Giving employees the opportunity to develop their skills is an important component of Drake’s culture. Here is a great learning opportunity, for those interested at Drake, to improve their English. Drake has a comprehensive Intensive English Program that offers intermediate and advanced level classes with an academic focus. If you feel that you may need additional help in a certain English skill area, be it advanced academic writing, grammar, or speaking, or if you simply would like to improve your pronunciation, you may consider taking one of these classes. The best news is that all Drake employees can take IEP classes free of charge.

View the schedule of classes for Spring 2020. The classes currently offered are:

• Reading I and Reading II
• Writing I and Writing II
• Speaking/Listening I and Speaking/Listening II
• Grammar I and Grammar II
• Pronunciation and Spelling
• TOEFL Preparation
• American Culture (This class offers regular field trips to various Des Moines locations to help students learn more about the local culture, American values, and history. This semester’s trips may include the Des Moines Art Center, the Grand Blue Mile, the Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge, and even a downtown bike tour!)

Please note that these classes are not credit-bearing.

Spring classes begin Monday, Jan. 27, and end Friday, May 8. The last day to register for a class is Friday, Jan. 31. You have an option of auditing a class at any time during the semester without registering.  If you are interested in joining one of the classes or have any questions about the program, please contact Dina Khayrushina at dina.khayrushina@drake.edu. Our office is located in the International Center on 25th Street.

— Dina Khayrushina, Drake International

Final grades for J-Term courses are due by 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5. If you have difficulty entering final grades, contact the Office of the Registrar at 271-2155 or registrar@drake.edu.

— Kevin Moenkhaus, Office of the Registrar

Please plan to attend the next Town Hall and Provost’s Drake Social, Tuesday, Feb. 4, beginning at 3:30 p.m. in Shivers Hospitality Suite.

The event will begin at 3:30 p.m. with a Town Hall hosted by Craig Owens. The topic will be the Center for Teaching Excellence. The Provost’s Drake Social will follow immediately after.

Colleagues who exemplify the core value of All in This Together will be recognized and three individuals will be chosen at random for prizes.

The Drake Social is a family friendly event. Partners and children are welcome.

— Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost

The human behavior side of cyber security is nearly always more complex than the technical side. How do attackers use the art of persuasion to manipulate us and access our information? They know how to exploit our natural tendencies. Be aware online–you may be responding to a phisher’s bait. 

Authority: We naturally accept psychological power wielded by authority. As such, if someone poses as an authority figure, like an FBI agent or supervisor, we are more likely to ignore obvious inconsistencies and give up sensitive information.  

Likability: Psychologically, we prefer to say yes to requests from someone we know and like. Attackers develop likeable and appealing online presences, or in some cases, will recruit attractive or charming people who have sizable social networks to help them phish for information.  

Reciprocity: People feel compelled to reciprocate a gift or favor. If we are given something online for free, we may feel obligated to trade personal information. For example, a contact may offer monetary rewards, and ask for sensitive or proprietary information under the guise of a study.  

Social Proof: Once people determine what is correct, the principle of social proof applies to the way we decide how we should behave. If someone puts significant effort into maintaining a presence on social media websites, they expect others to have done the same. That leads to an increased trust of forged profiles developed by attackers.  

ITS continues to simulate phishing attacks and will assign training to individuals who are routinely susceptible to these simulations. If you’re concerned that you’ve been the target of phishing, see Reporting a Phishing Message (How-to). 

—Peter Lundstedt, ITS 

Nominations are invited for the Principal Financial Global Citizenship Award, recognizing outstanding contributions to global engagement and internationalization of the campus and curriculum on the part of faculty or staff. The selected awardee will receive a plaque, up to $3,000, and will be announced at the 2020 Global Citizen Forum in March. A screening committee, appointed by the Provost, will review all nominations and make recommendations to the Provost. Nominations should be submitted to Bonnie Ehler at bonnie.ehler@drake.edu by Monday, Feb.10, 2020. Please review the following details:

A letter of nomination should be submitted recommending an individual for the award and explaining the context and manner in which the nominator has come to know the faculty or staff member. This letter should speak to the following qualifications:

Pursuant to the University’s mission to develop “responsible global citizens,” explain how the nominee has made outstanding contributions at Drake toward realizing the following:

1. Serve as a global knowledge hub that brings value to external partners in local, national and international settings.
2.  Infuse global and multicultural perspectives across the campus and curriculum.
3. Develop infrastructure, resources and communication systems to support internationalization and global engagement.

The nominee must be a faculty or staff member in at least her/his fourth year of service at the University. The nominee cannot have won this award within the past five years. Faculty and staff members who report directly for Drake International are ineligible.

Nominees who indicate a willingness to be considered will be invited to submit a c.v. and a statement discussing their contributions to the above goals. One or two letters of support from faculty, staff or students will be accepted (this is optional).

Any individual who was nominated for the award in 2019 may be re-nominated if the nominator resubmits a letter offering the individual for consideration this year. Files of previous nominees are maintained for one year. If a faculty member is re-nominated, the nominator will be invited to review the file from the previous year to ensure that the nomination is as current as possible.

Nomination letters are due by February 10, 2020, and should be sent as an attachment to bonnie.ehler@drake.edu.  Questions may be directed to Annique Kiel, annique.kiel@drake.edu.

— Annique Kiel, Executive Director, Global Engagement and International Programs

Drake faculty and staff are eligible to receive up to four complimentary general admission tickets to the events listed below. Tickets may be picked up at the Knapp Center Ticket Office Monday through Friday between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. or at the ticket window on game day. Must show valid Drake Card at time of pick up.

Drake Men’s Basketball vs. Southern Illinois
Saturday, Feb. 1 , 5 p.m.

Drake Women’s Basketball vs. Missouri State
Sunday, Feb. 9, 2 p.m.

For more information, please contact the Drake Athletics Ticket Office at 271-3647 or tickets@drake.edu.

— Ryan Harris, Drake Athletics