Faculty and staff are able to purchase discounted tickets to the Drake Relays presented by Xtream powered by Mediacom. Visit DrakeTix.com/promo and use promo code drakestaff when purchasing tickets. To learn more and to purchase tickets, visit DrakeTix.com/facultyandstaffdays. For questions, email tickets@drake.edu.
— Aimee Lane, Athletics
Friday, April 15, is the deadline to submit your request to Facilities Planning and Management to get on the schedule for summer office moves. We are moving more than 60 faculty and staff this summer as part of the Meredith and Knapp Center projects. To be able to accommodate move requests outside of these major projects, we will be scheduling the move logistics between July 15 and Aug. 15. We will work to accommodate your requests in conformance with our campus-wide space-use plan.
Information to include:
Please forward requests to Planning and Design Manager Michelle Huggins at michelle.huggins@drake.edu.
— Michelle Huggins, Facilities Planning and Management
If you need to rent regalia for the Spring 2022 commencement ceremonies, contact kyle.mcvay@drake.edu by April 6 with your size and degree information.
— Kyle McVay, Bulldog Shop
The Deputy Provost’s Office/Center for Teaching Excellence will host a May 2022 Faculty Development Workshop: Meeting Our Students As We Find Them Post-COVID. Please plan for an intensive two-and-a-half day workshop appropriate for all Drake faculty and staff who teach—but especially designed for First Year Seminar instructors, those engaged in the teaching of writing (across the curriculum and in your disciplines), those engaged in teaching math and science across the University, and those faculty who want to learn more about how to make their online and face-to-face courses truly accessible to their students.
Details: we will meet as a whole group, and in cohorts, on May 18 and 19 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, and from 8: 30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Friday May 20. Faculty who attend and participate will receive $375 stipends, all materials, ample time in shared conversation and directed learning, and meals—as well as an invitation to be part of compensated faculty learning communities meeting through fall and summer.
To assist in our planning, please register at this link, as soon as you are able to commit.
— Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost
We are hitting that point of the semester where faculty might be asking themselves: Why Bother?
Why Bother grading this stack of papers … there’s just another one around the corner/on the syllabus. Why Bother thinking about my research agenda or creative projects … I don’t have time to work on them. Why Bother meeting a friend for lunch in the middle of the day … I’ll just fall a bit more behind. Why Bother revamping that syllabus for fall … I don’t have the energy for it.
Or, my personal favorite: Why Bother resting now …. Summer is almost here, I can survive a bit longer.
Writer and writing coach Jennifer Louden isn’t an academic—but she has some terrific answers to the perennial problem of Why Bother?
The final Books for Breakfast of the academic year will be April 20 and April 27, from 8:30–9:30 a.m. in Howard Hall, Room 210, and we will be reading Why Bother? Discover the Desire for What’s Next. Sign up, here, by April 8.
— Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost
To ensure appropriate safety practices for all types of vehicles on campus, the Risk and Insurance Office and the Department of Environmental Health and Safety are implementing a new golf cart/utility vehicle safety program for all employees and students who operate these vehicles on campus. This program will make navigating campus safer for drivers and pedestrians, while helping to ensure drivers are equipped with the information they need to operate these vehicles effectively.
If you are an approved driver and selected golf carts/utility vehicles as a vehicle you are driving on the latest motor vehicle report you will receive and an email from durisk@drake.edu providing you information on how to complete a brief recorded training module. In addition, a one-time in person training with a golf cart or utility vehicle is required. While the recorded training is required annually, the in-person training is only to be completed once. If you anticipate driving a golf cart or utility vehicle at any time and are not an approved driver, please complete the Motor Vehicle Report.
If your department is planning on renting a golf cart or utility vehicle please fill out Golf Cart Rental form. This will need to be approved by Risk and Insurance Office prior to operation on campus.
If you receive an email and no longer drive a golf cart or utility vehicle please let us know so we can remove you from our list.
Questions about the new process and protocols may be directed to durisk@drake.edu.
— Kelly Foster, Finance and Administration
We are seeking applicants to teach Drake’s first-year student success course, Bulldog Foundations. It will be a fun experience this fall implementing the recent curriculum revisions, guided by student input. Applicants must hold a master’s degree or equivalent, and teaching experience is preferred. Learn more and sign up for a short consultation session.
Bulldog Foundations helps students explore concepts and develop skills that are crucial for the development of meaningful personal lives, professional accomplishments, and responsible global citizenship. Students will explore the elements of an equitable and inclusive community, consider life skills necessary for success, and refine academic strategies. This course helps students transition into the Drake community with ease.
The course will run for the first eleven weeks of the semester and will meet once a week for fifty minutes. Instructors will be given all curriculum, materials, and facilitator guides for the course, and will not need to develop any curriculum on their own.
In addition to assigned class time, chosen instructors will need to attend an all-day training the week of Aug. 1, a check-in meeting the week of Sept. 19 and a wrap-up meeting during the week of Fall 2022 finals.
Instructors will be paid a $1000 stipend for teaching Bulldog Foundations unless this course serves as a part of your full-time teaching load.
To apply, fill out the google form. The application is due Friday, April 1.
— Bulldog Foundations Planning Team
As we wind down Employee Appreciation Month, we share gratitude for all members of the Drake community who have sustained a commitment to our mission during these challenging and uncertain times.
Commitment to Mission.
Universities are unlike many other employers—we’re not providing an arm’s length service, we’re not creating a product that gets sold on the market, and we’re not temporarily serving a customer who may never return to our store.
We’re educating students and many of them live on our campus. We build life-long relationships with them with the goal of empowering each of them with the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for them to achieve their professional goals and contribute to society. Some words from President Martin’s email to campus in June of 2016 that still inspire:
Education opens minds and hearts – it creates understanding and union where none existed before. This is what we are about and we have our role to play in making the world a better place by becoming ever more engaged, locally and globally.
Put another way, there’s a lot at stake here. We all know this and it shows. We know that our work matters—there’s a larger picture here, a greater purpose. Drake faculty, staff, and student workers have moved mountains to sustain this commitment to our students during this roller-coaster ride of the past two years. We are so appreciative of the agility and determination of our employees that has allowed this institution to sustain our commitment to our important mission.
In many ways, the work of an institution of higher education has optimism built into it. We all know that we are contributing to something larger than ourselves. We are cultivating the next generation of professionals, thinkers, and doers. The research our faculty conduct contributes to their professions. The support and opportunities we provide students can have a life-changing impact. Our students will remember their time at Drake for the rest of their lives. And we do everything we can to assure those memories are meaningful and positive.
Thank you for your commitment to the institution, to the students we serve, and to each other. The road ahead will still have bumps and dips—all roads do—but we are headed in an exciting direction. Thank you for being here. Thank you for your hard work. Thank you for your contributions. Thank you for caring about what we do and how we do it.
— Maureen De Armond, Human Resources; Nate Reagen, Office of the President
There was a lovely turnout for the Provost’s Drake Social in the Cowles Library Reading Room last week. As part of the event, the following were recognized by colleagues for exhibiting the Drake Core Values:
Joyful Accountability
Generosity of Spirit
All In This Together
Commitment to Mission
Prize winners were drawn at random, and were:
Two prizes were also won based on Trivia questions:
The next Drake Social will be Monday, April 11, in Shivers Hospitality Suite. If you want to nominate a colleague for Core Values recognition, please fill out our Qualtrics form.
— Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost
As part of Employee Appreciation Month, Human Resources has been sharing shout-outs submitted by faculty and staff. Thanks to everyone who participated this month.
Even though Employee Appreciation Month is ending, we hope you continue to find ways to show your appreciation to staff, faculty, and student employees across campus. Sharing positive energy is contagious. When you look for the good in people, you strengthen relationships, improving not only their lives, but your own.
Read the final shout-outs submitted this week!
“A shout-out to Sara Hughes and Kris Magill, who have time and again stepped in to help (save) the Career Development Office through our busiest times with staff shortages. We appreciate you and all that you do for us on top of your own jobs!” – Katie Overberg
“A shout-out to Brett Lindman for being so easy to work with. I know that I can count on him for whatever is needed. Thanks Brett! You are appreciated.” – Cheri McDaniel
“A shout-out to the accounting department: Thank you for researching and implementing the new self-serve system. Your patience with those of us learning the new system is noted and appreciated. “– Cheri McDaniel
“A shout-out to Natalie Russell and her staff for helping The Ray Center mail out so many packages. You guys rock!” – Cheri McDaniel
“A shout-out to Linda Feiden for organizing and collecting emails for BUILD professional development sessions. Thanks for your hard work Linda! – Cheri McDaniel
“A shout-out to Sara Sommerlot for everything she did last fall to assist our department in selecting and ordering Drake branded wellbeing incentives. She helped guide the process through from start to finish and made sure we had it by the deadline. Thanks so much Sara!” – Linda Feiden
“A shout-out to Ryan Parriott, Lisa Murphy, and their staff in making sure the inaugural Faculty/Staff “Recess” event was successful. Thank you for your “All in This Together” attitude and your “Generosity of Spirit” in giving your time.” – Linda Feiden
“A shout-out of appreciation to Kelly Foster, Donita Greenough, and Chris Nickell for their work to improve safety and risk related processes and training. They have demonstrated an ability to implement new processes on topics like vehicle safety and domestic travel in a way that accomplishes the goal of greater safety and security, while at the same time ensuring processes are not unduly burdensome or repetitive. They collectively do a great job working with others across campus and have built strong relationships that make the roll out of new programs more effective and sustainable.” – Venessa Macro
“A big shout out of thanks and admiration to Anne Kremer, Deneen Dygert and the entire Admissions staff for managing and adjusting to many shifts in protocol and programming throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. They have managed through many challenging situations with grace and generous spirits; never relenting in their focus on delivering effective and impactful admission programming.” – Venessa Macro
“A shout-out to the Finance & Administration and ITS teams for their grueling work rolling out and tweaking Finance Self Serve.” – Sara Sommerlot
“A shout-out to the All Staff Council Governance Committee for commitment to running a clean and fair All Staff Council nomination process.” – Sara Sommerlot
