All posts by Courtney Conrad

Campus Announcements Archive

Beautiful Bulldog Contest April 21

Mark your calendars for the 46th Annual Beautiful Bulldog Contest®. The contest will take place Monday, April 21, at 6 p.m. Doors will open to fans at 5 p.m. to enjoy the Rescue Dog Festival and Kids Zone before the pageant begins. The event is free and open to the public. There will be a giveaway for the first 125 students to show up with their Drake ID.

The Beautiful Bulldog Contest® at Drake University is a unique trademarked event with an over 40-year history. The event kicks off a week-long Drake Relays celebration. Thirty English Bulldogs walk the pup-way to impress judges in hopes of being crowned the Most Beautiful Bulldog. The winner of the contest will reign as the Most Beautiful Bulldog for the 2025 Drake Relays.

For questions, email beautifulbulldog@drake.edu.

— Courtney Conrad, Alumni Office

For Students Archive

Grad Fair: Everything You Need for Commencement

Attention graduates: Don’t miss the Grad Fair on Tuesday, April 9, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Pomerantz Stage. This is your one-stop shop to get everything you need for graduation.

  • Jostens will be your vendor for cap and gowns, class rings, and graduation announcements to make sure you’re ready for your big day.
  • The Alumni Office will be there, handing out freebies and providing information about how to stay connected after you graduate.
  • Special Offer: Get 10% OFF when you purchase your regalia and a diploma frame during Grad Fair.

Mark your calendars! Learn more: https://calendar.drake.edu/event/grad-fair-6864

— Bulldog Shop

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Mandatory Security Awareness Training

On Monday, April 7, ITS and our partner KnowBe4 will share a mandatory cybersecurity awareness training module with all Drake employees. You’ll receive email instructions to access the training module that day, which should take you less than 10 minutes to complete. You’ll have a month to finish this mandatory training, but we encourage you to complete it right away.

This year’s training topic uses reading, videos, and a brief assessment to teach about the foundations of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on our security. This training is required to maintain compliance with security laws applicable to the University and help reduce cyber insurance premiums. It also helps our Drake community be safer online and more effectively protect both institutional and personal data.

Thank you for investing your time to better safeguard Drake University against cyber threats.

— Becky Klein, ITS

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

SPARC Speed Networking and Grant Reviewer Panel

DATE: Wednesday, April 9
TIME: 3-5 P.M.
PLACE: Faculty Lounge, Howard Hall, Room 212

 Grant Reviewer Panel at 3–4 p.m.
Drake faculty who served as grant reviewers for federal, state and/or private agencies will provide information about what reviewers really look for in grant applications.  Come hear what they have to say and ask questions.

Networking Session 4–5 p.m.

  • Meet other faculty
  • Bring your project ideas to share
  • Identify possible collaborations

SPARC staff will also be on hand to discuss funding opportunities and answer questions. Refreshments will be available.

RSVP to lori.byrd@drake.edu.

Campus Announcements Archive

Cowles Library April Featured Collections

This April brings a literary treat,
With poems and books, both can’t be beat!
It’s National Poetry Month so let’s celebrate,
With rhymes and stories that captivate!

For bookish hearts and poets, too,
We’ve got the perfect reads for you.
Come browse in person, or click online,
A book, a poem – your perfect find.

National Poetry Month – Immerse yourself in the power of poetry with a curated collection featuring classic and contemporary poets. Explore diverse voices, styles, and themes that bring language to life.
Books About Books (Early April) – Dive into stories where libraries, bookstores, and book lovers take center stage! Our selection includes fiction and nonfiction that celebrate the magic of books and the people who cherish them.

Stop by, get inspired, and discover your next favorite read at Cowles Library!

—Joanna Stankiewicz, Cowles Library


Campus Announcements Archive

Disability Awareness Week April 7–12

Join the Disability Coalition for its third annual Disability Awareness Week from April 7–12. From a panel on the connections between mental and physical health, to a student-led presentation on how Drake can best support disabled students, to trivia and resources in the Olmsted Breezeway—there’s something for everyone in this week dedicated to accessibility and advocacy.

Professional captioning will be available at the events on April 7 and 9. Contact disabilitycoalition@drake.edu with any questions or additional accommodation requests.

— Morgan Ryan, AS

Strategic Updates Archive

Drake Relays Parking and Road Closure Info

The Drake Relays brings thousands of athletes, alumni, and guests to campus. As a reminder, parking and travel on and around campus will be impacted Saturday, April 19, through Saturday, April 26.

It is highly recommended that if you are coming to campus from off grounds, that you use public transportation, if possible.  If you do plan on driving, give yourself plenty of time to find parking.  Please remember that cars that are parked on the grass, illegally in handicap spaces, or blocking operations will be towed without notice.

All valid residential and commuter permits will be honored on Thursday, April 24, and until 5 p.m. on Friday, April 25.  Only residential permits are valid in residential lots and commuter permits in commuter lots, unless posted otherwise.  Please note that the Olmsted and Ray Promenade lot still require the correct permit color to park in those lots before 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 19– Sunday, April 27 – Lot 17 (Facilities Lot) will be closed/no parking allowed

Wednesday, April 23 at 10 a.m. – Saturday, April 26 at 8 p.m. – Forest Avenue will be fully closed from 27th Street to 29th Street and will allow for only limited access from 24th to 27th Streets and from 29th to 31st Streets. No street parking is allowed along Forest Avenue.

Wednesday, April 23 – Saturday, April 26 – 27th Street will be intermittently closed between Forest Avenue and Clarke Street.

Wednesday, April 23 – Saturday, April 26 – Lot 18 S (Studio Arts) will be closed/no parking allowed

— Scott Law, Public Safety & Operational Services

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Last Chance to Take the Great Colleges to Work For Survey

Thank you to everyone who has already completed the Great Colleges To Work For survey. However, we have not yet reached our participation goal and your participation is needed. Currently, 41% of faculty and staff have participated. We are striving to have 60% respond. The good news is, there is still time to complete the survey. The survey period ends Friday, so if you have not completed the survey, please consider taking this opportunity to make your voice heard.

If you have not received an invitation to complete the survey, please check your junk or spam folder.  If it is not there, please let Nate Reagen or Erica Kluver know right away!

We will follow-up before the fall semester with the overall, University results of the survey.  All unit-leaders (with greater than five employees) will have the results to share by then as well.

— Nate Reagen, President’s Office

For Students Archive

Dogtown After Hours April 11, Olmsted Center

Dogtown After Hours is a student led, alcohol alternative event held every spring. Stop by the Olmsted center April 11 from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. for a night of fun! Alongside collaborations with Your Life Iowa, Drake Dance Marathon, and a guest appearance from Griff II, come climb a rock wall, play on giant inflatables, eat comfort food, help out with our service activity, watch Drake performance groups, win prizes, and more at our 2000’s-2010’s nostalgia themed event.

Want to do more than just attend? We also need volunteers! This event is huge, and we need many hands to make sure this event runs smooth. We are looking for volunteers to cover one-hour shifts throughout the night. The tasks you will be asked to do will vary depending on which room or activity you are stationed at. Tasks are typically keeping an eye on lines, helping our vendors in maintaining their activity, keeping the floors clean from any major obstacles, etc. Volunteers also receive an extra prize ticket for a chance to win one of our awesome prizes.

Find more information

— Paityne Gehring, ED, AS