The University will hold a budget town hall today (Tuesday, Nov. 4) at 3 p.m. in the Olmsted Center, Parents Hall. All faculty and staff are encouraged to attend to learn more about the fiscal year 2025 results, overall financial health, fiscal year 2026 budget, and a look ahead to future fiscal years.
If you have questions you would like addressed at the town hall, please send them to president@drake.edu.
— Adam Voigts, Chief Financial Officer
Our annual opportunity to contribute to the United Way of Central Iowa, as a University, is coming next week! Your optional contribution can be through monetary support, volunteering, and/or by donating needed supplies and food. We have some fun, giving-level incentives which includes the incentive of getting a full-day off on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving instead of a half-day—if we can hit our campaign participation goal of 30%!
The campaign will kick-off on Monday, Nov. 10, with an email from United Way of Central Iowa and will conclude on Friday, Nov. 14. Some highlights to share:
This site contains all there is to know about the campaign with more details about the supply & food drive, volunteering opportunities, and giving level incentives.
You are encouraged to participate in a way that works for you!
— Nate Reagen, Office of the President
Cybersecurity Awareness Month may have wrapped up, but our commitment to digital safety continues. Nearly 30% of faculty and staff have finished the mandatory “Security Awareness Foundations” training—thank you to everyone who’s already taken action. If you haven’t yet completed the brief online module, there’s still time: the final deadline is Nov. 21.
The training takes just 20 minutes or less and will help you recognize the latest cybersecurity threats, including those powered by AI. Protect yourself and our campus community by logging in and finishing your session as soon as possible.
If you need assistance, reach out to the ITS Support Center at service.drake.edu/its or call 515-271-3001. Let’s work together to reach 100% completion and keep the Drake community secure.
— Becky Klein, ITS
The Office of Community Engaged Learning and WesleyLife Meals on Wheels kicked off an intergenerational lunch-and-learn series this fall, with four Drake instructors and their courses sharing meals and topical discussions with seniors from around the community. Instructors interested in hosting a “Generations Over Lunch” event as a component of an upcoming spring course are invited to submit proposals here.
Selected instructors will receive a $600 stipend, furnished by the Fitzsimmonds Charitable Trust, and work with the CEL Office and WesleyLife to create a plan for presenting course topics to an intergenerational audience as a component of a CEL course. They will also be eligible to participate in a community of practice through Academic Affairs for additional compensation.
Please contact CEL Director Mallary Allen with questions or to discuss ideas. Topics that lend themselves to personal reflection and intergenerational comparison, as well as classes scheduled over traditional brunch, lunch, or dinner times, will receive top consideration. Spring 2026 proposals are due Nov. 10.
— Mallary Allen, Community Engaged Learning
Thank you to those of you who have completed the Survey of Administrative Services, but we still need to hear from more of you! Your voice helps shape continuous improvement in these areas across campus: Facilities Planning and Management, Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology Services, Public Safety, University Communications & Marketing, and the SPARC (grants) office.
Click here to complete this year’s survey by today. It is completely anonymous and often takes less than five minutes to complete. You will only be asked to provide feedback on the areas you work with regularly.
Thank you in advance for your participation.
— Nate Reagen, Office of the President
Cowles Library has developed a Textbook Alternatives Dashboard that displays both Open Educational Resources (OER) and library-purchased e-Books currently used by faculty in their courses. OER are free, adaptable, and easily accessible materials that help reduce student costs while giving instructors the flexibility to tailor content to better fit their teaching and students’ learning needs.
See the OER Initiatives Research Guide for more information on the current faculty OER grant program. The application deadline has been extended to Oct. 31.
— Hope Bibens, Cowles Library
Faculty and staff who exemplify the Core Value of Joyful Accountability will be recognized at the Provost’s Social today, Oct. 21, at 4 p.m. in the Schicklers Club (formerly known as Courtside Club). This is a family friendly event. Please join us to congratulate your colleagues who have been nominated for exhibiting Joyful Accountability!
— Ann Guddall, Provost’s Office
As a reminder, the University will hold a budget town hall on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at 3 p.m. in the Olmsted Center, Parents Hall. All faculty and staff are encouraged to attend to learn more about the fiscal year 2025 results, overall financial health, fiscal year 2026 budget, and a look ahead to future fiscal years.
If you have questions you would like addressed at the town hall, please send them to president@drake.edu.
— Adam Voigts, Chief Financial Officer
As always, you are encouraged to review Drake’s Continuous Improvement Plan. This is our strategic plan and lists out all our objectives along with major University initiatives. Please take time to explore how each of those objectives are embodied in many ways across our campus life. You can do so by clicking on the “Learn more” link or the “+” in each objective area to see more on student, faculty, and staff successes.
This site is continuously updated and can be found any time by going to the drake.edu home page, clicking on ‘Campus Links’ at the top and selecting ‘Strategic Plan’.
— Nate Reagen, Office of the President
Our annual opportunity to contribute to United Way of Central Iowa, as a University, is coming again in November. Your optional contribution can be financial, volunteering, and/or needed supplies. We’ll continue to have some fun, giving-level incentives as well. This especially includes the incentive of getting a full-day off on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving instead of a half-day—if we can hit our campaign participation goal!
The campaign will kick-off on Monday, Nov. 10, with an email from United Way of Central Iowa and will conclude on Friday, Nov. 14. Some highlights to share:
More details about this years campaign, giving level incentives, volunteer opportunities, and a supply drive is forthcoming in the next OnCampus.
— Nate Reagen, Office of the President
