Category Archives: For Faculty Archive

Faculty of color affinity group

Once again this year, the Provost’s Office will be providing hospitality support for pre-tenure and non-tenure-track faculty of color to gather in order to build community, share resources, and create networks of support and collegiality. Assistant Professor of Math Enes Akbuga will be convening all interested faculty for an initial meeting over coffee sometime during the week of Sept. 13. If you are interested in joining us, please send Enes an email (enes.akbuga@drake.edu). Both new and existing pre-tenured faculty are encouraged to join.

Jennifer Harvey, Campus Equity and Inclusion

Deputy Provost Office: Faculty development and community building opportunities

Here is a brief listing of what faculty can anticipate:

First Year Seminar faculty are invited to join each other for lunch and conversation on Sept. 17, Oct. 15, and Nov. 19 from 11:15 a.m.–12:30 p.m. (Zoom for September; register here).

On Friday, Sept. 24, from 1–3 p.m. there will be an all-faculty-are-welcome Zoom conversation asking “How is Pandemic Changing our Pedagogy?” (venue TBD, register here) . In late November, we will have a session on Decolonizing Your Syllabus.

In October and November, Deputy Provost Renee Cramer and Associate Provost of Campus Equity and Inclusion Jen Harvey will co-sponsor a series of development opportunities meant to help instructors incorporate justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion into their AOI courses.

On Oct. 1, Nov. 5, and Dec. 3, we’ll have brown bag lunches devoted to faculty research across the disciplines. Please reach out to renee.cramer@drake.edu if you have research-in-progress that you’d like to share.

Around mid-term, and finals, we’ll host “grading parties”—time set aside to drink hot cider or cocoa, and grade in solidarity with your faculty peers—with occasional breaks to talk assessment and student learning outcomes.

Don’t forget “Books for Breakfast!” We’re reading Burn-Out and The Slow Professor.

Finally, Drake welcomed 30+ at New Faculty Orientation (check out our group photo with Griff). They’ll meet two Fridays a month; established faculty who want to join and informally mentor are more than welcome to contact renee.cramer@drake.edu to volunteer!

—Renee Cramer, Provost’s Office

Support for global virtual learning at Drake

Global virtual learning can be generally defined as technology-supported, people-to-people dialogues and collaboration sustained over a period of time. If you’re interested in adding global virtual learning to your course or program, Global Engagement has support and resources available for faculty and staff.

Global Virtual Learning Faculty Fellow
Dr. Alanah Mitchell, associate professor and chair of information management and business analytics in the College of Business and Public Administration, is serving as Drake’s inaugural Global Virtual Learning Faculty Fellow. This new fellowship program is sponsored by the Principal Center for Global Citizenship. It is designed to facilitate and support the development of global virtual learning experiences within the Drake community.

If you are considering or already planning to offer a global virtual collaboration project in your course or program, or looking to brainstorm or ask questions about virtual learning activities (including partner identification, assignment design, technology choice, reflection activities, or assessment), contact alanah.mitchell@drake.edu.

Global Enhancement Grant
This grant program was developed to support Drake faculty and staff in bringing virtual global enhancement to their existing courses and programs. Examples may 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
  • Developing a module or project to connect virtually with students in another part of the world

Assistance is available through Global Engagement to connect Drake faculty and staff with provider organizations and global partner institutions that can serve as resources for potential projects. Learn more on our website or contact Annique Kiel for more information: annique.kiel@drake.edu.

Current Opportunities in Mexico and Malaysia
There are currently open opportunities for Drake faculty to to engage virtually with partner institutions in Mexico (Tecnológico de Monterrey) and Malaysia (Taylor’s University). This may include one-off virtual guest lectures (fall or spring), sustained course-to-course engagement (Spring only), or a combination of the two. Fill out this Qualtrics form to notify us of your interest.

—Hannah Sappenfield, Global Partnerships Coordinator

Sending and receiving departmental mail

Faculty and staff, please review these helpful tips for sending and receiving departmental mail.

Please use the exact physical address where your office or department is located for all package and most paper mail deliveries—not Drake University’s main street address. This allows delivery services to take packages directly to your building.

View building addresses: drake.edu/directory/shippingaddresses/

Please let us know if your physical address has changed recently and does not match this website. We are happy to make updates, so your correct address is reflected.

Also, for future deliveries, update your personal and/or business information with all commercial mail carriers (USPS, FEDEX, UPS, AMAZON, DHL, etc.) and any local businesses using their independent courier services for deliveries.

These important steps with our combined efforts will effectively help to prevent misguided and misplaced packages and will ensure you get your packages as quickly as possible.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Mail Operation Center at: campusmailoperations@drake.edu or 515-271-3162.

— Natalie Russell, Campus Mail Operations

BUILD Fall 2021 learning and development schedule

Bulldogs United In Learning Drake (BUILD) is a learning and development series available to faculty and staff who wish to enhance their professional skills, improve their wellbeing, and expand their boundaries.

We encourage all employees to check out the BUILD Fall 2021 schedule that is now available on myDrake. To register for any class, send an email to linda.feiden@drake.edu.

September offerings:

Microsoft Teams Calling Level 100
Sept. 14 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Microsoft Teams

Take a Mindfulness Break: Breathing, Dynamic Breathing, & Body Scan
Sept. 15 from 12–12:30 p.m.
Microsoft Teams

Take a Mindfulness Break: Gatha (Meditation Poems)
Sept. 30 from 12–12:30 p.m.
Microsoft Teams

Active Shooter Training
Sept. 21 from 12–1 p.m.
Olmsted Center, Conference Rooms 310–311

Overcoming Anxiety as We Return to Work
Sept. 23 from 2–3 p.m.
Microsoft Teams

It’s Not You, It’s the Situation! Tools for Identifying and Combating Pandemic Fatigue
Sept. 29 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Microsoft Teams

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Changemaking 101: Engaging Students for Social Impact

Aligned with the University’s Big Ideas initiative, participants will be introduced to the concept of changemaking, explore the concept in practice, and discuss strategies for incorporating changemaking into course assignments and research projects.

This session will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams.

RSVP on Eventbrite

Facilitated by: Renee Sedlacek Lee, director of Community Engaged Learning, and Dr. Sara Johnston, Olson Fellow for Global Service-Learning, and Dr. Jimmy Senteza, director of the Rolland and Mary Nelson Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs.

Guest presenter: Susan Sanning, associate dean and director of service and social innovation in the Center for Careers, Life and Service at Grinnell College.

This session is the first in a series offered this fall by the Office of Community Engaged Learning. For more information about upcoming faculty and staff development for engaging students in social impact visit: drake.edu/cel or contact renee.sedlacek@drake.edu.

Renee Sedlacek Lee, Community Engaged Learning

Jewish holidays calendar for download

On Thursday, Aug. 26, you should have received an email with a link to calendar entires to mark the significance of the upcoming Jewish holidays: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Passover.

These calendar entries are a reminder to not schedule co- and extracurricular events on these Jewish holidays as well as the evenings prior (each of these holidays begins at sunset the prior day).

Open the email sent Aug. 26 with the subject line “Jewish Holidays Calendar for Download” and follow the steps below to add the holidays directly to your Outlook calendar:

For PC computers:

  1. Drag the .ICS file (attached in my email sent to campus Aug. 26) into your calendar tab. The dates should appear on your personal calendar.

For Mac computers: 

  1. Double-click the file to open it. If it doesn’t open, you might need to save your file to your computer before you can open it. 
  2. When you open the .ICS file, Outlook opens automatically. The event will open in a separate window with the subject: Rosh Hashanah.  
  3. Click Save & Close on the event window to save the holidays to your calendar. 

The individual dates are also listed below if you need to add them manually.

There are several holidays in which Jewish law officially says Jewish people are not to work and there are parts of the country where, whether or not you are Jewish, your business or organization would be closed in observance of these holidays (New York City, for example!).

I want to urge the Drake campus community to avoid scheduling events on:

  • Rosh Hashanah, which is the Jewish new year. (In 2021, beginning at sundown on Sept. 6 and concluding the night of Sept. 8).
  • Yom Kippur, which is the Day of Atonement and considered the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. (In 2021, beginning at sundown on Sept. 15 and concluding the night of Sept. 16.)
  • The first and second days of Passover mark a week of honoring the deliverance of the Hebrew people from enslavement in Egypt and through a seder—a ritualized meal, shared in community while remembering the Jewish story of liberation. (In 2022, beginning at sundown on April 15 and concluding the night of April 17.)

Many Jewish members of our community cannot participate in anything that we schedule on these dates.

I want to strongly encourage you to import these calendar holds, and especially as Rosh Hashanah is only a few weeks away. But also, the Office of Equity and Inclusion is working on creating a University-wide Outlook calendar that is inclusive of other major religious holidays. We plan to have this available for you sometime in the next several weeks.

Jewish Holidays

2021
Rosh Hashanah      
Evening (6:00) September 6 all the way through September 8, 2021

Yom Kippur
Evening (6:00) September 15 all the way through September 16, 2021

Passover
Evening (6:00) April 15 all the way through April 17, 2022

2022
Rosh Hashanah        
Evening (6:00) September 25 all the way through September 27, 2022

Yom Kippur
Evening (6:00) October 4 all the way through October 5, 2022

Passover
Evening (6:00) April 5 all the way through April 7, 2023

2023
Rosh Hashanah       
Evening (6:00) September 15 all the way through September 17, 2023

Yom Kippur
Evening (6:00) September 24 all the way through September 25, 2023

Passover
Evening (6:00) April 22 all the way through April 24, 2024

— Jen Harvey, Associate Provost of Campus Equity and Inclusion

ITS changes and reminders for the new semester

As we start a new semester, here are a few changes, and reminders about all things tech at Drake.

ITS support: Due to campus COVID-19 protocols, the support center in Carnegie Hall is not open for walk-in assistance for faculty and staff. Visit our IT service portal at service.drake.edu/its (or click the ITS Support button in myDrake) to find answers or report any tech issues. You can also call 515-271-3001. Teaching on campus and have a classroom emergency? Call ext. 3002.

ITS staff are able to resolve many problems remotely. In-person appointments will only be scheduled if remote resolution doesn’t work.

eduroam wireless network: Connect to the eduroam network on campus and sign in using your Drake email address and password. Reminder: DUGuest is only for visitors and many campus resources are unavailable from this limited network.

Blackboard Learn Ultra: Within Blackboard Learn Ultra you’ll see a little purple question mark in the bottom corner of your screen where you can access help. If you run into technical issues, visit the Blackboard Learn Ultra category in the IT Service Portal to request assistance. Learn more about changes and key features at www.drake.edu/its/learnultra.

MyDUSIS/Self Service: Over the summer, we released updated screens and functions in MyDUSIS/Self Service. There are two new buttons in myDrake in the Human Resources section: My Information and Employee Dashboard. My Information takes you to an updated screen to access your personal information. You’ll go to the Employee Dashboard to submit or approve time or leave, view your tax information, review past jobs, and access your pay information. Learn how to use these updated features in the MyDUSIS/Self Service guides in the IT Service Portal.

Campus printing: New printers are being rolled out across campus, so if you don’t see a new device in your area, you will sometime this semester. Reminder: faculty/staff prints and copies now charge to your home organization in Banner- the department that pays your salary, instead of being able to select from multiple FOAPALs. Learn more by visiting the printing project FAQ at www.drake.edu/its/printing or Printing for Faculty and Staff (How-to)

Connect with ITS: Want to know about tech changes? Outages? Watch for more ITS information in upcoming issues of OnCampus, follow Drake ITS on Twitter @DrakeITServices, watch our news feed on drake.edu/its or service.drake.edu/its, or sign up for outage text messages by texting DrakeITS2021 to phone number 226787. NOTE: You must be already signed up to receive texts from Bulldog Alerts to add the ITS outage messages.

Not sure what other tech Drake ITS offers? Visit drake.edu/its/facstaff to learn about tech resources and tools available to you.

— Carla Herling, ITS

Sign up for the Faculty Writers’ Workshop

Drake faculty members are invited to participate in a Faculty Writers’ Workshop (FWW) focused on working effectively on our writing and scholarship. We will meet virtually from 10 a.m.–11 a.m. on Fridays (Sept. 10, Sept. 24, Oct. 15, Nov. 19, and Dec. 10) to discuss issues with getting writing done and workshop work-in-progress, with optional additional meetings for writing quietly together. The FWW will be co-facilitated by Nate Holdren (LPS) and En Li (history). Our goal will be to help set ourselves up to make progress on our scholarship over the semester. To the degree faculty are interested, we will read and discuss Joli Jensen’s book Write No Matter What. The session will also include discussion/workshop of the faculty members’ own scholarship and on-site writing time.

This writers’ workshop is generously supported by the Provost’s Office, the Humanities Center, and the Dean of the College of the Arts and Sciences. There are spots for ten faculty participants. Should more than ten individuals express interest, priority shall be given to 1) Those who actively participated in the previous Faculty Writers’ Groups, 2) Tenure-track faculty who are not yet tenured, 3) Faculty who are members of groups under-represented.

Participants who attend all five sessions will receive a stipend of $150 (approximately$109+38% benefits).

If you are interested in participating, please complete the interest form by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 8. 

If you have questions, please contact the co-facilitators of the FWW, Nate Holdren (nate.holdren@drake.edu) and En Li (en.li@drake.edu).
— En Li, Assistant Professor of History

‘Books for Breakfast’ with Deputy Provost Cramer

Faculty are invited to join Deputy Provost Renée Cramer for “Books for Breakfast.” Each month, we’ll engage a different reading related to work-life integration, thriving in the profession, the development of the neoliberal university, and the role of creativity and scholarship in our professional lives. Pick which readings and months work for you, and join us for lively conversation. Pre-registration for each book and set of sessions is required, so we can purchase books, and either order food (for in-person gatherings) or send a Zoom link.

The book for September is Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle; we will meet via Zoom on Sept. 20 and Sept. 27 from 8:30–9:30 a.m. Please pre-register by Sept. 10 (enrollment is capped at 12).

The book for October is The Slow Professor: Challenging the Culture of Speed in the Academy; we will meet via Zoom on Oct. 20 and Oct. 27 from 8:30–9:30 a.m. Please pre-register by Oct. 1.

If these days/times don’t work for you, but you’re interested, don’t despair—we’ll be repeating both books on different days in November and December.

— Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost