All Staff Council added a new committee this year, the Special Interest Committee. The committee explores initiatives, questions, and/or concerns presented to All Staff Council through research, planning, and collaboration with appropriate offices on campus.

The Special Interest Committee has made two recommendations that are moving forward.

Recommendation 1: Add Human Resource policies to the Drake website. In addition, add an explanation of why there is a difference between exempt and non-exempt vacation time in the time card directions section.

Exempt staff begin with 160 hours of vacation, and non-exempt staff begin with 80 hours of vacation. Non-exempt staff use 37.5 hours as their workweek with five 30-minute lunches paid. Over the year, the 2.5 hours they get weekly for their paid lunch amounts to 130 hours. This equates to 16.25 days, which is more than two weeks of vacation time. It’s important to note that some staff do not get a paid lunch.

Recommendation 2: Add to the Drake website and HR policies that full-time staff members in exempt positions, who have 9-, 10- or 11-month contracts, have the opportunity to be paid over 12 months. Faculty already have this opportunity; therefore, the committee recommends that it be offered to staff members as well.

It should be noted that non-exempt staff would not be able to defer their pay because they must be paid on a payroll basis to include overtime earned in the pay period. This does not include Head Start employees as they must pay all employees within the program (fiscal) year and would not be able to defer pay into another program/fiscal year.

Additionally, the committee is working on creating a staff mentoring program scheduled to launch in August 2018.

The Special Interest Committee is interested in your suggestions. If you have a question, issue, or concern, reach out to Pam Pepper at pam.pepper@drake.edu or extension 4558. The committee will review your inquiry and respond. All suggestions are kept confidential.

—Pam Pepper, All Staff Council Special Interest Committee Chair

The next in our series of meetings focused on creating inclusive learning environments will be at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, March 19, in the Olmsted Center, TMR 132. These meetings provide an opportunity for anyone on campus to come and discuss the challenges, successes, and failures we have faced as we try to navigate the difficult issue of creating inclusive learning environments. For questions, contact Art Sanders at arthur.sanders@drake.edu.

—Art Sanders, Associate Provost

ITS will send emails that mimic real attacks as part of its phishing education in March. As a reminder, here are some indications that an email may be dangerous:

• A strange sender, or one that you don’t expect
• A request to take ‘urgent’ or ‘immediate’ action
• Links or attachments that don’t match the message content or that you don’t recognize

Slow down and take a second look before acting. If you receive an email that you suspect is phishing, don’t click any links, download any attachments, or reply. Instead, forward the email as an attachment to informationsecurity@drake.edu.

Additional training will be assigned to faculty and staff members who repeatedly click links or open attachments in phishing emails, simulated or not.

For more information on how to report phishing emails, see the IT Service Portal guide, Reporting a Phishing Message (How-to).

—Peter Lundstedt, ITS

The Nelson Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs invites proposals for a two-year grant that will fund interdisciplinary faculty-student research projects that address a global issue of broad public importance. The purpose of this initiative is to enhance Drake’s involvement in addressing pressing global issues, thus helping to position Drake as a global knowledge hub in service to local, national, and international communities.

Over the past three years, the Nelson Institute has funded the following projects:

• Assessing, collaborating, and empowering to improve water quality in rural Uganda
• Transnational Des Moines: Reframing Des Moines immigrant and refugee narratives through collaborative research with youth
• Drake’s presence in the Toledo District of Southern Belize: Maximizing our impact while minimizing our footprint

One project will be funded from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2020. The deadline for proposals is May 4. Proposals should be sent to Denise Ganpat at denise.ganpat@drake.edu. Award notification will occur by June 1. Teams are encouraged to consult with Jeffrey Kappen, assistant professor of international business and interim director of the Nelson Institute, at jeffrey.kappen@drake.edu, as they prepare their proposals. The Nelson Institute will provide $20,000–$30,000 in support of the selected project, depending upon demonstrated need. Project leaders are encouraged, if necessary, to seek additional funding from on- and off-campus sources. View the full call for proposals and criteria.

— Denise Ganpat, Provost’s Office

Drake faculty are invited to submit nominations to the Deans’ Council for University Marshal and Assistant Marshal. The marshals oversee and participate in Drake commencement and other ceremonies. Submit nominations by Friday, March 9, prior to Spring Break.

University Marshal: To be eligible for consideration, nominees for University Marshal must 1) hold the rank of professor, 2) be actively engaged in the life of the University through all-university leadership and service, and 3) have regularly attended Drake University commencements.

Assistant Marshal: To be eligible for consideration, nominees for Assistant Marshal must 1) have been recognized by their academic unit or by the University for excellence in teaching, scholarship, or service, and 2) have regularly attended Drake University commencements.

The University and Assistant Marshals are appointed by the president, upon the recommendation of the Deans’ Council. The term is for five years, renewable at the discretion of the president. Nominations can be directed to Drinda Williams, administrative assistant to the provost, at drinda.williams@drake.edu.

University Marshal Joseph Schneider, Ellis and Nelle Levitt distinguished professor of sociology and department chair, and Assistant Marshal David Wright, professor of journalism and mass communication, are stepping down as Drake’s Marshals following the 2018 commencement.

Drinda Williams, Provost’s Office

The first Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) lunch of the semester is Friday, March 2, at 12 p.m. in Medbury Hall, Room 201. The lunch discussion is an opportunity 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 the process. While it is too late to register for a lunch, you are welcome to come and bring your own lunch.

— Art Sanders, Associate Provost

Deadlines for students to study abroad this summer are quickly approaching. Students must submit their applications to Drake International by March 1 for all summer study abroad programs. Students can submit their applications online here.

— Karen Williams, Drake International

The University Book Club is reading “Arrowood” by Laura McHugh this spring, an eerie tale set in Keokuk, Iowa. The book is available for checkout at Cowles Library.

The club will meet Tuesday, April 3, at 4:45 p.m. at Smokey Row to discuss the book. Faculty and staff are invited to join.

Contact ascspecialevents@drake.edu if you are interested in participating in the discussion, to receive future book club information directly to your email, or if you have any questions.

In addition, the book club is accepting book selection ideas for the next fiscal year. Please send book suggestions to ascspecialevents@drake.edu.

Previous selections include:

• “The Kind Worth Killing” by Peter Swanson
• “Thirteen Ways of Looking”  by Colum McCann
• “The Boys in the Boat” by Daniel James Brown
• “The Nest” by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
• “Hidden Figures” by Margo Lee Shetterly
• “Bottomland” by Michelle Hoover
• “Modern Romance” by Aziz Ansari
• “The Alice Network” by Kate Quinn
• “Arrowood” by Laura McHugh (current selection)
• “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand (upcoming summer selection)

— All Staff Council, Special Events Committee

Join ITS staff for the next session of Tech Tuesday on March 6 from 2 to 2:50 p.m. in the Dial Center Large Conference Room.

The session will focus on keeping your identity safe six months after the Equifax breach. Led by Peter Lundstedt, director, information security and compliance.

Sign up for the March 6 session and other upcoming sessions.

— Carla Herling, ITS

Nominations are now being accepted for the Madelyn M. Levitt Distinguished Community Service Award and the Madelyn M. Levitt Employee Excellence Award. Nominations are due to Human Resources by Friday, March 30, at 4:30 p.m. Late nominations will not be accepted.

Madelyn M. Levitt Distinguished Community Service Award

Madelyn M. Levitt established the Distinguished Community Service Award to recognize the outstanding contributions of Drake faculty and staff. Recipients are chosen on the following criteria:

• A demonstrated personal commitment to volunteerism and community service
• An outstanding record of leadership or substantial involvement in community projects, services and activities contributing to the quality of life in our region, state and/or the nation
• Professional and personal values and behavior that typify the ideals of “giving back to others” and “making a difference in the lives of others”
• The nominee must be a current faculty or staff member with at least five years of service at Drake.

Madelyn M. Levitt Employee Excellence Award

The Employee Excellence Award is presented to a staff member who demonstrates exceptional commitment to excellence in the performance of their duties. Criteria for the award include:

• Exceptional performance as an employee of Drake University
• Outstanding dedication to providing courteous, prompt, and quality service
• Demonstrated commitment to University programs, initiatives, and services
• Professional values and behavior that demonstrate exceptional service to others and a commitment to Drake University
• The nominee must be a current staff member with at least one year of service at Drake.

To nominate a colleague, submit a letter of nomination to the Levitt Award Committee, care of (c/o) Human Resources. Nomination letters may be sent through campus mail or electronically to drakehr@drake.edu.

A nomination letter detailing specific examples of how the nominee exemplifies each of the applicable criteria is desirable. Additional letters of support are not necessary. A review committee will make award recommendations to the President’s Council.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources