All posts by Carla Herling

Campus Announcements Archive

Can you spot an impostor?

Can you spot an impostor?

If someone claiming to be your supervisor, director, or dean sent you an email from an unrecognized address with a one-word question, would you respond? These attacks are surprisingly effective, taking advantage of our trust and the way we interact with our colleagues. It’s also extremely difficult for security technologies to stop these attacks because there are no infected email attachments or malicious links to detect.

How does the attack work?

In most cases, the criminals are after money, and what makes these attacks so dangerous is the research they do prior to launching their attack. For example, if they are targeting you, they would determine the identity of your department chair or manager. Then they’ll craft a series of urgent emails pretending to be them and asking you to take an action such as wiring money, purchasing gift cards, or sending a sensitive document, always outside an established process.

Protecting yourself

Common sense is your best defense. Here are some clues to watch for if you get an email that you suspect might be from an imposter:

    • The email will be very short (potentially just a few words).
    • There’s a strong sense of urgency, pressuring you to ignore or bypass standard practices. You should always follow established procedures, even if the email appears to come from leadership or administration.
    • The email is work-related but comes from a non-Drake email address, like gmail.com or hotmail.com. These emails will nearly always have an [External Email] label.
    • The email appears to come from a leader, co-worker, or vendor you know or work with, but the tone seems different.
    • Payment instructions are provided, but differ from ones you may have already received, such as payment to a different bank account.

If you receive a request that appears to be from an impostor, stop all interaction with them and report the message by emailing it to informationsecurity@drake.edu or submitting a request at service.drake.edu/its. ITS will continue to provide phishing education in June using emails that simulate real attacks.

—Peter Lundstedt, IT Communications

 
Here’s what an attack targeting ITS might look like
For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Routine and larger facilities projects this summer

Welcome to Summer Break!

At Facilities Planning and Management, the students leaving helps us change directions and work on projects that are difficult to accomplish during the school year. In addition to our “regular” summer duties such as: deep cleaning buildings, yearly maintenance on HVAC equipment, as well as getting our residential halls ready for the next round, we have additional, larger projects that we schedule for this time.  Here is a snapshot of our current and upcoming projects.  Please let us know of any questions or concerns.

  • Exterior tennis court resurfacing. May 20–early June.
  • Solar panel install, west side of Roger Knapp Tennis Center. June–August
  • Install sewage ejection pump at Carpenter. Mid-July
  • Updating miscellaneous elevators to meet state code requirements. July–August
  • Carpet replacement in Opperman and Legal Clinic. Starting June 17
  • Install new chemical hood in Cline 226. Mid-June
  • Install new electrical switch at Goodwin-Kirk. End of June–early July
  • New roof hatches for Morehouse, Jewett and Goodwin-Kirk.
  • New ADA telephone install in elevators of Olin, Tennis and Old Main.
  • Coal pop removal and painting of GK second & third floors by Drake Skilled Trades department.
  • Honing and polishing of Aliber Hall terrazzo floors by Drake Custodial.
  • Cleaning/restoring of Cowles interior stone steps by Drake Custodial.

Please also note that due to the Harkin Institute construction, Nelson project, and the storm/sewer separation project, travel on University Avenue may be challenging at times.  Check out this PDF and link for details on closures that may impact your travels.  Two closings will have the most impact, “Area 22–Stage 3” is the closing of the intersection of 25th and University from May 31–June 1 and “Area 21” is the closing of the intersection 25th of Carpenter from June 3–June 21.

–Mitch Wieczorek, Custodial Manager

Campus Announcements Archive

Meet and Greet with the 2019 Lorentzen Student Hatchery Cohort

The Drake University Entrepreneurship Centers invites you to join us from 4–6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 11, at Curated Growth (Southridge Mall) to meet the 2019 cohort of the Lorentzen Student Hatchery. This year, we have seven student businesses and look forward to introducing them to you!

The Lorentzen Student Hatchery is a unique program aimed at fostering student startups for students of any major. Entrepreneurship Centers staff provides guidance and support, access to mentors and experts, and more to students accepted to the Hatchery.

–Stephanie Cardwell, College of Business and Public Administration

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Help welcome YALI Fellows to Drake June 25!

For the fourth summer in a row, Drake is hosting a cohort from the Mandela Washington Fellowship Institute, the flagship program of the U.S. Department of State’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). Please join Provost Sue Mattison, CBPA, and Drake International at a welcome reception in Cowles Library Reading Room from 4–5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 25.  We will be welcoming 25 young leaders from sub-Saharan Africa for a six-week intensive institute on business and entrepreneurship.  More info on YALI can be found here. We hope to see you there!

–Stephanie Dana Ely, Center for International Programs and Services

HR Information Archive

Market proof your Drake retirement contributions

Market proof your Drake retirement contributions.

Drake University sponsors both mandatory and voluntary 403(b) retirement plans as part of its overall benefit package. Full-time faculty and staff are required to participate in Drake’s Mandatory Retirement Plan after one year of full-time service. Upon eligibility, Drake contributes eight percent of annual base compensation while employees contribute three or five percent, dependent on position classification.

Additionally, all Drake faculty and staff are eligible to participate in Drake’s Voluntary Retirement Plan, regardless of the number of hours worked. Drake’s pre-tax savings retirement plans provide all employees an excellent opportunity to prepare for retirement.

To further assist you in your preparation for retirement, Drake is sponsoring A TIAA Financial Essentials Webinar, June 11. See this brochure to register for this live event.

–Marlene Heuertz, Human Resources

Campus Announcements Archive

MyDUSIS Planned Outage on Friday, June 7 from 5–6 a.m.

MyDUSIS will be unavailable on Friday, June 7 between 5–6 a.m. while ITS applies a critical security patch. During this brief window, all MyDUSIS functionality (including time sheets, leave reports, degree audits, and viewing grades) will be unavailable.

We appreciate your patience while we perform this necessary work. If you continue to have any issues after the planned maintenance window, please contact the Support Center at 515-271-3001 or visit service.drake.edu/its to report your issue.

–Carla Herling, Information Technology Services

Campus Announcements Archive

In memoriam: Dale Miller

It is with great sadness we share the passing of Dale Miller, professor emeritus of religion. His daughter shared the following obituary.

Dale Miller—former-pastor, author, activist, educator, and friend–passed away on May 21, 2019, where he was living at Brookdale Senior Living. He was 96.

Dale had a BA and MA in Religion from Phillips University (1944, 1945); a BD in Theology from Vanderbilt (1949); and a PhD in Church History from University of Chicago (1955). He taught religion at Drake University from 1954 until 1993 before earning emeritus status.

Among his other accomplishments, he was the first pastor at the new Disciples church in Huntsville, Alabama; was active in the Civil Rights Movement, and published three books: A Special Kind of Mother (1974), An Adult Son: A Study of the Gospel of Mark (1974), and The Gospel of Mark as Midrash on Earlier Jewish and New Testament Literature (1990).

A Memorial Service will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 15, 2019 at Foxwood Springs Living Center, Bromwell Hall, 1500 W. Foxwood Dr. Raymore, Missouri 64083.

He is survived by his wife of 72 years, Betty, their 6 children, and many grandchildren. Dale was a professor, minister, and political activist. He lived a life of generous service and love.

Those who wish may donate in Dale’s memory to St. Andrews Church, Raymore Christian Church, or the Foxwood Springs Fellowship of John.

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Summer football camp registration discount for Drake employees

Bulldog Football Camps at Drake University would like to extend an invitation and discount to any employee who has a child interested in attending a summer football camp. There are a variety of options in both June and July, with age groups ranging from kids entering 3rd grade up to prospects about to begin their senior year of high school. Visit drakefootballcamps.com for more information about each type of camp, and contact todd.stepsis@drake.edu with questions about additional registration information. Hope to see you this summer!

–Todd Stepsis, Drake Football Head Coach 

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Drake’s Amazon Master Business Account

Drake now has a master business account with Amazon.  We’d like to have departmental or individual Amazon business accounts you may be using converted to the master business account by the end of June.  Please do not use your personal Amazon accounts to order items for Drake University. Please email caron.findlay@drake.edu for instructions on how to make the transition to the master account.  It is quick and takes minimal effort.

Thank you!

–Caron Findlay, Finance and Administration