It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Walter Houf, 90, of Windsor Heights. Walter was a Drake history professor from 1961–1988. He also graduated from the Law School in 1993. Walter was named Outstanding Teacher of the Year, 1986–1987, in the College of Arts & Sciences.

Walter graduated from Mexico High School in Missouri in 1949, and he served in the United States Marine Corps, 1951–1953. He married Betty Myers on July 4, 1954.

Walter received his doctorate in history from the University of Missouri, Columbia in 1961. Please join us in extending our sincerest condolences to Walter’s family, friends, and colleagues.

The Principal Global Citizenship Award was presented at the Global Citizen Forum on Thursday, March 3. The award recognizes Drake faculty or staff who have made outstanding contributions to global engagement and internationalization of the campus and curriculum.

Nomination letters had to articulate how the nominee has made outstanding contributions toward realizing the following:

• Support Drake University as a global institution by creating linkages to global partners in local, national, and international settings;
• Develop and/or actively support global and intercultural learning opportunities for Drake students;
• Develop infrastructure, resources, and partnerships to support internationalization and global engagement.

The 2022 recipient of the Principal Global Citizenship Award is Deb Bishop.  Deb is a professor of practice in management and international business in the College of Business and Public Administration.

Beginning in 2006, Deb, in partnership with several colleagues, developed a travel seminar to Uganda focused on sustainable development in partnership with Makerere University Business School (MUBS).  Since 2007, over 200 Drake students have traveled to Uganda as part of that class. The program model is unique in that it integrates Drake students with MUBS students, with intentional, intercultural learning. The MUBS students began traveling annually to Drake as part of the program model in 2012, which has created a “full circle” intercultural experience.  There is a significant service component to the travel seminar in Uganda, and that service element culminated into a health clinic being constructed in a rural village following student-led research and fundraising that began in 2012. Deb was a driving force behind the development, fundraising, and construction of the health clinic. As a member of Rotary, she leveraged key relationships within that organization to ensure sustainability and local, community-led commitment and management. The clinic serves anywhere between 10-100 patients each day and has created economic viability and health care support in the area.

Deb has played a key role in growing and sustaining the MUBS partnership.  She has published papers with Ugandan faculty colleagues, she has supervised MUBS PhD students, and has helped shape the Entrepreneurship Center at MUBS through time spent there on sabbatical in 2016, but also in hosting the MUBS Entrepreneurship Center Director on Drake’s campus, and co-teaching a seminar with her. Deb also helped bring a Fulbright Scholar from MUBS to Drake in 2013.

In addition to her significant achievements in relationship to Uganda, she has also played a key role since 2016 in bringing global perspective to Drake and the Des Moines community through the Mandela Washington Fellowship program.  The Mandela Washington Fellowship Program is the flagship program of the U.S. Department of State’s Young African Leadership Initiative. Drake has served as a host institute for the Fellowship since 2016, and since that time, Deb has served as the academic director of the program.  Together with Lance Noe, Deb has shaped the leadership journey of over 100 young African professionals who have participated in Drake’s business and entrepreneurship institute.  The program is six weeks in length, and each summer she gives her time and energy to ensuring the Fellows have experiences that not only are memorable but transformative. In 2020, when the in-person program was suspended due to the pandemic, Deb created virtual modules for over 700 Fellows across sub-Saharan Africa, which are still accessible to the over 4,000 alumni that have completed their fellowships in the U.S.

In addition to these significant contributions, Deb also helped design and teach a service-learning class at Drake focused on Uganda service projects for five years; serves as a host for the Drake Intercultural Community Exchange; regularly mentors international students; serves on the board of Iowa Communities of Compassion; and serves as a speaker for the US Dept of State Bureau of Cultural and Academic Affairs Speakers Bureau.

In the words of a colleague that submitted a letter of support for Deb’s nomination, Deb’s work “represents a true life-long commitment to serving others in the international community that brings together the Drake community of students, faculty and staff.” For decades, Deb has demonstrated a passion and a commitment to global learning, creating transformational experiences for students and modeling responsible global citizenship.

Please join me in celebrating Deb Bishop as the recipient of the 2022 Principal Financial Global Citizenship Award. 

— Annique Kiel, Global Engagement

Are you Ukrainian or of Ukrainian heritage? Are you and your family affected by the war? Do you have friends caught in the middle of the conflict?  Please join us and other students, faculty, and staff in supporting each other in these difficult times. Email either Professor Vira Babenko (vira.babenko@drake.edu) or Professor Natalie Bayer (natalie.bayer@drake.edu).

— Natalie Bayer, College of Arts & Sciences

All Black men (students, faculty and staff) are invited to unwind and have a nice barbershop talk with people who look like them on Friday, March 4, at 4 p.m. in Collier-Scripps, Room 005. Drinks and snacks will be provided. Just bring yourselves and your thoughts as we talk about life, purpose, and goals. Drake students Parfait Ouedraogo and Damon Harrell are the organizers.

— Jen Harvey, Provost’s Office

Sponsored by John Pappajohn and Equity Dynamics, Inc., the Pappajohn Student Entrepreneurial Venture Competition is for Iowa university and college students with an interest in starting their own business. Plans are judged based on a) Content of Plan and b) Viability of business idea. Three (3) seed grants in the amount of $5,000 are awarded to the top three business plans submitted in the competition. In addition, all finalists receive $500 if not chosen for the top awards.

Any full- or part-time undergraduate or graduate registered for the 2021-2022 academic year is eligible. Plans must be for a start-up business only (not for an existing business). Visit https://tinyurl.com/drakestudentpappajohn to learn more and apply! Questions? Email jpec@drake.edu.

— Stephanie Cardwell, CBPA

DART’s Express Routes (92, 93, 95, 96, 98 and 99) have experienced decreased ridership due to new travel patterns and the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on local commuters. Because of this decrease in ridership, DART is proposing reducing the number of trips its Express Routes run. By surveying riders, DART hopes to find the times they need to arrive in, and leave, downtown Des Moines. DART is not planning to end service on any routes as part of this effort.

If you currently utilize any of DART’s Express Routes, they invite you to take a survey, sharing what time you want to see their routes run. You are welcome to share contact information when you complete the survey to receive information in the future including proposed schedules after the survey closes. DART expects to begin making changes to its Express Routes in June 2022.

If you prefer not to fill out the survey online, you may pick up and drop off a paper copy of the survey at the DART Customer Service window at DART Central Station (620 Cherry St.) or request a survey by calling DART Customer Service at 515-283-8100, option 0.

If you have questions about these survey efforts, please visit ridedart.com/June.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Please join faculty from the Department of Political Science and the Department of History for a panel discussion about the unfolding crisis in Ukraine. This event will be held on Wednesday, March 2, from 12:30–1:45 p.m. in the Reading Room at Cowles Library.

Panelists include:

• Amir Busnov (B.A. in International Relations from Drake University): Following his graduation from Drake, Mr. Busnov completed his Masters in International Affairs from the Fletcher School for Law and Diplomacy. He recently returned from Ukraine where he has been serving as a Monitoring Officer with the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) Special Monitoring Mission.
• Rob Collis (Visiting Assistant Professor of History): Professor Collis specializes in European and Russian history, and has published widely on Russian history.
• Debra DeLaet (Professor of Political Science): Professor DeLaet has particular interest in the politics of international law and the role of the United Nations in global politics. Her scholarship focuses on human rights and global gender issues.
• David Skidmore (Professor of Political Science) has a scholarly interest in U.S. foreign policy decision-making. His scholarship focuses on U.S. foreign policy and international political economy.
• Kieran Williams (Assistant Professor of Political Science): Professor Williams has a special interest in the politics of Central and Eastern Europe. His publications include several works relating to the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968.

Panelists will share their regional expertise as well as perspectives related to international law and international security. There will be ample time for questions and discussion. Light refreshments will be served.

— Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost

The Summer 2022, Fall 2022, J-Term 2023 schedule of classes and related registration information is available online. Registration begins Monday, April 11.

View registration information, including the registration time table that shows when you become eligible to register. View the schedule of classes.

Some courses will be temporarily reserved for students who have declared a certain field-of-study (major, minor, concentration, or endorsement). On Monday, April 25, those reservations will be removed. Note that some courses have restrictions that are permanent.

If you are an undergraduate or pharmacy student intending to make any changes to your field-of-study and have those changes take effect before registration begins, you must file your changes via the change of record request no later than 4:30 p.m. on Monday, April 4. Requests submitted after this date may not be accommodated until Wednesday, April 27.

— Ryan Trump, Office of the Registrar