Please join us for the 2023 Learning Symposium on Thursday, Aug. 17.  We are planning a day with ample opportunities to reflect and reconnect, to socialize with colleagues, to focus on our community, and to center ourselves for the year ahead.  

This year’s Drake Learning Symposium will allow faculty and staff to gather as one, bringing with us our unique and shared experiences, while focusing on our way forward as a community.  

At the Learning Symposium, we will dive into cultivating the skillsets behind effective communication, conflict management, empathy, resilience, and personal power through activities led by speaker Whitney Warne of Evoke EQ.  

Lunch will be provided by two food trucks; Mactopia and Bearded Jackal. Mactopia items will include Perfection, Garden of Eden, Bliss, and Paradise, as well as soft drinks. Bearded Jackal items will include Peruvian Chicken, Bulgogi, Skirt Steak with Chimichurri, or Thai Curry Tofu (vegetarian). This will come with a side of street corn and Dragon Fruit Lemonade. A voucher for a free entrée and beverage will be provided to all Symposium attendees. Vegetarian and gluten free options will be available. 

Please register for the Learning Symposium on Eventbrite. Those registered will receive a voucher for their lunch at the trucks. 

We are excited to offer this year’s Learning Symposium as a wonderful opportunity for building community. As with all campus events and activities, we ask managers to actively encourage their employees to consider attending—this applies to faculty and both hourly and salaried staff. 

—Madison Bemus, Office of the Provost

Please join us for the next Provost’s Drake Social on Friday, Aug. 18 in the Turner Jazz Center beginning at 4 p.m. As the first Social of the academic year, this will be a chance to reconnect with colleagues, meet new faculty members, and celebrate the start of another great year!

Refreshments will include wine, beer, soft drinks, cake, and an assortment of light snacks. Keep in mind that this is a family friendly event—please feel free to bring your children and partner!

— Madison Bemus, Office of the Provost

Students utilizing the Drake Tuition Waiver benefit for undergraduate degree programs in the Fall 2023 or Spring 2024 semesters are required to complete the 2023–2024 FAFSA before by June 30, 2023. See Drake’s Tuition Waiver Policy for more details.

Employees should complete the Tuition Waiver Application for each semester that the employee or eligible dependent wishes to utilize this benefit.

— Ryan Zantingh, Financial Aid Office

Ice Cream Week is coming! During the last week in June, Provost Mattison invites you to gather some colleagues, take a walk down to Black Cat Ice Cream on Cottage Grove, and enjoy a free cup or cone of one of their amazing ice cream or sorbet flavors.

You can pick up your ticket at the Provost’s Office in Old Main anytime from June 27–30.

Happy summer!

— Madison Bemus, Office of the Provost

You are invited to a series of open forums with the final three candidates for the Associate Provost for Online Education position.

During these forums, each candidate will briefly present their vision for online programming and take questions from the campus community. Please join us via Teams at the any of the following times to ask your questions and get to know the finalists for this position.

Please use the following links to log in:

Dr. Jennifer Miller: 6/21, 1:00-2:00 pm

Dr. Mandara Savage: 6/23, 3:30-4:30 pm

Dr. Belle Cowden: 6/28, 3:30-4:30 pm

— Madison Bemus, Office of the Provost

This group will focus on writing instruction, activities, assignments, and assessments for First-Year Seminar. Instructors who participate in this project will have a one-semester commitment that will include:

• Working with the Director of Writing, Megan Brown, on the development of a writing assignment, writing activities, or a writing project for their FYS.
• Attending an individual meeting at the start of the semester (or during the summer if preferred) to work on writing assignment ideas.
• Attending meetings of all participants in the program in August/September, at approximately midterm, and at end of Fall 2023 semester.  These meetings may be structured as two sessions each time, with half of the participants at each session, in order to facilitate more in-depth discussion.
• Requiring all students enrolled in their FYS to attend tutoring sessions at the Writing Center at least twice during the semester.
• Submitting samples of student writing and a brief critical reflection at the end of the semester.

After the initial meeting(s) with the Director of Writing to develop a writing assignment or writing project, participants will receive a stipend of $500. After completing the requirements and attending the final meeting, participants will receive an additional $500.

If you are interested in participating, or if you have questions, please contact Megan Brown (megan.brown@drake.edu) by June 30.

— Megan Brown, Professor of English

If you have not lately, I’d encourage you to review Drake’s Continuous Improvement Plan site. As a reminder, this is our strategic plan and lists out all of the objectives in each of the plan’s commitment areas.  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 “+” in each objective area or the “Learn more” link to see more on student, faculty, and staff successes.  

In addition, you’ll see more information on all the major initiatives the University has underway as well. This site is continuously updated and can be also found any time by going to the drake.edu home page, clicking on ‘Campus Links’ at the top and selecting “Strategic Plan”. Thanks for your review and engagement.

— Nate Reagen, President’s Office

Job Description
The Post-Graduate Global Scholarships Coordinator position seeks to assist current undergraduate and recent graduates from Drake University in discovering and applying to prestigious scholarships with a global focus. In this position, one can expect to assist mainly in Fulbright applications, but also in other global oriented scholarships such as the Rhodes scholarship or Boren scholarship when requested.

The position runs on an annual, renewable contract, and will be effective from July 1–June 30, beginning in summer 2023. Faculty will receive two course reassignments or a combination of a course release and a stipend for serving in this capacity. Candidates must be full-time (tenured or consecutive term) faculty members at Drake University at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor.

Primary Job Responsibilities

• Maintaining familiarity with the various fellowships—the award types, eligibility, different country programs, and selection process—to effectively advise students
• Promoting scholarship opportunities via outreach such as information sessions and classroom visits
• Helping students determine the fellowships that best suit their qualifications and interests
• Providing guidance and support to students on their application essays and revisions
• Giving constructive, developmental feedback to students on their writing
• Managing various online application systems and uploading documents
• Coordinating institutional responsibilities for student applicants, such as: panel interviews, institutional endorsements or evaluation documents, and letters of recommendation
• Celebrating successes and helping unsuccessful students manage their disappointments and pursue alternatives
• Helping students recognize what they learn/gain from the process, especially when their work does not succeed in winning a fellowship
• Working with University Marketing and Communications to assist with press releases and publicity to celebrate student awards

Key Qualifications/Skills

• Grant writing skills and an ability to teach those skills to mostly undergraduates for writing statements of grant purpose and personal statements
• Mentoring skills
• International/intercultural experience to advise students about country decisions
• Strong faculty/staff network to recruit for panel interviews and mock interviews
• Ability to run efficient meetings, lead panel interviews, give outreach/recruitment presentations
• Ability to write letters of recommendation and draft institutional endorsements

Additional Information

• The heaviest workload can be expected in August and September
• Workload will vary depending on familiarity with the application process and number of applicants
• As the position mainly assists in Fulbright applications, it may be of interest to visit https://us.fulbrightonline.org/fulbright-program-advisers

Questions concerning the position should be direct to Annique Kiel, Executive Director of Global Engagement and International programs at annique.kiel@drake.edu.

Application Process

• Interested individuals should submit a statement of interest, outlining strengths in key areas of responsibility, as well as how the position supports their growth and development as a professor at Drake University. The statement of interest should also reference prior experience with or commitment to internationalization efforts and Drake as a global university.
• Applicants must include a letter of support from the individual’s college/school dean
• Files must be submitted to Annique Kiel (annique.kiel@drake.edu) by May 31, 2023. Interviews will take place June, with a July 1 start date.

— Annique Kiel, Global Engagement

Drake University seeks a Deputy Provost for Academic Affairs to provide leadership for faculty success initiatives and strategic academic affairs priorities.   

The DPAA reports to the Provost, and has direct supervisory responsibilities of an administrative assistant and the director of the Office of Sponsored Programs Administration.  The DPAA works strategically and collaboratively across campus, and is an integral member of Provost’s Council (OIRA, Global Engagement, Registrar, Student Success, Online, Admissions, Campus Equity and Inclusion) and Academic Affairs Council (Provost’s Council and Academic Deans).

This position is a three-year renewable appointment. Please submit cover letter, CV, and diversity statement by Monday, June 12, to Madison Bemus.

Primary Functions:

Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) (60%)
— Support faculty success:  
— Articulate a vision for the CTE. 
— Plan and implement data-informed initiatives to support successful teaching, research/scholarship, and service. 
— Support faculty honors and awards functions.  
— FYS staffing, training, and evaluation.
— Quality Initiative for reaffirmation of HLC accreditation: 
— Co-direct campus-wide QI initiative that is integrally connected to FYS and CTE. 
— Honors program, Speaking Center, and Writing Center. 
— Oversight of budget and administrative roles, and strategic support.

New Faculty and Academic Chair orientations and mentoring (20%)
—Develop programs and activities to support and mentor new faculty onboarding and retention.  
— Develop programs and initiatives to support and mentor new and continuing department chairs.

Other strategic priorities (10%)

Office of Sponsored Programs Administration (5%)
— Lead and oversee strategic growth in external funding for scholarship and innovative teaching.  
— Oversight of the Office of Sponsored Programs director, three additional staff, and budget.

Communications to campus (5%)

Minimum Qualifications:

• Be a full-time (tenured or consecutive term) faculty member at Drake University at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor. 
• Provide evidence of leadership (formal or informal) by collaborating, problem-solving, and capacity-building.    
• Demonstrate high-level communication skills, including listening, writing, and speaking. 
• Demonstrate informed decision-making using data. 
• Demonstrate commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through concrete actions.

—Sue Mattison, Provost