All posts by McKinleigh Holland

Campus Announcements Archive

Join Us for WellCon Oct. 29: Drake’s 4th Annual Wellness Conference

WellCon 26, the fourth annual Wellness Conference for Drake students, faculty, and staff, will take place Oct. 29 from 3–5 p.m. in Upper Olmsted. You’ll have the opportunity to win various prizes and engage in a variety of wellness activities hosted by on- and off- campus partners. With a focus on the six dimensions of wellness—physical, emotional, intellectual, social, occupational, and spiritual—the conference is a great opportunity to reset and prioritize your well-being at the midpoint of the semester. We invite you to register and join us!

Register to attend: WellCon 2026 Attendee Registration – Fill out form

Register as a student organization: WellCon 2026 Student Org. Interest Form – Fill out form

— McKinleigh Holland, CPHS

Campus Announcements Archive

Fall 2026 Group Exercise Schedule

Check out the new group exercise schedule for the Fall 2026 semester. These classes are offered by trained students and staff to accommodate all fitness levels. Classes are held in the Drake Bell Center fitness studio and all equipment is provided. Download the Drake Rec app to sign up for classes. Register for and attend 10 classes per semester and earn a free T-shirt!

— McKinleigh Holland, CPHS

HR Information Archive

Support for Caregivers

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is offering Powerful Tools for Caregivers, an evidence-based educational program that helps caregivers develop practical skills to reduce stress, improve communication, manage difficult emotions, and prioritize their own well-being while caring for others.

This six-week program is designed for family caregivers of adults with chronic conditions and parents or caregivers of children with special health and behavioral needs. Participants learn tools and strategies they can apply immediately to help them thrive in their caregiving role.

Learn more about upcoming classes and registration opportunities at https://go.iastate.edu/EIFSEH.  NOTE: Caregivers of cancer survivors may use the coupon code CANCERIOWA to waive the registration fee.

For more information about the program, visit the Health and Human Sciences Extension and Outreach website or contact Malisa Rader at mrader@iastate.edu or 515-708-0622.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Campus Announcements Archive

Get to Know Drake’s Leadership

This organizational view of institutional leadership is a great way to get to know the leadership here at Drake. Instead of just a boring text view, you will see photos of each person. Bonus: if you click on a person’s image, you will be directed to their corresponding web page to learn more.  This can also be found on the Office of the President page and is maintained by the President’s Office. It is a handy tool, especially if you are new to Drake.

— Nate Reagen, Office of the President

For Faculty Archive

Upcoming Blackboard Open Office Hours

On Aug. 26, faculty are invited to drop in and meet with a learning design specialist—in person or via Teams—for hands-on assistance with Blackboard.

Get your Blackboard pages ready for the new semester! Faculty are invited to drop in and meet with a learning design specialist for hands-on assistance.

Wednesday, August 26

Time: 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Drop-in Location: Howard Hall Faculty Lounge (Room 212)
Microsoft Teams Virtual Option: Available via Teams

If you have questions outside of Blackboard Office Hours:

  • Interact with this Fall 2026 Course Prep slideshow for a summary of updates to Blackboard, best practices for sharing course materials, a framework for setting AI expectations, increasing the accessibility of your courses, and more!
  • Review the help guides for faculty, organized by topic, in Drake’s Knowledge Base.
  • Go directly to the upgraded Blackboard LMS Help Center.
  • Click the question mark icon in the lower-right corner of most Blackboard pages to open Blackboard’s related help pages.

— Shannon Hilscher, Drake Online, Learning Design Services

Campus Announcements Archive

Your Guide to Using On the Go: Important Entry and Payment Updates

Starting this semester, everyone will need to use the Grubhub app to enter On the Go.

Getting Started

1. Download the Grubhub app and select Campus Dining.

2. Search for Drake University and select your category: undergraduate class year, graduate student, faculty/staff, or guest.

3. In Payment, connect your campus ID. You may also add a credit/debit card if you choose.

Entering On the Go

Open Grubhub → select On the Go under Restaurants → tap Get Access → scan the QR code at the entrance.

Payment & Entry — Important!

You can pay with Dining Dollars, Bulldog Bucks, or Commuter Dollars, as well as a credit/debit card if connected.

Please remember:

*Select your payment method EVERY TIME you enter. If you don’t, your default primary payment method (your credit/debit card) will be charged.

*You must have at least $25 available on your selected payment method to enter.

*ONE PERSON PER QR CODE. Each person must scan their own QR code.

* If multiple people enter using one QR code, one account will be charged for all items purchased.

We’re excited to welcome you back and make grabbing your favorite snacks, drinks, and essentials easier than ever!

— Taylor Webb, Dining Services

For Staff Archive

Committee on Student Ready Institution Needs Your Input

This past spring, the Faculty Senate created an ad hoc committee focused on a review of Drake’s ability to be a student-ready institution and ways the campus community can play a role in achieving this goal. If you are not familiar with the term, a student-ready institution provides holistic support to its students and restructures systems to support student needs.

Also, this past spring, the ad hoc committee met with campus stakeholders and assessed university systems and faculty and staff practices related to this area to understand where we are. While this helped us develop a picture of Drake’s current practices, WE NEED YOUR HELP. As staff play a key role in helping students succeed at Drake, we need to better understand what you are doing and what improvements you feel can be made to achieve the goal of being a student-ready institution.

This sessions will gather your insight into how we currently are and, in the future, can do better to support our students and effectively prepare them for both academic success and future careers.

Please note that for efficiency, artificial intelligence will be used during the meetings to record and transcribe the discussions. The findings from staff focus groups will be combined with data from corresponding student and faculty focus groups to generate a comprehensive report outlining ways actionable changes and best practices for faculty and suggestions for institutional system modifications to make Drake a more student-ready institution.

Meetings will be held on the following dates/times and you can sign up for these meetings via the links provided:

Tuesday, September 22nd, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., Johansen Room 301: https://calendly.com/maria-valdovinos-drake/ad-hoc-student-ready-institution-focus-group-staff1

Monday, September 28th, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., Library Room 201: https://calendly.com/maria-valdovinos-drake/ad-hoc-student-ready-institution-focus-group-staff2

— Maria Valdovinos, Professor of Psychology

For Students Archive

Committee on Student Ready Institution Needs Your Input

The Drake community has spent some time during the past few years trying to better understand how we can support students at Drake to better achieve their goals while at Drake and after graduation. One key area being explored is how we can make Drake a “student-ready” institution. A student-ready institution provides holistic support to its students and restructures systems to support student needs.

Currently, there is a faculty committee focused on reviewing Drake’s ability to be a student-ready institution and ways the campus community can play a role in achieving this goal. This past spring, the faculty committee met with campus stakeholders and assessed faculty practices and university systems related to this area to understand where we are. While this helped us develop a picture of Drake’s current practices, WE NEED YOUR HELP to better understand the undergraduate student viewpoint on what is being done and what improvements can be made to achieve the goal of being a student-ready institution.

We invite you to participate in one of several undergraduate student focus groups dedicated to assessing our university’s preparedness to be a truly student-ready institution. These sessions will gather your insight into how Drake currently is and, in the future, can do better to support you and effectively prepare you for both academic success and future careers. The first 50 students who participate in a focus group will receive $10 in Bulldog Bucks. Sign up for a session below.

Please note that for efficiency, artificial intelligence will be used during the meetings to record and transcribe the discussions. The findings from student focus groups will be combined with data from corresponding faculty and staff focus groups to generate a comprehensive report outlining ways actionable changes and best practices for faculty and suggestions for institutional system modifications to make Drake a more student-ready institution.

Tuesday, September 15th, 3:00p to 5:00p, Johansen 301: https://calendly.com/maria-valdovinos-drake/ad-hoc-student-ready-institution-focus-group-student-1
Friday, September 25th, 9:00a to 11:00a, Johansen 301: https://calendly.com/maria-valdovinos-drake/ad-hoc-student-ready-institution-focus-group-student2
Tuesday, September 29th, 8:00a to 10:00a, Johansen 301: https://calendly.com/maria-valdovinos-drake/ad-hoc-student-ready-institution-focus-group-student3
Friday, October 2nd, 1:00p to 3:00p, Johansen 301: https://calendly.com/maria-valdovinos-drake/ad-hoc-student-ready-institution-focus-group-student4
Friday, October 9th, 9:00a to 11:00a, Johansen 301: https://calendly.com/maria-valdovinos-drake/ad-hoc-student-ready-institution-focus-group-student5
Friday, October 16th, 1:00p to 3:00p, Library 201: https://calendly.com/maria-valdovinos-drake/ad-hoc-student-ready-institution-focus-group-student-6
Friday, October 23rd, 1:00p to 3:00p, Johansen 301: https://calendly.com/maria-valdovinos-drake/ad-hoc-student-ready-institution-focus-group-student7
Friday, October 30th, 1:00p to 3:00p, Johansen 301: https://calendly.com/maria-valdovinos-drake/ad-hoc-student-ready-institution-focus-group-student8

— Maria Valdovinos, Professor of Psychology