J. Scott Raecker, executive director of The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center, will deliver the keynote address, “Building Community at Drake—Where Do We Go From Here and What Role do I Play,” at the 2017 Drake University Learning Symposium Aug. 18 at the Sheraton in West Des Moines. The interactive presentation will focus on how we each play a role in creating a culture of excellence that will further build community at Drake. The session will introduce research-based strategies that The Ray Center is utilizing to positively shape culture with higher education, workplace, and public service organizations across the country. Outcome expectations include individual awareness and commitment to act on the opportunities we each have to enrich the Drake community through intentional relationship building and core leadership competencies that will enhance performance.

Faculty and staff are invited to register for the 2017 Learning Symposium on Eventbrite. For more details on the symposium, including a schedule of events, click here.

—Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost

Drake faculty and staff are invited to register for what is sure to be an interesting and educational day. This year’s Learning Symposium, Building Community, will be held Aug. 18 at the Sheraton in West Des Moines. Faculty and staff can find more information and register here. The symposium will include a continental breakfast, a large group program, two break-out sessions, and a luncheon. Scott Raecker, executive director of the Robert D. and Billie Ray Center, will give the keynote address.

—Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost

There’s still time to read the summer book club book!  Our current book is Lab Girl by Hope Jahren; this book won a National Book Critics Circle Award and is a great summer read. Cowles Library has books available for checkout on a weekly basis (hint: ask for the book on reserve at the circulation desk).

Contact Sara at ascspecialevents@drake.edu if you have any questions, would like to receive future book club info directly to your email, or would like to RSVP for the discussion. We are planning to meet Tuesday, July 11, at 4:45 (note the CHANGE IN DATE from original post) at Eatery A—we’ve had a lot of fun at these, please feel free to join us.

If you can’t make the discussion, we hope you’ll enjoy the book recommendation. We’ll also be looking for book selection ideas for the next fiscal year, so feel free to send any book suggestions our way.

Drake Book Club – previous selections:

• The Kind Worth Killing – Peter Swanson
• Thirteen Ways of Looking – Colum McCann
• The Boys in the Boat – Daniel James Brown
• The Nest – Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
• Hidden Figures – Margo Lee Shetterly
• Bottomland – Michelle Hoover
• Lab Girl – Hope Jahren (current selection)

—ASC Special Events Committee and Cowles Library
Sara Heijerman and Dan Chibnall
(Current Book Club Contacts)

To help improve communication and accountability of incoming packages received and delivered by Drake Postal Operations, we will be implementing a package notification system beginning in July. On the faculty/staff end, this will simply consist of a notification email (similar to the one listed below) that you will receive upon the arrival and processing of your incoming packages by Drake Postal Operations. This email will contain the tracking number and carrier of the received package and lets you know that your package is in Drake’s possession and will be delivered as normal unless otherwise desired.

Dear [Faculty/Staff],
 
We have received a package in your name at Drake Postal Operations located in the Olmsted Center. We will deliver the package to your departmental mail room, at our earliest opportunity, within the next business day.
 
If this package is urgently needed, please contact us at 515-271-3162 or reply to this email for earlier delivery. You’re also welcome to stop by our department to pick up your package.  
 
 
Date received: July 5, 2017
Tracking Number: 1Z1234567891234567
Carrier: UPS
 
Thank you,
Drake University Postal Operations  

On our end, this system will allow us to help answer any package inquiries by recording all packages received by our department and letting us search by name and tracking number. Please note, that if a package is delivered to you directly by the carrier driver (UPS or Fed Ex) and therefore not handled by our department, it will not be processed through this system, and you will not receive a notification email from our department. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding this new system. Thank you.

—Tim Reger, Drake Postal Operations

As you may be aware, University Communications (UC) underwent a departmental reorganization this spring. With the new fiscal year about to begin, here are answers to a few common questions about working with UC.

Who should you contact?
Please work through and with the directors within UC based on the audience you’re trying to engage:

• Alumni: Beth Wilson
• Donors: Beth Wilson
• Faculty/Staff: Alyssa Young
• General Public: Jarad Bernstein
• Prospective Students: Alyssa Young
• Current Students: Alyssa Young

If your needs don’t fall neatly into one of the audience categories above, or if you have a need that crosses multiple audiences, please contact me, and I will assess and assign as appropriate.

An additional note: Digital communications are led by Jeremy Sievers, and include digital assets such as photography and videography. His team’s responsibilities with the website cross all audiences; they also support content for the intranet, as well as digital marketing and other related efforts.

What services are available?
UC continues to provide strategic planning, writing/editing, graphic design, photography/videography, media relations, web development, and all of the core services you would expect from a communications department.

UC priorities in order, are:

• University-wide initiatives, with an increased emphasis on those that drive student recruitment and student retention
• Academic units and particularly those academic programs that need help growing
• Other departments and units around campus, with an emphasis on those that directly support and improve the student experience
• Affiliated organizations such as Harkin Institute, Ray Center, etc.

What self-serve resources are available?
To help address the issue of limited capacity, UC has created and launched an online toolkit to provide campus with a number of self-serve resources:

drake.edu/toolkit/

Please bookmark this link. You should be able to use these tools to fulfill many of your needs, or to better understand how to partner with UC.

What if I still have questions or concerns?
Please reach out to one of the directors listed above or me.

Thank you for your patience the past few months, while UC reengineered our team to operate in more of an audience-centered, data-driven, and digital-first mindset.

We look forward to an exciting and productive academic year ahead.

—Dave Remund, University Communications