Every Tuesday in OnCampus the Deputy Provost shares two articles with a read time of 10 minutes.

Reminder: Faculty and staff are encouraged to participate in the Spring Writing Project. The project consists of a one-semester commitment that will include: working with Director of Writing Jody Swilky on the development of a writing assignment, writing activities, or a writing project for one of his/her spring classes; meeting no later than the first or second week of the semester with the coordinator to discuss the assignment and project as well as issues related to instruction such as responses to writing; and attending 60-minute meetings of all participants in the program in February and March 2022. These meetings may be structured as two sessions each month, half of the participants at each session, in order to facilitate more in-depth discussion. There will be required meetings of all participating instructors held in late April or early May 2022. An additional aspect of the project is that faculty will require all students enrolled in their class to attend The Writing Workshop at least twice during the semester as the student works on the writing assignment/activities/project.

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

Participation is limited to 10 individuals, and the deadline to respond to this call is Dec. 12.  If you are interested in participating, please contact Nicki Kimm (nicki.kimm@drake.edu). If you have questions, contact Director of Writing Jody Swilky (jody.swilky@drake.edu).

— Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost

Every Tuesday in OnCampus the Deputy Provost shares two articles with a read time of 10 minutes.

If you have engaged in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, please consider joining our new faculty at the final luncheon of the semester, Friday, Dec. 10, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., in Howard Hall, Room 210. We will discuss the way that SOTL helps inform our teaching and our research, and this will be a great way to meet some of the folks who are newer to campus.

Please email nicki.kimm@drake.edu to register.

— Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost

Drake Men’s Basketball will host Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night on Saturday, Nov. 20, when they take on Richmond at 12 p.m.

Each faculty and staff member can receive up to four complimentary tickets. Redeem your tickets.

For more information on all Faculty and Staff Appreciation days, visit DrakeTix.com/facultyandstaffdays. Please remember that per Drake University policy, masks are required in the Knapp Center.

— Aimee Lane, Athletics

An objective of Drake’s Continuous Improvement Plan is to “Elevate Service Excellence”. The Survey of Administrative Services (SAS) directly supports our continuous improvement in this area.  The feedback helps Facilities Planning and Management understand where service gaps may exist and how to improve our services to the University.

Survey respondents provided largely positive feedback about FPM services. Responses were provided on a five-point scale, with five being the highest.

Satisfaction with FPM staff – Total Average 4.38 (4.41 last year)
Respondents assessed their satisfaction with FPM staff including their courtesy, professionalism, knowledge, timeliness, resolution of issues and communication regarding work orders and projects.

FPM Staff are courteous – 4.82

FPM Staff are professional – 4.74

FPM Staff are knowledgeable – 4.62

FPM Staff respond to requests in a timely manner – 4.26

FPM staff provide regular communication about the status of my request – 3.96

FPM keeps me aware of projects or construction that will impact my work – 3.86

Satisfaction with services provided by FPM – Total Average 4.48 (4.50 last year)
Respondents assessed their satisfaction with the services FPM staff provide for all campus buildings and grounds.

Moving – 4.72

Carpentry – 4.66

Custodial – 4.62

Grounds – 4.61

Electrical – 4.57

Painting – 4.57

Plumbing – 4.51

Trash/Recycling – 4.43

Snow Removal – 4.35

Capital Projects – 4.18

Cooling and Heating – 4.09

Overall satisfaction with FPM —Total Average 4.13 (4.39 last year)
Overall satisfaction is above average, slightly down from the previous year.  FPM has opportunities for improvement and we are actively developing strategies to improve our services and overall quality. The preservation of historic buildings can be demanding when maintaining and updating mechanical systems.  It is our goal to heat and cool to establish a comfortable environment, but understand the capacity of the system along with individual preferences. Moving forward we promise to continue to service all customer needs on campus through collaboration and communication.

In reviewing the data and reflecting on the comments provided by the respondents, we make the following commitments.

FPM will:

1. Ensure that FPM meet the promised response and resolution timeframes.
2. Collaborate to find reasonable and supportable long-term solutions.
3. Confirm the request was completed to satisfaction.
4. Improve communication related to work order requests and construction projects.
5. Work as a team to provide facility-related services on behalf of Drake.

FPM has been working on updating websites to better deliver communications. This, coupled with more direct reporting, we anticipate that we can booster our lower administrative service areas. Please visit:

https://www.drake.edu/build/

https://www.drake.edu/sustainability/

— Kevin Moran, Executive Director Facilities Planning and Management

Earlier this month we shared in OnCampus that we will adding systems that require multi-factor authentication (MFA), and changing our MFA method from Duo to Microsoft Authenticator so that all students, faculty, and staff can be better protected.

Starting on January 4, when you login to a system set up with multi-factor authentication, you will be prompted to prove that you are the person logging in by using the Microsoft Authenticator app to verify your identity.

In order to help you prepare for this change, we’ve created a FAQ and some knowledge base guides linked below.

• Multi-factor Authentication Project (FAQ)
• Getting Started with the Microsoft Authenticator app (How-to)
• Setting up Additional Multi-Factor Authentication Options (How-to)

To encourage early preparation, we’re offering an incentive to the first 150 people who submit proof of downloading the Microsoft Authenticator app and connecting it with their Drake account. They will receive a $1 off coupon to use at the campus Starbucks. One coupon per person, and a screenshot of your phone is required. Visit https://forms.office.com/r/HGSY0L1JSf to enter and see complete rules.

We will continue to expand the FAQ and provide additional OnCampus updates as the January deadline approaches.

— Jeff Regan, ITS

Every Tuesday in OnCampus the Deputy Provost shares two articles with a read time of 10 minutes.

On Nov. 19 in Howard Hall, Room 210 from 1–3 p.m., the Office of the Deputy Provost is teaming up with the Office of Sponsored Program Administration and Research Compliance for an interactive two-hour session on funding your research. Mary Pat Wohlford and I are looking forward to talking about extramural and intramural funding, with an emphasis on finding grants that connect with our core commitment to helping faculty bring students into research projects. Please register here, so we can think ahead about the kinds of resources we provide, and can start to build opportunities for collaboration into the design of our time together.

Don’t forget, First Year Seminar faculty are invited to our final lunch of the semester—this one with actual food!—on Friday, Nov. 19, from 11:30 a.m.–12:15 p.m. in Howard Hall, Room 210. And, if you’re interested in teaching an FYS, but haven’t had a chance to chat about what it is like, you’re also invited! We’ll connect about how the semester has gone, what you would do differently, and how you’ll continue to build and strengthen classroom community in the final weeks of the semester.  Please email Nicki.Kimm@drake.edu asap to register and to let her know if you have any dietary restrictions or needs.

Finally, I’m beginning to schedule our working group on how pandemic has changed our approach to teaching and learning. We’ll meet first in early December, and I’d love to have a robust representation of folks from each of our colleges and schools! Send an email to renee.cramer@drake.edu to volunteer yourself and nominate your colleagues. On Dec. 3, we’ll extend this conversation with a research conversation, learning about the great work done by our colleagues on understanding how learning unfolded in the past 18 months. Register here for lunch in Howard Hall (11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m.).

— Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost

Every Tuesday in OnCampus the Deputy Provost shares two articles with a read time of 10 minutes.

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication is going through the process of hiring a new dean (we will miss you in your retirement, Dean Kathleen Richardson!), and members of Provost Council have had the opportunity to meet each of those candidates. As we meet, we all go around the table and explain what our role in the University is, and how we work with faculty to meet our University mission. At one point in our conversations, Dean of Admissions Anne Kremer told a candidate, “At Drake University, we rely really heavily on faculty.”

I am daily reminded that this is true: that faculty are at the absolute center of all we do and at the center of our ability to be the institution we are. I am so proud to remain listed as a faculty member within Law, Politics and Society—to continue to serve as an advisor to students and to direct an independent study. Honestly, in this new role, I notice how much I miss the classroom (nope, not the grading, sorry—but certainly, I miss engaging students’ work).

So, I want to take just a minute here to say thanks—yes, ‘tis the season—to my faculty colleagues who have shown up for programming out of my office, who have supported each other through this transition back to ‘normal,’ who have met with students and prospective students, who have learned BlackBoard Ultra and juggled technologies, who have adjusted assignments and maintained expectations—thank you, sincerely, for this difficult and excellent work. I know that many of us don’t get to hear Anne, or other members of Provost Council say this out loud, but I know just as certainly that we all express that feeling of gratitude daily.

As we head toward the holidays—one week left before November break starts in earnest—please know that your work is appreciated.

Next week, in OnCampus, I’d love to share a recipe or two for some “different” ways you/we celebrate the upcoming holidays. Please email me (renee.cramer@drake.edu) with an idea or two; maybe we can all share a meal, virtually, as we give thanks for what we have.

— Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost

The Special Interests Committee of All Staff Council is holding a Bulldogs Connect Networking Lunch on Wednesday, Nov. 17, 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 nametag. We will also have nametags available. Anyone is welcome to come—bring a new Bulldog along with you! Look for the table with the Drake swag and a special Bulldogs Connect table tent in Hubbell.

— Megan Franklin, On behalf of All Staff Council