WesleyLife Meals on Wheels invites health and biological sciences faculty and staff to tour their hydroponic farm and explore the potential for course collaborations. The tour will take place at Meals on Wheels, 3206 University Avenue, on Friday, July 25, at 1 p.m. followed by lunch and conversation at HUGO’s. To RSVP, email mallary.allen@drake.edu.
— Mallary Allen, Community Engaged Learning
To improve security and keep devices up to date, ITS staff are changing how Windows updates are installed on University-issued computers.
Starting this Thursday, July 17, Windows updates will automatically install after 5 p.m. If a restart is needed, you’ll have one week to complete it.
This change shortens the update window from 28 days to just 7, helping ensure devices stay secure with less user effort. Most updates won’t require a restart, so you may not notice any difference — but when you do, the process should be smoother and more seamless.
If you have questions or concerns about this change, contact the ITS Support Center for help by visiting service.drake.edu/its, calling 515-271-3001, or visiting the lower level of Carnegie Hall.
— Becky Klein, ITS
This group will focus on writing instruction, activities, assignments, and assessments for First-Year Seminar. Instructors who participate in this project will have a one-semester commitment that will include:
• Working with the Director of Writing, Megan Brown, on the development of a writing assignment, writing activities, or a writing project for their FYS.
• Attending an individual meeting at the start of the semester (or during the summer if preferred) to work on writing assignment ideas.
• Attending meetings of all participants in the program in August/September, at approximately midterm, and at end of Fall 2025 semester. These meetings may be structured as two sessions each time, with half of the participants at each session, in order to facilitate more in-depth discussion.
• Requiring all students enrolled in their FYS to attend tutoring sessions at the Writing Center at least twice during the semester.
• Submitting samples of student writing and a brief critical reflection at the end of the semester.
After the initial meeting(s) with the Director of Writing to develop a writing assignment or writing project, participants will receive a stipend of $250.
Participation is limited to 10 individuals. Instructors who have not taught FYS in the past will be prioritized. You are also welcome to enroll if you’ve taught FYS before, participated in this group before, or would like to discuss writing for first-year students in courses other than FYS.
If you are interested in participating, please contact Kendra Colbert (kendra.colbert@drake.edu) by June 30. (Note: if you miss this deadline and you want to participate, please check anyway—summer is not necessarily the best time for getting people signed up.)
If you have questions, contact Megan Brown (megan.brown@drake.edu).
— Megan Brown, College of Arts & Sciences
We are excited to announce two new episodes of SPARC’ing a Conversation.
Episode 2 Dr. Pramod Mahajan | SPARC’ing a Conversation
Our second episode features Dr. Pramod Mahajan. He speaks about his experiences with funding ranging from NASA dollars to state dollars. He also gives us a look into his future endeavors to expand pharmacogenomic education.
Episode 3 Dr. Klaus Bartschat | SPARC’ing a Conversation
Our third episode features Dr. Klaus Bartschat, Ellis & Nelle Levitt Distinguished Professor of Physics. He discusses his future goals after retirement and provides his decades worth of insight with the National Science Foundation.
If any individual is interested in discussing their research projects/endeavors on the podcast, please reach out to preston.miller@drake.edu.
— Preston Miller, Sponsored Programs Administration and Research Compliance
The All Staff Council Governance/Policy Committee extends its congratulations to the following newly elected members!
Governance/Policy Committee
Recognition Committee
Events/Community Service Committee
Special Interest Committee
Chair Elect
—Suzanne Wisslead, on behalf of the All Staff Council Governance/Policy Committee
Tuition Exchange, Inc. is offering free webinars over the summer for those wishing to learn more about how the program works. The webinars are scheduled for June 24 and July 16. Visit https://tuitionexchange.org/family-webinars to view the available sessions and to register.
— Ryan Zantingh, Financial Aid Office
Thank you to all who have given time and input on the Drake.edu redesign project. We are excited to offer our future prospective students and families a website that helps them find the information they’re searching for quickly, and one that strongly positions our brand with compelling imagery and content.
Over the summer months, external partner Carnegie will be working on front-end development, while internally, we’ll be focused on content updates and creation. The content audit is nearing completion, thanks to the help of many. As was noted in the last update, the evolution of internal sites and Teams has provided a more intuitive home for external-facing content that is better suited for our internal audience. With that in mind, our project team will be reaching out to those campus partners who have been involved in the audit process to talk through the next phase of the work. This phase will involve talking through the best options available for that content in the future, as well as the training necessary to move the content into the selected destination.
Our website receives more traffic than any physical space, so we are incredibly grateful to all who are helping ensure it serves us strongly as a warm and helpful welcome to the transformative Drake experience that lies beyond its “doors.”
— Leslie Maynes, executive director, University Communications and Marketing; and Keren Fiorenza, deputy CITO & chief information security officer
Drake is excited and honored to be an Institute Partner for the 2025 Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). Beginning in mid-June, Drake will host twenty-five of Africa’s bright, emerging business leaders for a six-week program on our campus. One of the highlights for Fellows during the Institute are the Home-Hosted Meals and 1-on-1 time with Focus Project Coaches to develop action plans to identify and address a need in their business, organization, or community.
Applications for both Home Hosts and Focus Coaches are now officially open!
Focus Coaches: https://drake.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aVKHA5rXh50vkkS
Home Hosts: https://drake.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3QnqjY00ymWxagC
To learn more about the YALI program, visit https://www.drake.edu/yali/.If you have any specific questions about the YALI program and how to get involved, please contact Jorona Johnson (jorona.johnson@drake.edu) or Lance Noe (lance.noe@drake.edu).
— Jorona Johnson, Global Engagement
Have you used your Community Service Leave benefit for this fiscal year?
Let’s make the most of this benefit, which strengthens ourselves and our communities!
What is Community Service Leave?
Drake University recognizes the importance of community involvement and encourages employees to participate in volunteer and service activities. Community Service Leave (policy) allows staff the opportunity to participate in community service activities that occur during regularly scheduled work hours, without using vacation or personal time. Full-time, regular employees can request paid leave for up to 8 hours per fiscal year to spend time supporting your favorite not-for-profit.
Community service leave is a paid time off benefit and can be used for:
Why volunteer?
Volunteering offers vital help to people in need, worthwhile causes, and the community, but the benefits can be even greater for the volunteer. The right match can help you find friends, connect with the community, learn new skills, and even advance your career. You do not need to make a long-term commitment or take a huge amount of time out of your busy day to reap the benefits of volunteering. Giving in even simple ways can:
Where can I find volunteer opportunities?
Drake’s online community engagement platform, DUgood, connects students, faculty, and staff across campus with partners in Des Moines and beyond. Use the DUgood platform to find opportunities to get involved in our community, track your impact, and explore what your fellow Bulldogs are doing to make a difference.
How can I request Community Service Leave?
Employees wishing to use their community service leave must complete a Community Service Leave Request.
Opportunity Spotlight – Meals on Wheels Hydroponic Farm
The Meals on Wheels Hydroponic Farm is a 3,000 square foot indoor farm capable of producing approximately 20,000 pounds of leafy greens a year. The farm provides some of our most at-risk populations in the metro with a source of fresh, healthy greens year-round. They also provide greens to other WesleyLife and local communities. Training is provided for every task, and there is no gardening or farming experience necessary, simply an open mind and drive to help feed others.
The Meals on Wheels Hydroponic Farm has shifts available through August 29, 2025, and is conveniently located right across from Drake at 3206 University Avenue. Each shift can support up to 10 volunteers, so make it a team-building event with your department and sign up here today!
You are invited to join us at the next Provost’s Drake Social on Monday, May 12, in Schickler Club, adjacent to the Knapp Center, beginning at 4 p.m.
During this event, faculty and staff who celebrated (or will be celebrating) a milestone service anniversary or retirement between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, will have their names scrolled on video screens around the room. There will be assorted beverages and light snacks.
Please take a moment to stop by and congratulate your co-workers!
— Linda Feiden, HR
