displaying a ‘can do’ attitude. There were also several valuable suggestions for improvement. The most significant theme identified by our staff pointed to the need for continuation of our focus on process improvements. Two recent examples of already implemented process improvement include the automation of our payment processing using the services of Paymerang and the transition of the tuition rebate application to an online form rather than paper. Additional process improvement initiatives are already in the works, such as efficiencies in processing transactions from restricted and endowed funding sources. Other initiatives will continue as staff time and IT resources allow.

Thank you again for participating in the Administrative Survey and please know that your input is reviewed and analyzed by the entire staff of the Offices of Finance and Student Financial Planning.

— Adam Voigts, Chief Financial Officer

Caucus Kahoot

Come test your caucus-know-how! On Nov. 20, The Iowa Caucus Project will be hosting “Caucus Kahoot” at 6 p.m. in Quad Creek Cafe. Play multiple rounds of 2020 candidate and Caucus trivia from your seat. Plus, if you make the top three, you’ll win a prize!

— Will Follett, AS’20

Heritage and Holocaust info sessions Nov. 20

The deadline for submitting your application to Terradotta for the May 2020 travel seminar Heritage and Holocaust is Dec. 8.

For information about the Terradotta portal, the details of the Heritage and Holocaust travel seminar, or the five concentration camps included in the itinerary, plan to attend one of the information sessions on Wednesday, Nov. 20. Sessions are 3:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. in Meredith Hall, Room 125.

— Dorothy Pisarski, Associate Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication

Applied Behavior Analysis Program open house

We would like to extend a warm invitation to join the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Program for an Open House on Wednesday, Nov. 20, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Olin Hall, Room 211.

Meet with ABA faculty and learn more about the ABA Master’s and certificate programs at Drake University. Light snacks and drinks will be provided.

Please email Dr. Sacha Pence at sacha.pence@drake.edu or Pamela Moore at pamela.moore@drake.edu with any questions about the open house or the ABA program.

— Maria G Valdovinos, Professor of Psychology

DU Well Healthy Holidays Challenge

DU Well Healthy Holidays Challenge is a five-week program that runs from Dec. 2, 2019, through Jan. 5, 2020.  It consists of a series of one-day challenges that you can do at home or at Drake. From taking a walk break, to phoning a friend, or checking the batteries on your smoke detector, there is something for everyone.  Simply check off the challenges as you complete them on the tracking form you will be provided.  If you complete a daily challenge on 30 of the 35 days, you will be placed in a drawing for a chance to win prizes.

As an added bonus, the tracking form will include a place to record your weekly weight.  This is optional, but if you maintain (or lose) weight over the holidays, it will count as completing three (3) daily challenges.

To register for DU Well Healthy Holidays and receive your tracking form, send an email to linda.feiden@drake.edu.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Deadline today: Recognize colleagues for Generosity of Spirit

Drake faculty and staff who exemplify the Core Value of Generosity of Spirit will be recognized at the Provost’s Drake Social, Thursday, Nov. 21, from 4–5:30 p.m. at Cowles Library Reading Room.

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 Generosity of Spirit at Drake? We look for colleagues who trust, empower, and presume the best of each other; who practice civility, caring, and respect; and who commit to equity and inclusion.

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

The November Drake Social will be preceded by a Town Hall at 3:30 p.m. in celebration of International Education Week.

— Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost

Faculty and staff Holiday Cheer event

All Staff Council and Human Resources invite faculty and staff to attend this year’s Holiday Cheer gathering on Wednesday, Dec. 11, near the Pomerantz stage in the Olmsted Center. Faculty and staff are welcome to come and go as they please from 9 to 11 a.m.

Guests can enjoy a hot chocolate bar and cookie decorating station. Griff will also be in attendance and ready for holiday photos.

This event is a chance to give back to others in the Drake community, while mingling with coworkers.  Please take a moment to stop by, grab some cheer, and drop off a donation.

If you bring at least one non-perishable food or other goods for Drake’s Free Little Food Pantries you will be entered into a drawing for prizes, including a Drake Parking Pass. Drawing for the parking pass takes place at the end of the school year but the drawing for other prizes will take place immediately following Holiday Cheer.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources