Campus building hours will be adjusted for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Most of campus will be closed starting Wednesday, Nov. 27, and will remain closed to the general public through the end of the week. Card access will still allow you to enter your authorized buildings, and most regular door schedules will resume on Sunday, Dec. 1.

Please contact Public Safety (515-271-2222) if you have a door access emergency during this time. Feel free to email studentservices@drake.edu if you have a general (non-emergent) card access question or concern.

Cowles Library open hours/after-hours are listed on their website.

— Sara Heijerman, Student Services Center

ITS is making updates to Banner. As a result, access to Banner 9, Banner/DUSIS INB, MyDUSIS, Workflow, ODBC, eTranscripts, Online Balloting, and DSAP will be completely unavailable between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7. This upgrade is being made to apply security and functionality upgrades and patches.

We appreciate your patience while we perform this necessary work. If you continue to have any issues after the planned maintenance window, please contact the Support Center at 515-271-3001 or visit service.drake.edu/its to report your issue.

— Carla Herling, ITS

Single sign-on (SSO) for Blackboard is coming Dec. 19. After the change, you will sign in using the standard Drake login page rather than the current Blackboard login screen.

SSO is an authentication process that allows a user to access multiple applications with one set of credentials and a single login instance. Once a user logs in once, they gain access to different Drake applications, without the need to re-enter login credentials for each application.

Example: You log into myDrake first thing in the morning to check your email. While reading your email, you see that you need to check your Blackboard courses for upcoming assignments. Since you already logged into myDrake from checking your email, you can access Blackboard without being prompted to re-enter your Drake credentials.

Learn more about SSO and the additional systems Drake ITS is working on integrating with it by reading Single Sign On (SSO) and Drake applications (FAQ).

— Carla Herling, ITS

An important aspect of Drake’s Continuous Improvement Plan is to examine our processes. The Administrative Services Survey greatly assists us in this.

This fall’s survey was issued to faculty and staff with the focus on Human Resources, Facilities Planning and Management (FPM), Information Technology Services, Public Safety, Finance and Communications.

This feedback helps the departments understand where service gaps may exist and how to improve the services of our University. Continuous improvement efforts are meant to drive intentional and strategic action. Responses to this survey shape the University’s future efforts.

Survey respondents provided largely positive feedback about FPM services. Responses were provided on a five-point scale, with five being the highest.

Satisfaction with FPM staff – Total Average 4.36 (4.30 last year)
Respondents assessed their satisfaction with FPM staff including their courtesy, professionalism, knowledge, timeliness, and communication in regard to work orders, projects and construction. Satisfaction with FPM staff was generally high, but was lowest for communication of work order status, projects and construction (3.99).

Satisfaction with FPM support and services – Total Average 4.34 (4.26 last year)
Respondents assessed their satisfaction with FPM support and services including custodial, grounds, snow removal, moving, cooling and heating, painting, construction, carpentry, trash/recycle, and plumbing. Satisfaction with FPM support and services were all above 80% but only grounds and moving services broke the 90% satisfaction threshold we are striving to achieve.

Overall satisfaction—Total Average 4.14 (4.09 last year)
Overall satisfaction is above average, but FPM still has room for improvement.

In reviewing the data and reflecting on the comments provided by the respondents, FPM has concluded to do the following over the coming year.

• Implement a method of communication on the FPM homepage with updated information in regard to projects and construction.
• Closely monitor our work order system in regard to timely updates of the status of work orders.
• Continue to grow and exhibiting Drake’s core values.
• Perform routine building and grounds assessments to maintain a high level of quality service.
• Continue to prioritize and execute deferred maintenance project as funds become available.
• Continue to praise our team for all the good they do every day!

— Kevin Moran, Facilities, Planning, and Management

The All Staff Council Recognition committee would like to congratulate the following people for receiving a True Blue award:

Utilities FPM Team
James McNab
Alicia Chilton
Kelsey Faybik
Sydni Jennings
Amelia Klatt

A staff member who is called to be True Blue is someone who:

1. Epitomizes the values of leadership, teamwork, and integrity, and exhibits their commitment to the Drake community
2. Has shown others what it takes to get a task or project done, and accomplishes that by working well with others
3. Is able to be honest and fair in the situations they face
4. Does all of these things for the betterment of Drake and its values and goals.

Does this sound like someone you know? Submit a nomination today! https://www.drake.edu/asc/recognition/calledtobetrueblue/.

— Amelia Klatt, On behalf of All Staff Council

Drake’s All Staff Council Recognition Committee recently celebrated SJMC staff with a Bulldog Applause. Read the spotlight below to learn more about the team.

Spotlight: SJMC Staff

How many staff members are in the department?  3

What is the primary function of the team? The SJMC educates strategic, global thinkers with diverse media and communication skills and a solid ethical underpinning who are prepared to respond to a rapidly changing media culture.   Empowering voices since 1919, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication is celebrating its centennial this year.

Who has been with the team the longest? Mallory Quinn, Assistant to the Dean, has been with the team since February of 2016.

Who is the newest team member? Denise Ganpat, joined the SJMC team a year ago in October 2018.  She has worked at Drake since September 2011.

What campus buildings do your team members “live” in? Our team “lives” in Meredith Hall – designed by internationally famous architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

What are some recent challenges and accomplishments of note that others in the University might not know about?Ray recently led efforts to remodel and re-engineer the TV studio, podcast rooms, radio station, and other resources in the lower level of Meredith Hall.  Mallory works with faculty on an SJMC curriculum that allows students the flexibility to customize their education.  Starting in Fall 2020 it will include an online undergraduate BA in Journalism and Mass Communication, targeted to students with associate’s degrees who want to complete their bachelor’s degrees.  Denise works on a variety of SJMC tasks.  A new aspect of her position is supporting faculty advisors and student leaders on Board of Student Communication activities.

The family of the late Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Cady, who passed away Friday, has confirmed plans to observe and celebrate his life. 

A public memorial service will take place at the Knapp Center on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 10 a.m. Justice Cady was a proud Drake alumnus who earned both his undergraduate and law degrees from Drake. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early; doors will open at 9 a.m. The public is invited to enter the Knapp Center on the Forest Avenue entrance only.

For more information, read a statement from the Iowa Judicial Branch.

On Friday, Nov. 29, electricity will be shut off to Aliber, Cartwright, and Jewett from approximately 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. so Facilities Planning and Management can safely clean three high voltage vaults on campus. Please remember to turn off your computers and electronic devices before leaving for Thanksgiving. Please contact Ron Tart, chief electrician, if you have any question or concerns.

— Ron Tart, Facilities Planning and Management

The Offices of Finance and Student Financial Planning would like to thank everyone for taking the time to complete the Administrative Survey in October.  We have gained valuable feedback to help us maintain and improve the services we provide to students, faculty, and staff.

Ratings in nearly every question increased over the prior year. Each of the departments individually scored between 4 and 5 on the 5-point scale with only one exception. While not a statistically significant difference, the overall satisfaction with the services provided by the Offices of Finance and Student Financial Planning increased to an average score of 4.38 this year compared to 4.26 in 2018. While there is always room for improvement, the unit’s staff are clearly doing their best to meet our service-oriented objectives to:

• Ensure our constituents are engaged and informed,
• Ensure integrity and transparency,
• Process university resources timely and accurately, and
• Improve service excellence.

The comments included in the survey were very helpful. There were many positive comments all centered around the staff being knowledgeable, approachable, courteous, service-oriented, responsive, and helpful, as well as displaying a ‘can do’ attitude. There were also several valuable suggestions for improvement. The most significant theme identified by our staff pointed to the need for continuation of our focus on process improvements. Two recent examples of already implemented process improvement include the automation of our payment processing using the services of Paymerang and the transition of the tuition rebate application to an online form rather than paper. Additional process improvement initiatives are already in the works, such as efficiencies in processing transactions from restricted and endowed funding sources. Other initiatives will continue as staff time and IT resources allow.

Thank you again for participating in the Administrative Survey and please know that your input is reviewed and analyzed by the entire staff of the Offices of Finance and Student Financial Planning.

— Adam Voigts, Chief Financial Officer