All Staff Council and Human Resources invite faculty and staff to attend this week’s Holiday Cheer gathering on Friday, Dec. 15, near the Pomerantz stage in the Olmsted Center. You are welcome to come and go as you please between 9 and 11 a.m.

Relax and enjoy some tasty holiday treats and beverages with friends and colleagues. Stop by and say hi to Griff II or better yet, get your picture taken with him in your holiday attire. And 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 a chance to win a prize.

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.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Welcome back to the Student Success spotlight, an opportunity to recognize the people and resources that make a difference in Drake students’ lives. Each week, we’ll shine a light on the outstanding individuals and initiatives that contribute to the success and growth of our community.

This week features Rachel Allen-McHugh, assistant professor in Drake’s occupational therapy doctorate program. This fall, with help from a grant provided by Dr. Richard Deming to The Ones campaign, Professor Allen-McHugh’s OTD 207 course facilitated wellness sessions for Lutheran Services of Iowa’s refugee community group.

About the wellness sessions project:

As part of the OTD 207 Health, Wellness, and Well-Being Course work, first year OTD students partnered with LSI’s refugee community group to provide sessions on eight different dimensions of well-being, such as stress reduction, gratitude, fall prevention, and nutrition.

Highlights:

LSI has been a fabulous community partner. We had excellent communication, and the group was so welcoming and excited to spend an hour with Drake OTD students on Tuesday mornings. Most weeks, we had over 30 participants – most of the refugee community attending LSI.

Project background and inspiration:

Community engagement is always a consideration for me when I am designing my courses. A ‘Wellness Booth’ for Drake undergrads had been a component of OTD 207 for several years. I wanted to enhance this activity by having OTD students work with a population beyond campus. I was contacted by LSI during the summer to share information and education on exercise and general wellness. This community engagement opportunity seemed like the perfect fit to meet LSI’s needs. It allowed the Drake OTD students to share beneficial information while also building skills and gaining the experience of working with interpreters.

My Favorite things about teaching and advising at Drake:

The OTD program, and the Drake College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in general, value community engagement and the student experience. Our students state that early application of knowledge and skills learned in the classroom helps them build competence and confidence. Drake students also value the ability to give back to the community. I love to support students in becoming occupational therapists and applying their new skills in real life’ situations such as the LSI refugee program.

Do you have an idea for a student-centered service project? Apply for a Deming Mini-Grant! Faculty, staff, and student groups are encouraged to apply for up to $2500 to assist with implementation of projects that spark joy while allowing students to serve communities beyond our campus. Contact Mallary Allen, Director of Community Engaged Learning, for more information.

— Melissa Sturm-Smith, Academic Excellence and Student Success

Please join us in congratulating our most recent recipients of the True Blue award. Here is a little information about our honorees with excerpts from their nominations.

Lance Berg, ITS  

“One of Lance’s standout qualities is his embodiment of Generosity of Spirit. He consistently goes above and beyond to find creative solutions to problems, demonstrating a spirit of collaboration and teamwork. His willingness to share his knowledge and expertise with others is a testament to his dedication to the success others and the university.

Lisa Cooper, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

“Her dedication to collaboration and teamwork has been instrumental in creating a positive and productive environment within OLLI. She believes that we are stronger together and actively promotes this value in her work.”

Karly Good, ITS

“Every time she is helping me with a problem or is answering a how do I… question, she is unfailingly positive. And she is able to convey her support through mostly online communication!”

Shannon Odenbach, Registrar

“She was so helpful and positive when I was confused and laboriously inept at doing what I was supposed to do. I was dreading this process so much, but she made it so much easier and actually pleasant to do. Shannon is wonderful to work with.”

Pam Pepper, University Advancement

“She sets such a terrific example of generosity of spirit especially when you see her helping at almost every event UA plans for alumni programming as well as admissions help. Pam doesn’t set many limits for her time volunteering for Drake, and she is always in good spirits trying to lead by example.”

Allyssa Ruths, CPHS

“She is supportive to faculty/staff, takes initiative, is dedicated to doing work that often no one else would want to do, and is just all around amazing. She is a very effective communicator, makes sure all work is completed no matter how many times she has to reach out, she is caring and brings her best to work each and every day!”

Gina Ryan, Dean of Students

“Gina is a tremendous team player. When Gina gets involved, things get better. She considers details, looks for things she can do to make the lift easier for others, and is supportive. One small example of how Gina goes above and beyond is that she often offers to deliver supplies directly to folks on campus, and she’s always zippy-quick with her deliveries.”

Rachelle Setsodi, Admission

“Rachelle thinks both individually and collectively. Her friendly, can-do attitude with potential students is felt and appreciated. Students know that they can come to Rachelle with difficult transfer questions, and she will either get them the information they need or direct them to someone who can.”

Tyler Spoon, ITS

“Tyler has a pivotal partner with HR in creating the modernized, intuitive, easy-to-use and track electronic Employee Status Form (ESF) supported by ProcessMaker. This new digital process has been designed to simplify the ESF process and Tyler has been both a driver and a fantastic collaborator in the creation of this e-form.”

Lorissa Sowden, Dean of Students

“These 2.5 years have had many challenges with staffing, getting through and out of Covid, budget changes, and more, and through all of it, Lorissa still believes in Drake and pushed us to do our best to continue to serve the students and make Drake a better place.”

Do you know of a staff member or department that has gone above and beyond to exemplify True Blue spirit? Nominate them today!

— Betsy Wilson, On behalf of All Staff Council

Help Drake reduce energy usage and utility costs this winter. Please follow these five simple steps before you leave for break.

1. Turn off all lights.
2. Turn down thermostats to 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Ensure windows are shut.
4. Unplug and clean out refrigerators.
5. Turn off power strips.

— Hannah Remke, Sustainability Coordinator