You’re invited to join the Drake University University Honors Program for a special event recognizing Charlene Skidmore for her extraordinary service and lasting contributions to the Honors Program.

For 35 years, Charlene served Drake University and the Honors Program, providing continuity, leadership, and care across generations of students and through many changes in faculty leadership. In recognition of her remarkable legacy, the Honors Program will dedicate a plaque in her honor to be displayed in the Medbury Honors Lounge.

We invite members of the campus and alumni community to join us on Friday, April 24, from 2–3:30 p.m. in the Medbury Honors Lounge for remarks and light refreshments as we celebrate Charlene’s many years of dedication to the Honors Program and Drake University.

— Kendra Colbert, Drake Online and Continuing Education

A recent announcement described plans to move student-employee payroll from monthly to bi-weekly, but it has become necessary to move this transition out by about one year. The Workday project team has become aware that making this change prior to launching Workday will significantly increase the complexity of the project and introduce potential for errors in payroll processing.

By delaying the transition, we can remove a significant source of risk, reduce complexity, and better ensure that Workday payroll fully aligns with our current Banner system.

Thank you for your understanding and patience as we work to implement Workday the right way and continue to Transform Our Future.

— Chris Gill, Chief Information Technology Officer

Spring is a great time to refresh more than your home or office—it’s also an opportunity to clean up your digital workspaces. Over time, files pile up, folders multiply, and it becomes harder to find what you need. But did you know that excess digital clutter also has an environmental impact? Storing unnecessary files consumes energy in data centers, contributing to a larger digital carbon footprint. By being intentional about what we keep, we help conserve energy and reduce the University’s overall resource consumption.

Start with your files in OneDrive and Teams. Take a few minutes to delete drafts and documents you no longer need and organize your active files into clearly named folders. You may also want to review shared folders or Teams channels you no longer use. As members of a campus community, we can all be good stewards of University resources by managing our digital storage responsibly.

One of the easiest ways to reduce digital clutter is to share links instead of emailing files. Using the “share” option in a digital document keeps everyone working from the same version, helps avoid confusion from multiple copies labeled “final,” and minimizes redundant data storage. These small actions, when added up across campus, can make a noticeable difference in our collective digital footprint.

The best news is that you don’t have to do everything at once. Even a quick 10-minute cleanup can help you feel more organized and efficient, while also supporting sustainability efforts and responsible use of University resources this spring.

Becky Klein
Assistant Director, Campus Engagement

In light of recent military actions in Iran, Drake University’s Department of Political Science and the Maxwell Fund are hosting a panel discussion, “The U.S. Airstrikes on Iran: What’s Happening and What’s Next?” today, March 3, at 6 p.m. in the Cowles Library Reading Room. This event is free and open to the public.  Refreshments will be provided.

The panel discussion will cover a broad range of high-stakes topics, including:

• The longstanding tensions between the two nations.
• Recent Iranian protests and their impact on internal stability.
• The legality of military action under international and domestic law.
• Regional and global implications for Israel, the Middle East, and U.S. foreign policy.
• Domestic political consequences, including the impact on the American midterm elections and public opinion.

The panel will feature Associate Professor Kieran Williams, Professor David Skidmore, Professor Debra DeLaet, Assistant Professor Adrien Halliez, Professor Mary McCarthy, and Professor Rachel Paine Caufield.

— Rachel Paine Caufield, Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science and Co-Executive Director of the Ron & Jane Olson Institute for Public Democracy

Facilities Planning and Management has scheduled several repairs and preventative maintenance to some key electrical equipment on campus that will necessitate power outages in several buildings on Monday, March 16, 2026.

The following buildings will be without power and will remain closed on March 16, 2026:

• Old Main
• Cole Hall
• Carnegie Hall
• Cartwright Law School
• Opperman Law Library
• Olmsted Center

The power outage in these buildings is scheduled to begin at 7:00am and last through 3:00pm. While there is a possibility work will be completed earlier than 3:00pm, these buildings will remain closed so as not to disrupt work schedules.

— Colin Atkinson, Associate Director, Facilities Planning and Management

Join the conversation about affordable housing in Iowa with open tours of the Community Crate, March 23–26, 9 a.m.–4 p.m., at the Drake OTD building parking lot, 3003 Forest Avenue. When you visit, consider bringing a donation for the OTD Hygeine Drive to benefit hygiene banks throughout the metro.

What is the Community Crate? Using local data and stories from Iowa housing experts, Uplift has transformed a shipping container into an interactive housing exhibit designed to dig into the challenges many Iowans face when it comes to finding a place to call home. Drake’s Occupational Therapy Doctoral Program has partnered with Uplift to host this exhibit, known as the Community Crate.

Tours are free and open to everyone. Please contact Ashley Ezzio, ashley.ezzio@drake.edu, if bringing a class or group.

Drake University Law School will present Upholding the Rule of Law, the spring installment of its Dean’s Speaker Series, on March 3. Melissa Murray, New York University Law professor, legal analyst for MSNBC, and co-host of the Strict Scrutiny podcast, and Stuart F. Delery, a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn and former White House Counsel to President Joe Biden will be the featured speakers.

The event’s fireside chat and audience Q&A will begin at 3 p.m., followed by a reception at 4 p.m. The program is free and open to the public, with advance registration required.

The conversation will be moderated by Drake Law School Dean Roscoe Jones, Jr. and will explore the role of the legal profession in upholding the rule of law.“This event reflects Drake Law’s commitment to engaging students and the broader community in meaningful dialogue about leadership, civility, and the principles that sustain our legal system,” said Dean Jones. “We are honored to welcome Professor Melissa Murray and former White House Counsel Stuart Delery, whose careers exemplify public service, national impact, and promoting a more just world.”

Melissa Murray teaches constitutional law, family law, criminal law, and reproductive rights and justice at NYU School of Law. She is a co-author of the New York Times #1 bestseller The Trump Indictments: The Historic Charging Documents with Commentary, and her forthcoming book, The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader, will be published in May 2026. Her writing has appeared in leading legal and national publications, including the Harvard Law Review, Yale Law Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic. Additionally, Murray is a legal analyst for MSNBC and co-host of Strict Scrutiny, a podcast focused on the Supreme Court and legal culture.

Stuart Delery brings more than 30 years of experience in senior government leadership and private practice. As White House Counsel from 2022–2023, he advised the President on constitutional, statutory, and regulatory matters, managed responses to congressional investigations, and supported the federal judicial nomination and confirmation process. Previously, he served as Acting Associate Attorney General of the United States and as Senate-confirmed Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division at the U.S. Department of Justice. He is currently a partner at Gibson Dunn, where his practice focuses on high-stakes litigation, crisis management, and regulatory matters involving complex legal and reputational risks.

— Taylor Johnson, Law School

The Griff of the Month series rolls on, and March is bringing the luck.

Each month, we release a new limited-edition Griff design so you can build your collection all year long. Collect all 12 designs and you will unlock a bonus exclusive at the end of the year.

For March, meet St. Paddy’s Day Griff.

Dressed for St. Patrick’s Day and ready to celebrate, this festive design adds a little extra charm to your Bulldog gear lineup.

Collect them all!

— Bulldog Shop

Are you interested in keeping up to date with sustainability on campus? Sign up to receive the monthly Sustainability Newsletter!

Here you can see February’s newsletter.

Email sustainability@drake.edu if you have any questions or have an event you want to spotlight in the newsletter!

— Sydney Dvorak, Sustainability Coordinator