As of Feb. 23, Facilities Planning and Management received 2,788 service requests through its online service portal that launched last October. Ninety three percent of those requests have been completed.

The new online service request system aims to support the department’s six commitments listed below, which were developed in response to the Administrative Services Survey. These commitments are designed to help the department achieve its scorecard objectives.

1. Ensure that FPM meets the promised response and resolution timeframes
2. Collaborate to find reasonable and supportable long-term solutions
3. Strive to understand issues and requests before beginning work
4. Confirm the request was completed to your satisfaction and in a professional manner
5. Improve communication related to project schedules and staffing
6. Work as a team to provide facility-related services on behalf of Drake

In a previous OnCampus article, FPM shared results from the TeamDynamix satisfaction and performance surveys. One area that is below our target goal is commitment number one regarding meeting promised response and resolution timeframes, also known as service live agreements (SLAs). The SLA goal aims to acknowledge work orders within one workday and complete them within three workdays. This excludes work orders that are pending or scheduled. Our measure last year was 75 percent. Currently we are at 78 percent, just short of our 80 percent goal. Our department and leadership team is committed to implementing various action items that will contribute to successfully meeting each of our scorecard objectives.

Manny Toribio, Facilities Planning and Management

As the externally focused arm of the Institution, University Advancement is comprised of Alumni Relations, Development, University Communications, Community Relations, and The RaySociety. Each of these departments intentionally builds meaningful relationships with a variety of audiences.

Think about just a few examples of the life cycle of a Drake alumnus/a:

• A prospective student is introduced to the powerful network of more than 70,000 graduates through an alumni letter writing campaign following admission to the University.
• A first-year student attends the Scholarship Luncheon to meet the donor of their named scholarship.
• Throughout their time on campus, an international student engages in multiple fireside chats through the Student Alumni Association and their College/School.
• A Des Moines student see the powerful role of a University enriching a community by attending a Bucksbaum Lecture.
• A junior from a small Iowa town experiences Drake on the global stage with the financial support of a generous donor.
• Following graduation, a new arrival to Chicago finds comfort through an invitation to network with local Drake graduates.
• A young graduate finds joy by making gift to The Drake Fund following an engaging conversation with a current student.
• Thousands of graduates share their Drake stories through multiple social media platforms.
• Each spring, like some migrating ritual, Drake graduates return to campus for The Drake Relays to celebrate their connection with a place and its people.
• While reviewing recent college rankings, a California alumnus exudes with pride knowing the value of his degree increases with the strengthening of the University’s brand and reputation.
• A retiree accepts the invitation to get back into the classroom through a unique and powerful organization.
• In celebration of their 50-year reunion and their 50th wedding anniversary, a Drake couple makes a gift to create a named endowed scholarship fund.
• A mid-career graduate, receives a call inviting her to write a letter to admitted students in her area. Accepting the invitation, she smiles reflecting on the memory of receiving her own letter years previously.

Moving forward, University Advancement will utilize OnCampus to celebrate collective accomplishments, highlight upcoming activities, announce meaningful milestones, and publicize successful campus partnerships.

The work of University Advancement is strongly grounded in the spirit of “all in this together.” Our work is strengthened through active engagement and involvement with multiple campus partners.

Thanks to all who enthusiastically invite our students, alumni, and friends to enjoy a life-long connection to this remarkable University. We value your active partnership, shared ownership, thoughtful ideas, and powerful example. Without question, we are stronger together.

— John Smith, University Advancement

This semester, 165 international students are enrolled in classes at Drake. Of international students on campus, the largest groups are from Malaysia and China. Drake is proud to have more than 40 different countries are represented on campus. View data from Drake International.

Jacquilline Nagila, Drake International

Changes have been made to Drake’s emergency response procedures regarding building evacuations. Previous emergency response procedures for evacuating buildings required all individuals to gather at a predetermined rally point upon exiting their buildings. Due to recent events, a policy change has been made and the procedures now state that you should attempt to notify a building representative upon exiting a building. If you are unsure of whom to notify, contact Drake Public Safety. The overriding principal is that all building occupants are accounted for during an emergency. The evacuation procedures are outlined below; number six reflects the new change.

1. Upon notification to evacuate the building (i.e., an alarm notification) all occupants should immediately stop what they are doing and head toward the nearest exit.
2. While exiting the building, take note of any hazards or remaining occupants.
3. If requested, assist others who need directions or other assistance. If individuals need physical assistance exiting a building, put a plan in place to assist those individuals.
4. Take with you only essential personal items (wallet, keys, etc.).
5. If you are the last person to leave a room during a fire emergency, shut the door behind you. Closing doors can help slow the spread of a fire.
6. Upon exiting, you should attempt to notify a building representative. If you are unsure of whom to notify, contact Drake Public Safety. The important thing is that all occupants are accounted for.
7. Individuals should never reenter a building until given clearance by the proper authorities.

As a valuable member of the Drake community, we do not want anyone to be placed in more danger, and a predetermined central gathering point may do that. Instead, once you have evacuated, get to a safe location. Each department or area should have a central contact that individuals can call or text. Text is preferred; that way no one is unaccounted for or presumed in danger because of a busy signal.

It is important that the changes to the evacuation procedures are communicated to all members of campus, so please share this with members of your department. Individuals should know what to do in the event of an evacuation, including where to go and who to contact so they are sure to be accounted for during an emergency.

The Emergency Response Manual can be found on the Public Safety and Environmental Health and Safety websites.

If you have any questions regarding the changes to the evacuation procedures, contact Public Safety at 515-271-2222 or Environmental Health and Safety at 515-271-3804.

— Chris Nickell, Environmental Health and Safety

Faculty, staff, and students are invited to opt in to a new text message service to receive alerts regarding unexpected technology outages. Opt in by texting DrakeITS2018 to phone number 226787. Text messages will only be sent between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. This new notification system is in addition to ITS’ regular communication channels, which are the ITS website, blueView login screen, IT Service Portal, and ITS Twitter account. If you have any questions regarding this new service, call 271-2356 or email carla.herling@drake.edu.

This is the second text alert system rolled out to campus this year. In January, Facilities Planning and Management introduced a text notification system that provides alerts on snow removal work, water main breaks, custodial projects, and other facility-related incidents. Campus members can participate by texting Facilities Notification 2018 to 67283.

— Carla Herling, ITS

Drake’s new internal campus portal, myDrake, will launch in late summer 2018. It will serve as an online gateway to campus resources and functions. Users will go to myDrake to register for classes, view their timecard, and to connect with most campus systems. Additional content and features of myDrake will continue to be added after its launch. If you have questions about myDrake, visit the FAQ page. If you don’t see your question listed or have other comments or concerns, let the project team know by providing feedback through a Qualtrics survey. We’ll continue to add more questions and answers as the project progresses. In addition, you can view regular progress updates on the ITS website.

— Carla Herling, ITS

Cyber criminals are constantly devising new and creative ways to compromise the University’s or your personal data. To reduce the risk of cyber-attacks, ITS is implementing two new strategies to protect our intellectual property and sensitive information.

Starting on Friday, March 23, when faculty, staff, and students receive an email that comes from outside of the drake.edu domain, they will see the label [External Email] at the beginning of the message.

This is an automated process that looks only at the sender, and not at the content of the message. This labeling does not imply that the email is malicious; it just alerts you that the email is not coming from a Drake email address, even if it appears to be.

In addition, a new security enhancement designed to protect employee direct deposit and bank information will be implemented. The direct deposit update page on blueView will only be accessible while on campus. When away from the campus, the following message will appear: “This page is only accessible from the Drake University campus. If you need to modify your direct deposit information, please try again from campus or contact the Human Resources department for assistance.”

For questions about the new external email labeling, contact ITS at informationsecurity@drake.edu. For questions about the changes to the direct deposit page, please contact HR at drakehr@drake.edu.

— Peter Lundstedt, ITS and Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Visit the Community Engaged Learning Blog to read how this year’s cohort of Engaged Citizen Corps members have been engaging with and serving in the community. The Engaged Citizen Corps is an academic plus service year experience for first year students at Drake. Recent blog posts include “Meet the Engaged Citizen Corps members,” which highlights the work of Service Learning Ambassadors, and “Just Sustainabilities J-Term Course,” which demonstrates how students explored advocacy for alternative transportation in downtown Des Moines. Engaged Citizen Corps is currently accepting applications for the 2018-2019 academic year. If you know of a high school senior who would be a good fit for the program, please encourage them to apply. The application deadline is March 1.

If you would like to be a guest blogger and share your community engagement work, email amanda.martin@drake.edu. Follow Community Engaged Learning and Service on Facebook and Twitter.

— Amanda Martin, Community Engaged Learning and Service