All posts by Allison Bjork

Campus Announcements Archive

Drake Theatre presents Almost, Maine

Drake University Department of Theatre Arts is thrilled to present the enchanting play “Almost, Maine” at the Harmon Fine Arts Center’s Performing Arts Hall from Nov. 16–19. This heartwarming production promises to captivate your soul and warm your heart.

Secure your tickets today by visiting the fine arts box office website, calling 515-271-3841, or emailing boxoffice@drake.edu. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the magic of “Almost, Maine” brought to life by the talented performers of Drake University.

— Jude Thurman, Senior, College of Arts & Sciences

Campus Announcements Archive

Bulldog Applause goes to Residence Life

This month we’d like to celebrate the Office of Residence Life. Their dedication and passion shine through in every aspect of their work. Let’s take a moment to recognize the outstanding individuals who make up this dynamic team:

  • Lorissa Sowden, Assistant Dean of Students & Director of Residence Life brings an impressive 26 years of invaluable experience to the table.
  • Randy E. McMullin, Associate Director of Residence Life has been a driving force for 18 remarkable years.
  • Sara Schilling, Assistant Director of Residence Life for First Year Experience, whose infectious energy and creativity have enriched the team for 5 exciting years.
  • Douglas Robinett, Assistant Director of Residence Life for Upper Class Experience, whose fresh perspective and innovative ideas have been a breath of fresh air for the past 3 years.
  • Sonja Brightwell, Administrative Service Specialist, who has been the cornerstone of operations for an impressive 18 years.

Together, this dynamic team embodies the core mission of the Office of Residence Life: to empower students in their personal growth and development, providing them with support and opportunities for involvement. Their unwavering commitment to integrating living and learning has truly elevated the educational experience for our students.

In fact, the team has been going above and beyond in recent years. They initiated DEI development sessions tailored for our Resident Assistant staff, showcasing a commitment to educating themselves to better serve all of our students. Over half of the Residence Life Staff have completed Mental Health First Aid Training, and all RAs have undergone QPR suicide prevention gatekeeper training. This level of dedication to student well-being is truly commendable.

Furthermore, the team has orchestrated a plethora of engaging programs, including DEI offerings and Professional, Academic, and Career Development weeks. Through these initiatives, they foster a sense of community and belonging that is truly unparalleled.

In addition, let’s not forget about the incredible dedication of our two full-time staff members who live on campus, serving nearly 2,000 students day in and day out. Their tireless efforts, from code of conduct meetings to celebrating student successes, undoubtedly leave a lasting impact on student retention and satisfaction.

Sara and Doug have even taken their expertise beyond our campus, representing us as program presenters at the Midwest Regional Student Affairs Conference. Their dedication to excellence and continuous learning is truly an inspiration.

In the face of challenges, this team has shown unparalleled resilience. Despite three full-time positions being eliminated, they have continued to rise above and provide exceptional support to our students.

So, let us take a moment to applaud the remarkable accomplishments and unwavering dedication of the Office of Residence Life team. Their energy, enthusiasm, and genuine care for our students are truly the heartbeat of our community. Thank you all for your incredible contributions!

— Amber Welsh, On Behalf of All Staff Council

HR Information Archive

Benefits enrollment deadline Nov. 30

We are nearly halfway through open enrollment, which has a hard close at the end of November. If you realize you forgot to re-enroll in your Flex Spending Account on December 1, it will be too late. The plan rules are not flexible.

Please log into the Benefits Portal (see the first tile under Human Resources on the MyDrake Employee Home Page) before Thanksgiving Break and assure you are all set for next year. Waiting until the very end of the month is never a great plan. If you have questions, let us know (drakehr@drake.edu).

Thank you to those who attended the in-person and virtual educational sessions on Friday, Nov. 10. Attendees got to hear directly from our consultants with Gallagher, who presented some historic information about benefits, addressed changes coming in 2024, and answered questions.

We recorded the virtual session and you can access the link on our temporary Open Enrollment webpage. While you are there, feel free to check out the other information related to open enrollment. If you have not yet explored Drake HR’s new internal website, the Benefits page and the page dedicated to employee Perks are both really informative.

— Maureen De Armond & Marlene Heuertz, Human Resources

HR Information Archive

New health care flexible spending account limit for 2024

The IRS has announced the Health Care FSA contribution limit for the 2024 calendar year will increase from $3050 to $3200.

As previously communicated, Drake’s Plan will continue to permit the carryover of unused Health Care FSA contributions to the following plan year. For example:

  • On Dec. 31, 2023, up to $610 of unused health care contributions in your Health Care FSA will automatically be carried forward to the 2024 Plan Year.
     
  • On Dec. 31, 2024, up to $640 of unused health care contributions in your Health Care FSA will automatically be carried forward to the 2025 Plan Year.

If you have already made a Health Care FSA election for 2024, you may revisit the Benefits Portal to amend it.

If you wish to participate in Drake’s Health Care or Dependent Care FSA Plans during the 2024 Plan Year, you must make a new election in the Benefits Portal via myDrake no later than Nov. 30.

— Marlene Heuertz, Human Resources

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

HR takes to heart Survey of Administrative Services responses

To those of you who took time to complete this year’s Survey of Administrative Services (SAS), thank you! The most worrisome aspect of the results was the shocking drop in responses. Last year, 616 faculty and staff took time to provide feedback. This year, that number dropped to 330.

What conclusions or theories should we draw from this? A lack in faith that SAS matters? General disengagement? No news is good news? We’re not sure, but we will rethink how we can increase SAS responses next year. We also want to assure everyone that this survey is worth the small investment of time. I can’t speak for the other areas highlighted in the survey, but I read every comment. We look at all of our scores and assess whether they are going up or down. This information helps us identify where we need to focus more time and effort in the coming year. In short, the survey matters and your participation helps paint a full picture of how we are doing.

Regarding the responses to the HR portion of the survey this year, we are grateful for both your qualitative and quantitative thoughts. In some areas, HR went up just a little, in other areas we went down a little, and we remarkably stayed in the exact same spot in some other areas.

Many people took time to provide us with comments. Here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly:

  • Consistency: We need to continue working on assuring we are consistent with our responses and assure that the answer you get doesn’t depend on which member of the HR team you engage.
  • Responsiveness: We have made great strides in being more responsive, but we have some additional room for improvement here.
  • Staff Evaluations: We need to invest more time working with managers to assure staff performance evaluations are meaningful and relevant. The Great Colleges To Work For survey sent that same message. Managers, that means you’ll need to lean into performance management, too!
  • Wellbeing & BUILD: The word is getting out that our wellness, wellbeing, and BUILD programs are great! Linda Feiden does an amazing job with the programs she designs and the partnerships she solicits across campus (and among community partners). If you have not participated in the past in any of these events, it is time well spent. You can learn more about BUILD here and Wellbeing/Wellness here.

We did have a few people who had performance and conduct matters addressed this year. When this happens, it is far easier to blame managers or HR for those experiences than spend time self-reflecting. My hope is that people who have conduct or performance issues brought to their attention will take to heart the feedback—maybe even grow. Not everyone will, but we’ll redouble our efforts to assure those conversations, processes, and events are focused on improvement and opportunity, not blame or judgment.

As with last year’s survey, we got dinged for a few things that are not HR matters. I won’t go into the specifics, as that feels like throwing another department under the proverbial bus, but we’ll share those comments with the departments who do own the processes or topics mis-attributed to Drake HR.

Thank you again for providing us with insight into how you think we’re doing. It’s important to us—it really, really is. If you did not complete this year’s SAS, make a note to do so next year. And, if you have ideas or suggestions for Drake HR, you never have to wait for an annual survey, you can email us directly (drakehr@drake.edu) or complete our standing feedback form anytime you please. Thank you!

— Drake HR

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Advertising Capstone seeking your participation in research survey

The Advertising Capstone is conducting research for a local client and is seeking your help. Please consider completing this research survey. It takes less than 10 minutes to complete. Feel free to share this link with others in your family, friends, or loved ones. We appreciate your help.

Survey: https://drake.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bgcRqESaaAXCTZQ.

— Emy Hayes, Senior, School of Journalism and Mass Communication