Reminder: As you saw from President Martin’s email, please complete this year’s Survey of Administrative Services by October 22 if you have not already. It is completely anonymous and often takes less than five minutes to complete. You will only be asked to provide feedback on the areas you work with regularly. We’re off to a great start with 173 responses so far with a goal of 350+. Thank you for your input!
— Nate Reagen, Office of the President
The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is partnering with Broadlawns Medical Center Outpatient Pharmacy to offer flu vaccinations on Monday, Oct. 7, from 9 a.m.–12 p.m. in Harvey Ingham, Room 107, for Drake University faculty, staff, and students.
The flu vaccinations are available through a scheduled appointment (strongly preferred), or on a walk-up basis. Walk-up vaccinations will require additional time on the day of vaccination for completion of paperwork. Signing up at least two days in advance is highly encouraged.
Sign up for a flu vaccination appointment at: https://tinyurl.com/DrakeFlu2024
IMPORTANT:
— Jamie Pitlick, CPHS
The search for the next Executive Director of Human Resources is going well, with several highly qualified candidates submitting application materials. The search committee consisting of Scott Law (chair), executive director of Public Safety and Operational Services; Alejandro Hernandez, dean of Zimpleman College of Business; Kevin Saunders, director of Institutional Research and Academic Assessment; and Heather Travis, controller, have identified a group of eight semi-finalists. After virtual semi-finalist interviews a group of finalists will be identified for on-campus interviews. The on-campus interview process is likely to take place in late October and will include a wide array of campus constituencies. Thank you to the search committee and to Tricia McKinney for supporting the committee’s work and ensuring a smooth experience for our valued candidates.
— Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer
The Fall 2024 cohort of DU England: Drake Semester at Harlaxton started their experience with a fancy-dress, sit-down dinner at the manor house (where they live and learn) for Convocation. Led by Professor Mary M. McCarthy (Department of Political Science), students Camden Eckhoff, Kylie Greer, Isaiah Hulshof, Lizzy O’Neel, and Samantha Pollack are studying topics such as sacred architecture, international law, and Shakespeare, with visits to places like the Lincoln Cathedral, the UK Supreme Court, and Stratford-upon-Avon. You can follow their adventures through Sam’s blog here.
If Harlaxton looks like the adventure you have been looking for, the application for the Fall 2025 Faculty-in-Residence position is currently open.
Attend a faculty information session on Friday, Oct. 4, at 10 a.m., Cowles 201 to learn more. Or if you want to discuss your ideas one-on-one, set up a meeting with Director of Education Abroad, Maria Rohach.
Director of Education Abroad
— Maria Rohach, Global Engagement
Drake Men’s Soccer is hosting Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day during its game on Saturday, Oct. 5, at 2 p.m. at Mediacom Stadium. All Faculty and Staff will be recognized at halftime. Don’t miss a marquee game as the Bulldogs take on the 11th nationally ranked Western Michigan. Admission is free.
— Colin Salig, Athletics
The Center for Teaching & Learning will host panel discussions about generative AI topics this fall. The panelists will be Drake faculty members who are using generative AI in their classrooms and for their research. Come learn more about this transformative technology from your colleagues across the University.
The first panel, “Navigating Student Use of Generative AI”, will be held on Friday, Sept. 27, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. in Howard Hall, Room 212. The panelists are Alanah Mitchell (Zimpleman), Amy Letter (College of Arts & Sciences, English), and Dan Chibnall (Cowles Library).
Later this semester, we will be discussing how to use generative AI for instructional use, and how to use generative AI to further your research and scholarship.
The sessions are informal and you can come and go as your schedule allows. To give us an idea of how many to plan for, please open the event on the Campus Calendar and click on I’m Interested.
— Bret Sikkink, Faculty Development Specialist
All Staff Council is holding a fall bake-off competition and costume contest on Thursday, Oct. 31, from 12–1:30 p.m. by the Pomerantz Stage in the Olmsted Center. You are welcome to participate in one or both contests, or just come for the event and cheer on your colleagues. And for just $5 you can also get a chili lunch.
Bake-Off: Calling all bakers to another sweet bake-off competition. Bring your “A” game with your most delicious and decadent fall inspired dessert baked goods to be judged in this spirited competition. Judging will start at 11:45 a.m. with the goal to have samples of the desserts ready (while they last) for those enjoying the chili lunch. The top three winners will receive prizes. Click HERE to register.
Costume Contest: Do you like to get spooky for Halloween? Do your kids always have the best costumes on the block? Do your pets love/hate you for dressing them up? To enter the costume contest, simply take a picture of yourself, your kids, and/or your pets and send it to Tiffany Hach at tiffany.hach@drake.edu no later than 9 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 31. Pictures will be displayed in a slide show during the bake-off contest/chili luncheon for all to enjoy. Winners will be announced in OnCampus, and prizes awarded in two categories: 1) Adults and 2) Kids/Pets. Recent pictures only, and they must be appropriate, but have fun with it!
Chili Lunch: In addition to the contest, please come enjoy community building and a chili lunch (plus dessert samples while they last) for $5. If you’re not interested in the lunch, but want to attend and support your competing colleagues, please feel free to join us at no charge.
— Linda Feiden, On behalf of All Staff Council
The National Council for Faculty Development & Diversity’s most popular program is the Faculty Success Program, an intensive session that includes individualized coaching, weekly training, and cohort-based community. The Center for Teaching & Learning has one fully-paid scholarship seat in the 2025 Program which runs from Jan. 27 to April 6. For more information about the Faculty Success Program, visit the NCFDD website.
To apply for the 2025 scholarship, complete the form found here by end of day Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.
— Bret Sikkink, Faculty Development Specialist
On Oct. 17, ITS will automatically uninstall outdated versions of the Chrome and Firefox web browsers from all Drake-owned computers, including both Windows and Mac platforms. This change will not affect Microsoft Edge and Apple Safari. This update is part of our efforts to enhance security and protect our network from potential cyber threats.
To avoid losing your personalized settings, remember that both Chrome and Firefox allow you to create an account and login to save your bookmarks, preferences, and extensions, which can be accessed on any device where you login.
After the outdated browsers are removed, you can easily reinstall the latest version of your preferred browser by using the preconfigured installation apps in Company Portal (Windows) or Self Service (macOS). These installations ensure your browser is automatically updated for better security and performance.
If you have questions or need help after this change, contact us by submitting a ticket though the ITS service portal at service.drake.edu/its or by calling the Support Center at 515-271-3001.
— Becky Klein, ITS
Tuition Exchange, Inc. (one of the tuition exchange programs in which Drake participates) is offering a free webinar to families that will provide an overview of the tuition exchange process. To learn more and register, click here.
— Ryan Zantingh, Financial Aid Office