The annual J-Term Fair will be held Wednesday, March 6, from 4:30–6:30 p.m. in the upper lobby of Olmsted Center. Discover the 2025 travel seminars destinations & speak with the faculty members leading the experiences to find your perfect opportunity to study abroad next J-Term. We can’t wait to see you there.
— Chelsea Funk, Assistant Director of Education Abroad
The Global Citizen Forum is comprised of a series of events drawing on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a thematic lens, taking place annually in the spring semester.
The Forum was established as the co-curricular arm of the Engaged Citizen Experience, part of the Drake Curriculum which aims to ensure students will learn to participate effectively in democratic processes through coursework and classroom and community activities. The ECE seeks to mobilize the entire campus community to discuss a critical theme or global issue.
The 2024 Global Citizen Forum will take place March 6–8.
Interested in traveling next J-Term? Come learn more about the J-Term travel seminars to be offered in 2025 from the program leaders themselves!
On a Drake travel seminar, students can explore the world alongside their fellow Bulldogs and professors. Travel seminars run during J-Term or summer and are typically between one to three weeks in length. Past program locations have included Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia and Oceania, Europe, and the Middle East. If you are finding it difficult to fit a semester study abroad experience into your program—due to time constraints, financial obstacles, or personal reasons—this may be an excellent option for you. With your Drake community by your side, you’ll develop new relationships with fellow Drake students and professors, and create long-lasting memories that will serve you long after your time abroad.
Hosted by Drake’s Principal Center for Global Citizenship, please join us for a networking breakfast with Drake faculty and staff as well as Drake’s global partners, a special presentation by Robert Ludke, expert on Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) Strategies and Harkin Institute Senior Fellow, with moderated discussion but Dean Alejandro Hernandez, and the presentation of the 2024 Faculty Global Citizenship Award!
Hosted by Drake’s Principal Center for Global Citizenship, in partnership with the Politics/IR, International Business, and LPS departments, this event brings together an interdisciplinary panel of Drake faculty to talk about topics related to global ‘development’ and creating a more just, prosperous future for all the world’s inhabitants. This panel asks simply, “How do we make the world better?” This question opens the door for discussion along two main avenues: first, what sets of practical policies, social arrangements, and economic configurations might be worth looking at to make the world better; and second, what courses of international, coordinated action might be taken in order to achieve those goals? The panel will rely on the panelists’ expertise, as well as observations about existing international trends and institutions in their discussion.
Panelists include Dr. Kieran Williams, Dr. Jeffrey A. Kappen, Dr. Ali Malik, and Dr. Leanne Purdum.
Join us at the Harkin Institute auditorium for the special screening of the Iowa PBS documentary Citizen Diplomacy, with an introduction by the film’s producer, Dave Miller. Following the screening will be a commentative panel moderated by Dr. David Skidmore, including Iowans featured in the film such as World Food Prize President Emeritus and former U.S. Ambassador Ken Quinn, Roger Engstrom, and Sofia Fernandez.
**Registration for this event is encouraged but not required**
The purpose of the Nelson Student Research Symposia is to recognize and share high-quality undergraduate research related to international and global topics. Students presenting research are encouraged to have their topics align with one (or more!) of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs provide a framework for tackling complex global pressing issues such as poverty, sustainable communities, climate action, and justice. Student presentations will be roughly 15 minutes each.
— Kaiya Kielb Young, senior
In honor of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Week, join the Broadlawns Drake Student Counseling Center and office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for a mental health panel March 22 focused on disrupting the harmful narratives given to marginalized communities, and an open discussion on ways to enhance worth and belonging in the face of social injustice. Participants will also receive free self-care prizes and free food, and admitted students will have the opportunity to be entered into a raffle to win additional self-care prizes, such as weighted blankets, self-help books, and MORE! This is a wonderful opportunity to experience a taste of the culture of inclusivity, belonging, and well-being at Drake! Register here.
When: March 22nd from 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Where: Parents Hall South
— Kayla Bell-Consolver, Broadlawns Drake University Student Counseling Center
Stop by the Olmsted breezeway Feb. 26, March 25, or April 22 from 9–10:30 a.m. to chat with counselors from the student counseling center. This is a chance to get answers to questions related to mental health and receive free coffee from local coffee shops!
When: February 26, March 25, and April 22 from 9–10:30 a.m.
Where: Breezeway, Olmsted
— Kayla Bell-Consolver, Broadlawns Drake University Student Counseling Center
Want to discuss the issues of Des Moines’ transportation system and sustainability? Come join Dr. Dian Nostikasari and our Fulbright Scholar Dr. Suryani Wijaya in an informal discussion around Transit-Oriented Development (TOD). This will be an information conversation where you will be able to contribute your thoughts in how to make walkable cities more of a reality.
Join us on Friday, Feb. 23, from 3–4 p.m. in Cowles Library, Room 201 (the Fishbowl Room). Light refreshments will be provided. We look forward to seeing you there.
— Jorona Johnson, Global Engagement
In honor of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Week, join the Broadlawns Drake Student Counseling Center and Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for a mental health panel focused on disrupting the harmful narratives given to marginalized communities, and an open discussion on ways to enhance worth and belonging in the face of social injustice. Participants will also receive free self-care prizes and free food, and admitted students will have the opportunity to be entered into a raffle to win additional self-care prizes, such as weighted blankets, self-help books, and MORE! This is a wonderful opportunity to experience a taste of the culture of inclusivity, belonging, and well-being at Drake! Register here.
When/Where: March 22nd, 2:30-4:30pm, Parents Hall South
— Kayla Bell-Consolver, Student Counseling Center
Learning about love, sexual health, and wellness. We will also be partnering with One Iowa for this event! Stop to snag some candy, talk with a counselor, and enter a raffle for a $50 gift card to a local restaurant—just in time to take your date out for Valentine’s Day.
When: February 12–14th, 1:30–4 p.m.
Where: Breezeway, Olmsted
— Kayla Bell-Consolver, Student Counseling Center
February is going to be a fun month when it comes to Wellness programming.
Time to Train! Running up to the Relays is a program that will support your training for the Drake Road Races. Whether you are training for the 5K, 1/2, or whole marathon, we’ve got a training plan for you. Reach out to Gail.witte@gmail.com for more information.
Fleet Feet Bra Event: 2/7@5pm Bell Center Studio
Join us as we welcome Fleet Feet Des Moines to the Bell Center. They will be educating us on the different types of athletic bras, how to get the right fit, and more! Sing up on the Drake Rec App
Hot Chocolate Barre and Partner Yoga
2/14 . At 12:15 Gail Witte will teach a fun Barre class followed by a cup of hot chocolate! Then at 5pm she will teach a “Partner Yoga” that is sure to be full fun and laughs. Bring a friend and sign up in the Drake Rec App!!
We have two classes that run for four weeks, so build them into your schedule.
Judo, being taught by our own Scott Law, will run 2/21,2/28, 3/6 &3/21 in the Bell Center Studio @5:30pm.
Dance to Perform is a class taught by one of our FOUR brand new student instructors, Audrey Almeida!! Over the four class she will teach some technique and choreography that will be performed at the end of the last class!! Sign up in the Drake Rec App
Lastly, I’d like to highlight the aforementioned new student group fitness instructors: Ashley Beitelspacher, Audrey Almeida, Audrey Martin and Riley Palmer. Paige Fernety and Britni Gill will be returning student instructors. And Leslie Mars and Jenny Jones who are our faculty instructors. They are building out a great group fitness schedule and I encourage everyone to try out a new class this semester.
— Gail Witte, Rec Services
If you have not already done so, complete the 2024–2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be considered for need-based grants, federal work-study, or to take advantage of federal student loan programs in the Summer 2024, Fall 2024, or Spring 2025 semesters. The FAFSA is available to US Citizens and eligible non-citizens. If you need assistance completing the FAFSA, please reach out to Drake’s Financial Aid Office for help.
On January 30, the US Department of Education announced that schools will not begin receiving submitted FAFSA records until the first half of March. Until then, the Financial Aid Office will not be able to confirm receipt of your FAFSA.
— Ryan Zantingh, Financial Aid Office
The Harkin Institute is excited to announce this Spring’s Sussman Lecture, “Pain and Politics in the Heart of America” with Dr. Jennifer Silva. Dr. Silva will discuss the economic, social, and cultural challenges currently facing America’s working class and how those challenges have impacted the ability of the working class to achieve the American Dream. Dr. Silva has written two books surrounding these topics, Coming Up Short: Working-Class Adulthood in an Age of Uncertainty and We’re Still Here: Pain and Politics in the Heart of America. In Coming Up Short, Dr. Silva conducted one hundred interviews with working class residents in two towns-Lowell, Massachusetts, and Richmond, Virginia, and shed light on their experience of heightened economic insecurity, deepening inequality, and uncertainty about marriage and family. In We’re Still Here, Dr. Silva conducted more than a hundred interviews of Black, white, and Latino working-class residents of a declining coal town in Pennsylvania to examine the civic and political disengagement of working-class people.
Date: March 6, 2024
Time: 7:00-8:00 p.m. CT
Location: Tom and Ruth Harkin Center (2800 University Ave., Des Moines, IA 50311)
YouTube Live Stream on The Harkin Institute’s YouTube Channel
Registration: This event is free and open to the public but registration via Eventbrite is required.
Accomodations: American Sign Language (ASL) and Live Captioning (CART) will be provided for both in person and virtual attendees. Additional accomodation requests can be made by emailing harkininstitute@drake.edu.
— Kathryn Kuckelman, Harkin Institute
