All posts by Amanda Martin

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Farewell open house for Director of Community Engaged Learning Renee Sedlacek Lee

All are welcome to join for an open house to celebrate the contributions of Renee Sedlacek Lee, director of Community Engaged Learning, and wish her well in her new role at Workiva, where she will start at the end of May. The Open House will be Wednesday, May 17, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the lower level lobby of Cowles Library and people are welcome to come and go as they are able. Food and beverages will be available.

Renee said, “It has been an absolute pleasure serving as the Director of Community Engaged Learning since 2017 and working to build the capacity and infrastructure of CEL at Drake since 2013.”

— Amanda Martin, Community Engaged Learning

Campus Announcements Archive

Seating installed at Sprout Food Forest

The corner of 30th Street and Carpenter Avenue has seen massive improvements over the course of the past two years. Most recently, thanks to funding from a Prairie Meadows Community Betterment Grant, there are now 14 Adirondack chairs and a three-person glider installed at the Sprout Food Forest. We hope you will check it out this summer and take the time to get outdoors!

More improvements are coming.
Later this month, a large cantilever umbrella will be installed over the outdoor classroom and interpretative signage throughout the Food Forest.

Reserve the outdoor classroom
Sprout is now located as an option on the Drake EMS reservation system. Consider hosting your class or a team meeting in the garden.

Volunteer with us!
All are welcome to dig and play in the dirt. No prior experience is necessary and a volunteer training will be provided. Sign-up on DUgood.

— Renee Sedlacek Lee, Community Engaged Learning

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

May Provost’s Social and HR recognition night

You are invited to join us at the next Provost’s Drake Social on Thursday, May 18, in Shivers Hospitality Suite, adjacent to the Knapp Center, beginning at 4 p.m.

During this event, faculty, and staff who celebrated (or will be celebrating) a milestone service anniversary or retirement between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023, will be highlighted. Their names will be scrolled on video screens around the room. There will be cake, soft drinks, wine, beer, and light snacks. President Martin will speak at 4:30 p.m.

Please take a moment to stop by and congratulate your co-workers.

Be advised: this event falls on the same day as the State Track Meet, so on-campus parking may be limited. Please allow yourself ample time to find parking before the event.

— Madison Bemus, Office of the Provost

HR Information Archive

Guidance on avoiding financial stress

As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, we are exploring different themes related to mental wellbeing and stress coping practices. As we all know, there are many stressors in life, but money is one of the most universal sources of stress—no matter what the tax bracket.  According to the American Psychiatric Association, when asked about their sources of anxiety, Americans put personal finances at the top at 64%.  And 42% of U.S. adults say money negatively impacts their mental health according to a survey by Bankrate.

Even though many external variables may affect financial stress, there are things you can do to help manage and even reduce it.

First, focus on your health.  When you are not your best, everything can spin out of control.  Prioritize your own physical, mental, and emotional health.  Keep active, sleep right, limit alcohol and caffeine, make healthy food choices, practice mindfulness, and stay connected to family and friends.

Next, it is time to plan.  Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

Take stock of where you are with your money.  Make a list of everything you own, owe, earn, and spend.  This is your starting point and your method to find out where you are at right now.

Start or build an emergency fund.  Begin by taking some of the dollars you may spend on dining out, specialty coffee drinks, and entertainment and put those dollars into an emergency fund.  Saving $25 a week can add up to $1,300 in a year.  Over time, build this up to the equivalent of 3-6 months’ worth of living expenses.  Another idea is to automate the process by having a certain percentage of your income go directly into a special savings account up front that you don’t touch.

Take a page from Marie Kondo.  Check your loan statements, credit card bills, memberships, and subscriptions.  What are you paying?  Are there better deals out there?  Do you really need it right now?  Answers to those questions can save you money.

Swap take-out for home meals.  When crunched for time it is easy to eat out and order take-out.  But if you are watching your finances (and your health), reduce eating out and take-out dining. Did you know that eating out is linked to increased morbidity and cancer? Consider trying some healthy and budget friendly meal prep at home.

Check your interest rates.  If you are using multiple credit cards for your purchases, try to use the card with the lowest interest rate so you will be paying less in interest when you do pay off your bill.  Even a few percentage points can save you money.

Keep calm about your investments.  You might be tempted to pull out of the markets when they become volatile and retreat to safety.  But if you are feeling uneasy, make an appointment with your financial advisor to go over your portfolio.

Ask for help.  If you are struggling financially or emotionally, don’t keep it to yourself.  There are resources that can help.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Campus Announcements Archive

Change to MFA login process

Microsoft has started using number matching in Microsoft Authenticator in place of approval requests. As you sign-in to myDrake, Banner, and other resources protected by multi-factor authentication (MFA), you will be provided a number that you enter into Microsoft Authenticator. Number matching enhances security by ensuring you’re the person signing in. For questions, please contact the support center.

More information from Microsoft can be found here.

If you have issues authenticating, visit service.drake.edu/its, call 515-271-3001, or visit the Support Center in the lower level of Carnegie Hall.

— Shawn Madsen, ITS

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Register for the All Staff Council Kickball Tournament

All Staff Council is bringing back the highly anticipated staff and faculty kickball tournament on Thursday, May 25, to celebrate the start of summer! Register your team or as a free agent today and view the attached flyer for details. Registration must be submitted by Wednesday, May 24, at noon.

Spectators welcome and encouraged! Yard games and refreshments will be provided – we look forward to seeing you there!

— Sydni Jennings, On behalf of All Staff Council

For Students Archive

Counseling Center end of year survey

On behalf of the counseling center, I wanted to extend gratitude for you allowing us to support you with your mental health and counseling needs this past school year. Each year we send out a survey to learn more about your personal experience with our services. Can you please take our anonymous 5–10 minute survey? All results will help us to continue to improve moving forward.

Survey: https://drake.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6Y8vqEdGacDtPNk

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Lastly, if you plan to attend Drake this fall, you still have access to Uwill services (see below) and if you plan to remain in Iowa this summer, you may contact our counseling center for services. If you would like to find a counselor within the community, we provide you with assistance through our website: Referrals | Drake University

I hope that you have a wonderful rest of your semester and hope that you enjoy some of our final de-stressing events coming up (see below).

— Kayla Bell-Consolver, Counseling Center

For Faculty Archive

Apply now for post-graduate global scholarships coordinator

Job Description
The Post-Graduate Global Scholarships Coordinator position seeks to assist current undergraduate and recent graduates from Drake University in discovering and applying to prestigious scholarships with a global focus. In this position, one can expect to assist mainly in Fulbright applications, but also in other global oriented scholarships such as the Rhodes scholarship or Boren scholarship when requested.

The position runs on an annual, renewable contract, and will be effective from July 1st – June 30, beginning in summer 2023. Faculty will receive two course reassignments or a combination of a course release and a stipend for serving in this capacity. Candidates must be full-time (tenured or consecutive term) faculty members at Drake University at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor.

Primary Job Responsibilities
• Maintaining familiarity with the various fellowships – the award types, eligibility, different country programs, and selection process – to effectively advise students
• Promoting scholarship opportunities via outreach such as information sessions and classroom visits
• Helping students determine the fellowships that best suit their qualifications and interests
• Providing guidance and support to students on their application essays and revisions
• Giving constructive, developmental feedback to students on their writing
• Managing various online application systems and uploading documents
• Coordinating institutional responsibilities for student applicants, such as: panel interviews, institutional endorsements or evaluation documents, and letters of recommendation
• Celebrating successes and helping unsuccessful students manage their disappointments and pursue alternatives
• Helping students recognize what they learn/gain from the process, especially when their work does not succeed in winning a fellowship
• Working with University Marketing and Communications to assist with press releases and publicity to celebrate student awards

Key Qualifications/Skills
• Grant writing skills and an ability to teach those skills to mostly undergraduates for writing statements of grant purpose and personal statements
• Mentoring skills
• International/intercultural experience to advise students about country decisions
• Strong faculty/staff network to recruit for panel interviews and mock interviews
• Ability to run efficient meetings, lead panel interviews, give outreach/recruitment presentations
• Ability to write letters of recommendation and draft institutional endorsements

Additional Information
• The heaviest workload can be expected in August and September
• Workload will vary depending on familiarity with the application process and number of applicants
• As the position mainly assists in Fulbright applications, it may be of interest to visit https://us.fulbrightonline.org/fulbright-program-advisers

Questions concerning the position should be direct to Annique Kiel, Executive Director of Global Engagement and International programs at annique.kiel@drake.edu.

Application Process:
• Interested individuals should submit a statement of interest, outlining strengths in key areas of responsibility, as well as how the position supports their growth and development as a professor at Drake University. The statement of interest should also reference prior experience with or commitment to internationalization efforts and Drake as a global university.
• Applicants must include a letter of support from the individual’s college/school dean
• Files must be submitted to Annique Kiel (annique.kiel@drake.edu) by May 31, 2023. Interviews will take place June, with a July 1 start date.

— Annique Kiel, Global Engagement

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Workshop focused on understanding student expectations

On May 22 and May 23, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Deputy Provost Office will be hosting a faculty development workshop seeking to understand what students are expecting of their education, and what we are expecting of them.  In partnership with colleagues from across the University, we will examine what it means to create inclusive syllabi, assignments, and classroom spaces—how we create relationship rich, equitable, and compassionate education—and how we care for our own needs as faculty and staff, while serving our students.

We will be together as a large group for most of that development—with separate tracks during part of the time, for FYS instructors.  New and returning FYS instructors are especially welcome and encouraged to attend.

Participants will be well fed (breakfast, lunch, and a snack), and compensated at a rate of $125 per day.

Please email with questions, and sign up here to signal you’ll be joining us.

— Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost