In January, the Center for Teaching & Learning will offer four sessions of a workshop called “Kickstart Your Semester: Strategies for Effective Course Planning.”

Each hybrid session will be offered on campus in Howard Hall and virtually through Zoom.

All faculty and staff are invited to connect with colleagues to reflect on your goals for the spring, organize your calendar, and consider how you might use generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot for support.

Session dates include: Wed, Jan 15 (1:00-3:00 pm); Thurs Jan 16 (10 am-Noon); Tues, Jan 21 (1:00-3:00 pm), and Wed, Jan 22 (10:00 am-Noon).

RSVP using this Qualtrics form

The Offices of Finance and Financial Aid would like to thank everyone for taking the time to complete the Administrative Services Survey earlier this fall.  We have gained valuable feedback to help us maintain and improve the services we provide to students, faculty, and staff.

Ratings for nearly every question improved over the prior year ratings.  Each of the departments within Finance individually scored between 4.4 and 4.8 on the 5-point scale.  The overall satisfaction with the services provided by the Offices of Finance and Financial Aid score was 4.62 compared to 4.42 in 2023.  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
• Improve service excellence

The comments included in the survey were very helpful.  We appreciate the many positive comments that recognized outstanding service provided by staff.  An item for improvement that we noted and plan to work on over the next year is to review our rules and processes for unnecessary complication and difficulty in navigation.  Another is to ensure that we are timely in our communications and responses.  Like most areas of campus, reductions in staffing within the Finance and Financial Aid functions have put additional pressure and expectation on the existing staff and we request continued grace as we work to streamline and continually improve our operations.

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 Financial Aid.

– Adam Voigts, Chief Financial Officer

The March 24th Provost’s Social will serve as a celebration of faculty research and scholarship, showcasing the incredible contributions made by the Drake academic community. This event will provide an opportunity for us to recognize and honor the achievements of our faculty in advancing knowledge across a variety of fields.

Please help us to prepare by submitting this form with information about books you have authored, co-authored, or edited within the past two years, as well as peer-reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings, and notable papers.

Your contributions are an essential part of our academic success, and we look forward to sharing them with our colleagues!

– Madison Bemus, Academic Affairs Operations Specialist