Category Archives: For Faculty Archive

New URL for online orders of Drake gear

  • For online employee discount pricing, custom departmental items, and bulk orders for Drake gear, the Advanced Online site can now be found at drake.merchorders.com(formerly shop.drake.edu) 
  • As a reminder, employees enjoy 20% off Drake branded items. This discount also applies to applicable purchases at the University Bookstore in Olmsted.
  • For reference, the online University Bookstore site (yes, a second site!) has been greatly improved and can be found in a variety of ways, including shop.drake.edu.

— Caron Findlay, Director, Purchasing and Business Services

How to declutter your life

We’ve all got clutter.  It is one of those things that we think about and put on a list to tackle, but we just never seem to find time.  Besides the obvious benefit of decluttering, did you know that getting your stuff organized can actually improve your physical and mental health?

Join Cindy Torvik from Straighten Your Paths, on Oct. 24 from 2–3 p.m. in the Olmsted Center, Rooms 310 & 311, as we “dig” into this topic. Not only will you get valuable decluttering tips, but one lucky person will win a prize!

Register on Eventbrite.

— Linda Feiden, Wellness & Recognition Specialist, HR

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning lunch Oct. 25

The second Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) lunch is Friday, Oct. 25, at 12 p.m. in TMR 133. These discussions are opportunities for those engaged in SoTL projects at any level—from just thinking about starting one, to almost complete, or those simply curious about SoTL—to share ideas, seek advice or ask questions of colleagues engaged in this process. While it is too late to order a lunch, you are still welcome to join us, and bring your own.

— Arthur Sanders, Associate Provost

The Psychology of Mindset and Resilience: A Faculty/Staff Development Session with Tim Bono

Later this month, Drake University will welcome Tim Bono to campus as the keynote speaker for the 2019 Sussman Leadership Conference, where he’ll speak to undergraduate student leaders about his research regarding college student well-being, happiness, and their connections to student success.

Bono is a faculty member at Washington University in St. Louis, where he studies positive psychology, wellbeing, and happiness among college students. Bono’s book, When Likes Aren’t Enough, discusses 10 evidence-based strategies proven to increase college student well-being, and is used in the Adams Leadership Institute curriculum.

As part of his visit to campus, the Adams Leadership Institute is hosting a faculty/staff development session with Bono.

Title: “The Psychology of Mindset and Resilience: A faculty/staff development workshop.”

When: Monday, Oct. 28, 9:30–10:30 a.m.
(light breakfast will be available beginning at 9 a.m.)

Where: Levitt Hall (no RSVP required)

Failure and setbacks are part of any successful person’s path. But how can we muster the strength to persevere when times are most trying?

Join us for a presentation highlighting the latest research and perspectives from positive psychology on the of mindset and resilience. We will discuss resilience as a life skill, misconceptions about self-esteem, and practical strategies for rebounding from adversity, both for our students and for ourselves.

Please share the events details with your colleagues and networks.

— Kristin Economos, Director, Student Leadership Programs

Many honored by colleagues for Joyful Accountability

More than 80 Drake faculty and staff were honored by colleagues for exhibiting the Drake Core Value of Joyful Accountability. These individuals were honored at the Provost’s Drake Social on Thursday, Oct. 17. Four individuals were selected at random to receive prizes.

  • Christine Urish, premiere parking spot for 1 month
  • Niki Smith, lavender bread
  • Michael Nelson, afternoon office treats
  • Scott Raecker, St. Kilda gift card

Drake faculty and staff who exemplify Generosity of Spirit will be honored at the next Drake Social, Thursday, Nov. 21, in the Cowles Library Reading Room.

— Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost

Switch to eduroam wireless network, DUFacStaff going away

This semester, ITS launched eduroam (education roaming), a new wireless network at Drake. Students, faculty, and staff can access the eduroam wireless network at any eduroam-participating institution worldwide. By connecting to eduroam on campus, using your Drake email and password, you will be able to use the eduroam network whenever you travel to an eduroam-participating institution. In Iowa, that includes University of Iowa, Iowa State, and University of Northern Iowa.

The eduroam network is available in over 1,000 locations in 100 countries, so if you lead a J-Term course, or attend a conference, you may be able to take your wireless network with you.

The eduroam network is replacing DUFacStaff on Dec. 31. You must log into eduroam using your Drake email address, rather than your Drake ID number. This ensures that your credentials are passed securely anywhere you connect to eduroam.

Learn more about eduroam on our FAQ page and make the switch today.

— Carla Herling, ITS

Opportunities to learn more about Microsoft Teams

ITS is working with departments across campus to migrate all shared files into a new software called Microsoft Teams. Microsoft Teams is a product that combines tools and resources such as group chat, calendars, and file sharing into one location using the Office 365 platform. Teams offers a better way to access shared files and work collaboratively.

As part of this process, we’re offering some open sessions for faculty and staff who either want to learn more about Teams, or who have been using Teams and have questions. See below for session options. No need to RSVP, but if you have questions, please contact Carla.herling@drake.edu or Jeffrey.regan@drake.edu. Session dates and times and listed below.

Getting Started with Using Microsoft Teams
Collier Scripps Hall, 05 (Ray Center Conference Room)
Monday, Oct. 21, 1–2 p.m. OR
Thursday, Oct. 24, 11 a.m.–12 p.m.

Heard about Microsoft Teams and curious what it’s all about? Or has your area started using Teams and you’re feeling lost? Come to an introductory session to learn more about Microsoft Teams, what it can do for you and your department, and how ITS is rolling it out across campus.

Learn More about Microsoft Teams
Cowles Library, 201
Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2–3 p.m. OR
Wednesday, Nov. 6, 9–10 a.m.

Using Microsoft Teams and have questions? Want to learn how to use it more effectively? Come to this session to ask questions and learn tips and tricks to help you on the path to becoming a Microsoft Teams expert.

— Carla Herling, ITS

Spring 2020 course material requests, Textbook adoptions due Oct. 15

It’s time to submit your course material requests for Spring 2020, textbook adoptions are due Oct. 15.

Submit your adoptions online via Follett Discover:

  1. Log in to your Learning Management System (BlackBoard).
  2. Find the Follett Discover link in the Tools section to launch the adoption tool.
  3. Plug in your selected ISBN’s and click submit.

If you would like to see screenshots for steps, email Donna.Hallstrom@drake.edu for additional training materials.

— Donna Hallstrom, University Bookstore

Complete the Survey of Administrative Services by Oct. 10

Faculty and staff, if you haven’t already, please consider completing the survey of administrative services by Thursday, Oct. 10.

The survey is completely anonymous and often takes less than five minutes to complete. The survey assesses the University’s performance in delivering services to the campus and is an important part of Drake’s Continuous Improvement Plan.

The survey focuses on six areas: Facilities Planning and Management, Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology Services, Public Safety, and University Communications and Marketing. It was developed by the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment in collaboration with several other of our colleagues. Your feedback is appreciated and will help us better meet the needs of the University. Thank you in advance for your participation.

— Nate Reagen, Chief of Staff