The Offices of Finance and Student Financial Planning would like to thank everyone for taking the time to complete the Survey of Administrative Services earlier this fall.  We have gained valuable feedback to help us maintain and improve the services we provide to students, faculty, and staff.

Ratings for every question were very consistent with prior year ratings.  Each of the departments individually scored between 4.5 and 5.0 on the 5-point scale.  The overall satisfaction with the services provided by the Offices of Finance and Student Financial Planning score was 4.57 compared to 4.59 in 2021.  While there is always room for improvement, the unit’s staff are clearly doing their best to meet our service-oriented objectives to:

• Ensure our constituents are engaged and informed,
• Ensure integrity and transparency,
• Process university resources timely and accurately, and
• Improve service excellence.

The comments included in the survey were very helpful.  We appreciate the many positive comments that recognized outstanding service provided by staff.  The following are items noted that we hope to improve over the coming year.

• Dissatisfaction with travel management vendor – I am pleased to share that Finance staff are in the initial stage of conducting a thorough review and request for proposal process to consider other vendors and models of providing travel services. A working group including faculty, budget/office managers, athletics, and administrative offices with higher volumes of travel will provide valuable input to the process and vendor selection.
• Confusion on who does what in Finance and who is on campus or working from home under a flexible work arrangement – We plan to update information on MyDrake and share communications with applicable constituents to more clearly articulate roles within Finance and working location. We also plan to update office signage regarding the availability of staff and backup support options.

Thank you again for participating in the Survey of Administrative Services and please know that your input is reviewed and analyzed by the entire staff of the Offices of Finance and Student Financial Planning.

— Adam Voigts, Chief Financial Officer

All Staff Council and Human Resources invite faculty and staff to attend this year’s Holiday Cheer gathering this Thursday, Dec. 15, near the Pomerantz stage in the Olmsted Center. Faculty and staff are welcome to come and go as they please from 9 to 11 a.m.

Guests can enjoy a hot chocolate bar and cookie decorating station. Griff II will also be in attendance and ready for photos.

If you bring at least one non-perishable food or other goods for Drake’s Free Little Food Pantries, you will be entered into a drawing for prizes.

This event is a chance to give back to others in the Drake community, while mingling with coworkers.  Please take a moment to stop by, grab some cheer, and drop off a donation.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Facilities Planning and Management is taking steps to minimize the University’s utility usage over winter break.

Students in residence halls are tasked with closing and securing windows, unplugging all electronic items including refrigerators, keeping the doors open, and lowering thermostats as recommended. These simple steps not only reduce utility usage, but lower our carbon footprint by not consuming energy on buildings that are unused while students are away.  Many of these rooms are unoccupied until the start of the spring semester.

For buildings on campus that house instruments, libraries, or labs, FPM sets temperatures to 70 degrees to ensure that those items are unaffected by cold temperatures. Other office buildings and administration buildings, temperatures are reduced overnight and weekends when the facilities are unoccupied. Reducing thermostats 7–10 degrees for 8 hours can equate to 10% savings in heating costs. For some locations where there are local thermostats that can be adjusted by occupants, FPM request that when you leave your office or building for the day, please readjust the thermostat.

With the hybrid model of coming into the office and working from home being more of the normal schedule, FPM asks that faculty and staff also consider the items in their offices that may continue to use energy while they are away.  Many items, while not in use, have a plug load, meaning they continue to use electricity. Just a little savings can go a long way when everyone participates in assisting in electricity reduction.

For those who would like more information on plug load, Stanford University compiled this report and findings.

— Kevin Moran, Facilities Planning and Management

Be sure to drop by the retirement reception to honor Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost, on Wednesday, Dec. 7, from 1–2:30 p.m. in Old Main, Levitt Hall.

— Ann Guddall, Office of the Provost

Sneak in a little personal development before the holidays. Professor Chris Snider will be teaching a Smartphone Video Workshop on Tuesday, Dec. 20, on campus at Drake.

You’ll learn the basics of creating great videos and put those skills into action during this hands-on, one-day workshop. All you need to bring is your smartphone. Sign up here.

— Chris Snider, School of Journalism and Mass Communication

… it’s true!  When I was teaching full time, I always found myself wanting to write syllabi, instead of grade finals!

In that spirit, I’ve put together the roster of faculty development opportunities for January and the spring semester, and offer them to you here—in hopes you’ll be invigorated by the thought of planning ahead, and that you can envision a future where attending several of these opportunities makes sense.

January Development Opportunities

Appropriate Goal Setting for Spring: Jan. 10 from 12–3 p.m. This will be an interactive workshop with lots of time to think and plan—with a focus on how to balance teaching, research, and service responsibilities. We will meet in person in Howard Hall, with lunch provided—but with an option for those who want to participate remotely via Zoom. I’m happy to provide lunchtime hospitality. Sign up here.

Pedagogical Problem Solving:  Jan. 6 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. We will take time to reflect on our experiences teaching this fall, brainstorm and problem solve solutions to common challenges, and engage in co-working to finalize syllabi for spring semester. I’m happy to provide breakfast. Sign up here.

Spring Development 

At the enthusiastic recommendation of several humanities and social science faculty (thank you Professor Karen Leroux!), my office has purchased a site license for a learning technology tool—Hypothesis is—which fully integrates into BlackBoard and facilitates direct student interaction and collaboration on primary source documents. Karen and I are working to coordinate some training opportunities for faculty who wish to learn more—please feel free to reach out to me, if you are interested, and I’ll keep your availability in mind while scheduling that opportunity.

This spring, I will be hosting a writing group focused on completing specific projects. We will meet at a set time every three weeks, for 90 minutes. We’ll spend 15–20 minutes checking in with the status of our projects (accountability) and the remainder actually writing/revising.  If the group wants to, we’ll build in time for sharing our work as well.  If you are interested in participating, please email me at renee.cramer@drake.edu as soon as possible, with your potential available times in the spring (or, perhaps, the times you know you’re not free), as well as some details (three sentences!) on the project you plan to finish by end-of-spring-semester.  The main benefit—beyond community—I’ll provide hospitality, a quiet room, and your excuse to set aside dedicated time during your work week, for writing.

Also this spring, I’ll be hosting a workshop on writing and shopping a book proposal. If you are interested, please email renee.cramer@drake.edu with your general availability during February and March, so I can schedule at a time when the most folks are most available. And, we’ll have a series of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Lunches, starting in mid-February. Watch for scheduling details.

Finally, please check your schedules and set aside time for Books for Breakfast. We will start the semester with a classic, Parker Palmer’s Courage to Teach on Feb. 7 and Feb. 21 from 8:30–9:30 a.m. We’ll read and discuss Helen Sword’s gorgeous book, Air & Light & Time & Space: How Successful Academics Write, on Friday mornings April 7 and April 21. Also this spring, we’ll welcome Christina Katopodis to campus to talk about her book (co-authored with Cathy Davidson) The New College Classroom (which several of us read this fall during Books for Breakfast), and we’ll have a special book read co-facilitated with CPHS faculty member Shankar Munusamy, on the challenging book: The Great Upheaval: Higher Education’s Past, Present, and Uncertain Future.  We will meet four times for that book, and I’d request that if you think you might be interested in joining us, you email me with your potential availability in March, so I can schedule to maximize attendance.

— Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost

All Staff Council is holding a Bulldog Connect Networking Lunch on Wednesday, Dec. 7, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Come join us for a $5 lunch at Hubbell Dining Hall. We encourage attendees to wear their Drake name tag. Anyone is welcome to come—bring a fellow Bulldog along with you. Look for the table with the Drake swag and a special Bulldogs Connect table tent in Hubbell.

Also a reminder that All Staff Council invites you to share any suggestions, concerns, or other feedback you’d like us to look into using this form. (If you’d like us to respond to your feedback directly, please include your name and contact information, otherwise let us know your thoughts anonymously.)

— Megan Franklin, On behalf of All Staff Council

 I want to share with you the most recent results from the ITS section of this year’s Survey of Administrative Services. First, thank you to all who participated in the survey. The number of responses was significantly higher than the past few years and provides valuable feedback to help ITS assess and provide services that meet the needs of our students, faculty, and staff. This year’s results show that overall satisfaction with ITS increased from 3.76 in 2021 to 4.02 in 2022 (Figure 1).  

Satisfaction with ITS staff was positive overall (Figure 2). However, there are some areas that clearly need improvement. Satisfaction with communication about the status of tickets decreased to 3.5 and will be an area of focus in the upcoming year. 

A. ITS staff are courteous
B. ITS staff are professional
C. ITS staff are knowledgeable
D. ITS staff resolve my requests in a timely manner
E. ITS staff resolve my requests without errors
F. ITS staff provide regular communication about the status of my requests
G. When I contact ITS, I have confidence my requests will be resolved to my satisfaction

Satisfaction with IT services also improved overall (Figure 3). However, satisfaction with how we keep campus aware of changes to technology has decreased and will also be an area we will strive to improve in the upcoming year. 

A. I have the right technology tools I need to do my job effectively
I know how to use the technology I need to do my job effectively
C. I have the right level of support to use technology effectively
D. I know how to get training when I need to learn new technology
E. ITS keeps me aware of changes to technology that will impact my work 

The past couple of years have been a time of significant technological disruption. From the rapid adoption of online communication and instructional tools to unstable supply chains and staffing limitations, 2020 and 2021 presented many challenges. Our supportive campus partnerships allowed us to weather this storm and we are grateful for those strong relationships. 

ITS leadership will continue to assess your feedback and develop initiatives to help improve services based on the survey results. In the upcoming year, we will renew our focus on fundamentals and leverage the tools and procedures we have in place to better meet our communication and service commitments to campus. 

— Keren Fiorenza, ITS

All Staff Council and Human Resources invite faculty and staff to attend this year’s Holiday Cheer gathering on Thursday, Dec. 15, near the Pomerantz stage in the Olmsted Center. Faculty and staff are welcome to come and go as they please from 9 to 11 a.m.

Guests can enjoy a hot chocolate bar and cookie decorating station. Griff II will also be in attendance and ready for photos.

If you bring at least one non-perishable food or other goods for Drake’s Free Little Food Pantries, you will be entered into a drawing for prizes.

This event is a chance to give back to others in the Drake community, while mingling with coworkers.  Please take a moment to stop by, grab some cheer, and drop off a donation.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

The Drake Principal Center for Global Center for Global Engagement is pleased to announce a new round of grants are available for fiscal year 2024. Each year, Drake financially supports faculty and staff projects in all corners of the world, including collaborative research projects, the creation of new student travel seminars, joint curriculum development, and more.

Current funding opportunities include:

Global Engagement Grants: Partnering with students, faculty, and staff to advance global and cross-cultural initiatives that connect Drake University with the world, the Global Engagement Grants Review Committee invites applications for funding. Grants are available to assist academic programs, faculty, and staff members in efforts to enhance the global engagement of Drake faculty, staff, and students. Applications may be considered for awards from multiple sources and will be reviewed on an ongoing basis until funds are expended.

Global Partnership Grants: Drake University has established formal partnerships with multiple institutions abroad. Joint faculty and staff projects with one of our global partner institutions may be eligible for financial support through the Global Partnership Grants.

Global Enhancement Grants: This NEW grant program has been developed to support Drake faculty and staff in bringing virtual global enhancement to their existing courses and programs. Examples include (but are not limited to: inviting a guest speaker or panel to present virtually on a specific topic; facilitating a virtual tour to complement coursework; or developing a module or project to connect virtually with students in another part of the world! Assistance is available through the Office of Global Engagement to connect Drake faculty and staff with provider organizations and global partner institutions that can serve as resources for potential projects.

Nelson Institute Pressing Issues Grant: This resource is for students and faculty to conduct research on topics of broad international importance, such as hunger, humanitarian crises, global warming, and forced migrations.

Global Scholar/Practitioner and Residence: This program brings recognized and experienced scholars and professionals in various international fields to campus to teach part-time and serve as mentors to students. Global Scholars/Practitioners also engage with campus and community through research, public lectures, and help with furthering Drake’s institutional partnerships!

In addition to these official programs, the Drake Principal Center for Global Citizenship has also developed a list of faculty resources, including external grants and other support for faculty interested in global activities.

For more information about these opportunities, eligibility information, and links to the grant applications, please visit the official grant webpage. For questions or further support with logistics, don’t hesitate to contact grant program overseer Hannah Sappenfield.

— Hannah Sappenfield, Global Engagement