A review of Drake’s benefit plans and an overview of shared benefit costs will be provided by Drake Benefit Consultant Mark J. Becker & Associates on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 1:30 p.m. in the Cowles Library, Room 201. Human Resources and Wellmark representatives will also be present to answer individual questions. Registration is not required.
— Marlene Heuertz, Human Resources
About two months ago, ITS made the switch from the DUStudent wireless network to eduroam. How’s eduroam working for you? Are you having any wireless network coverage issues? Connection problems in your room? Or your classroom? Let us know.
Report any issues connecting to eduroam by submitting a Wireless Network Issue report in our service portal. By letting us know where you’re having issues and what device you’re using, our ITS staff can work on adjusting access points and other tweaks to improve the network.
And don’t forget as you travel over winter break or J-Term that you may be able to take eduroam with you and connect wirelessly at your destination.
Learn more about the eduroam wireless network at www.drake.edu/its/eduroam.
— Carla Herling, ITS
Friendly reminder that this organizational view of institutional leadership is a great way to get to know the leadership structure here at Drake. Instead of a boring text, you will find photos of each leader. This can always be found on the Office of the President page and is maintained by the President’s Office. 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, Chief of Staff, President’s Office
Michi Matsukura, assistant professor of psychology, has received the National Research Foundation: Major Research Instrumentation (NSF: MRI) award—the first MRI award that Drake University has received in its history. The award allows Michi and her College of Business and Public Administration (CBPA) faculty collaborators to conduct a series of studies, using the eye-tracking system with capabilities of gaze-contingency programming (the paradigm that allows a computer display to change as a function of where an observer is looking) and pupillometry (the technique that measures changes in the diameter of the pupil as a function of cognitive processing). The CPBA research team is composed of Andrew Bryant (Marketing), Brian Vander Naald (Economics), Heath Henderson (Economics), Lori Solsma (Accounting), Alanah Mitchell (Information Systems), and Terri Vaughan (Actuarial Sciences).
Michi says, “I am extremely grateful to NSF for recognizing (1) this unique collaboration between visual cognition research and decision sciences as well as (2) our efforts to include and support a diverse range of students and faculty in the projects. Besides my own line of visual information-processing work, the system allows us to conduct a series of experiments to identify possible cognitive mechanisms that guide individuals’ ultimate behaviors, in the respective fields of the CBPA research collaborators. I am really excited to have this opportunity.”
Brandi Miller from the Office of Student Financial Planning has been honored by the Iowa Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (IASFAA) with the Meritorious Service Award!
This award recognizes a significant contribution to IASFAA and/or the financial aid profession. Selection is based upon leadership, work on an important project, or significant service to students, the association or the profession.
Please join me in recognizing Brandi’s achievements and thanking her for the service she provides to the Drake community and the financial aid profession!
— Ryan Zantingh, Director of Financial Aid
Veteran’s Day is Nov. 11 — a time to recognize the men and women who have served the United States through military service.
To commemorate Veterans Day, we invite any Drake employee, who served in the military, to stop by Human Resources (before the end of November) to receive a printed voucher for a complimentary free meal at Hubbell Dining Hall.
While you can use your meal voucher any day, you are invited to use your voucher on Veterans Day from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and join other staff, faculty, and student veterans for lunch. We will have a table where veterans can gather to meet one another and have a meal together.
To receive your voucher, please bring evidence of military service such as a U.S. Uniform Services Identification Card, a Current Leave and Earnings Statement (LES), or your Veterans Organization Card. Alternatively, provide a photograph of yourself in your military uniform. Thank you for your service.T
— Laura Schwarz, Human Resources
In an OnCampus article in September, I introduced two methods you should use when sharing confidential electronic information outside Drake. Since then, we’ve seen wide adoption, greatly improving the security of sensitive information. If you haven’t started using these methods yet, here’s a reminder of your options.
Secure Email
Drake’s email service has secure functionality built in. If you have a Drake.edu email address, you can send secure emails simply by adding the phrase encrypted message: as part of the subject. The contents of the message and any attachments will by encrypted, and the email recipient will be required to verify their identity when they open the message. Read more about this service in the article Sending and Receiving Encrypted Email Messages (How-to) in the IT Service Portal.
While sending an unencrypted email containing confidential information is still possible today, new features will be introduced over the next year to prevent unencrypted emails containing social security numbers, credit card numbers, and other sensitive information from being sent outside of Drake.
Secure File Sharing
We can also share files securely using OneDrive. Rather than sending the data outside of Drake, OneDrive allows us to bring others into the data, giving us greater control. The best way to do this securely is by sharing files or folders with specific contacts, rather than creating an anonymous link. This requires the contacts to sign in with their organization’s account, or with a one-time passcode. When the data no longer needs to be shared, you can remove the access. Read more about this service under the “How do I temporarily share my files to others?” section of the article Getting Started with OneDrive (FAQ).
As an additional measure to help protect confidential information, ITS will continue to provide phishing education in November using simulations of common attack methods.
— Peter Lundstedt, ITS
Microsoft Office is a tool most of us use each day. Some things are easy to figure out, but what if you run into an issue? Or you’re not sure how to perform a task? Or you need to learn something new?
Here’s where to go for help.
— Carla Herling, ITS
The purpose of National Distance Learning Week (NDLW) is to generate greater awareness and appreciation for distance learning while recognizing leaders and best practices in the field.
Drake University will be celebrating NDLW from Nov. 4–8. Here are some of the ways you can participate:
National Distance Learning Week Reception
Wednesday, Nov. 6, from 3–4:30 p.m.
Location: Lower level of Carnegie Hall
Refreshments provided.
Free Online Webinars About Distance Learning
NOTE: Registration is required for many of these sessions. Please sign up with the links available for each event at
https://usdla.org/2019-ndlw/.
Connect on Social Media
Follow @DrakeUOnline on Twitter for regular postings highlighting best practices.
Learn about Drake’s Online Programs
Visit online.drake.edu/.
Learn about Drake’s Continuing Education and Professional Development Programs and Offerings
Visit www.drake.edu/cepd/.
Take a Virtual Campus Tour
www.drake.edu/tour/
Send Kudos or e-cards to your Drake peers to celebrate distance learning champions.
drake.peerceive.com/auth/login (login required)
— Drake Online & Continuing Education and Academic & Emerging Technologies, ITS
The Iowa Caucus Project is seeking your candidate art. Create an original portrait of any candidate currently running for president in 2020, send it to contactcaucus@drake.edu, and the staff will send your work to the campaigns for candidate signature and share their favorites on their website and social media. All students are welcome to send in their work and submissions are welcome through the end of the semester.
— Will Follett, AS’20
