Category Archives: For Staff Archive

Short’s Travel–personal frequent flyer accounts

If you have not already done so, please remember to put all of your airline frequent flyer account numbers into your profile so you will accrue your personal miles. This is not something Short’s can do for you as they cannot edit your profile, and we want to be sure you receive this benefit.

Please contact Caron.findlay@drake.edu if you have questions.

–Caron Findlay, Finance and Administration

Drake Family Day

Bring your Bulldog family to Drake Family Day for an afternoon of fun. Drake alumni, staff, faculty and their families are invited to a family outing at Greenwood Park. Enjoy donuts, popsicles, games, and activities with new and familiar faces of the Drake community. The event is FREE to attend.

Event Details

When: Sunday, Aug. 4, 1–3 p.m.
Where: Greenwood Park, Open-Air Shelter, 4500 Grand Ave., Des Moines

Contact Keesha Ward, assistant director of Alumni Relations, with any questions at keesha.ward@drake.edu515-271-1947

–Alicia Chilton, University Communications and Marketing

Register now for Drake Learning Symposium

Registration is now open on Eventbrite for the 2019 Drake Learning Symposium, Drake Tomorrow: Why We Change, How We Change. This year’s Learning Symposium will be Friday, Aug. 16, at the Olmsted Center.

The 2019 Drake University Learning Symposium keynote presentation will be a panel from North Central College in Naperville, IL. North Central has been designated a Changemaker Campus by Ashoka U, the world’s largest and leading network of social entrepreneurs. On the panel will be Jeremy Gudauskas, Assistant Vice President and Co-Director, Center for Social Impact; Whitney Roberts, recent Director of Civic Engagement and Social Innovation, Leadership, Ethics & Values; Abiodun Goke-Pariola, Provost; and Jennifer Keys, Assistant Provost for Teaching & Learning and Director of the Center for the Advancement of Faculty Excellence.

In addition there will be over a dozen breakout sessions from which faculty and staff might choose.

The Learning Symposium will conclude with the year’s first Drake Social, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Cowles Library Reading Room.

For more information, please see the Learning Symposium web page.

Enter Drake’s faculty & staff pie baking contest

Do you enjoy baking? Is your pie the star attraction at family dinners? We are looking for as many pie-loving cooks as possible to enter this summer’s pie baking contest. This event will be part of the state fair-themed faculty and staff picnic on Tuesday, July 23 from 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. in the Hubbell Dining Hall.

Contest Rules:

  • The dessert pie must be made from scratch and entered in the name of the faculty or staff member who made it.
  • One or two pie entries-per-person are allowed.
  • Pies may have single or double crusts. Lace/lattice and crumb toppings may also be used.
  • No pies allowed that require refrigeration (i.e. dairy or cream pies).
  • Bring the pie in a disposable 8”, 9”, or 10” pie plate/pan with a cover.
  • All pies must be brought to Hubbell Dining Hall (main cafeteria entrance) between 11:30 a.m.–noon on Tuesday, July 23.
  • A copy of the pie recipe, with the list of ingredients must be provided. Make sure your name and the name of the pie entry are on the recipe and submit it at the time you bring your pie.
  • Pies will be judged on overall appearance (crust and filling), and taste.
  • All winners will be announced during the picnic. The first, second, and third place winners will receive a certificate, a prize, and “bragging rights.”
  • At the conclusion of the event, the judged pies will be sliced for everyone to sample.

To register a pie for the contest, please send an email to Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu.

–Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Central Iowa Human Capital Survey

Greater Des Moines (DSM) is experiencing tremendous momentum. DSM is the fastest-growing major Midwest metro in terms of percentage of population growth, and is outgrowing other Midwest metros in percentage of gross domestic product and employment growth. National and international publications have recognized DSM as a best place to live, work, buy a home and raise a family.

Key to maintaining this positive momentum in our region is assuring our local talent is thriving. Is our community investing wisely in you? We need to continue to ask our most important asset, our talent pool, if you believe DSM is a community where you can reach your full potential.

The Greater Des Moines Partnership, in collaboration with The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University and the Excellence with Integrity Institute, is again conducting a survey to determine how embedded our workforce is in the community and workplace, based on connectedness to people, place and purpose. The results of this survey will provide direction to community and business leaders in DSM on what more needs to be done to enhance our region’s quality of life.

Take the survey here.

–Amy Smit, Robert D. and Billie Ray Center

Wishing the YALI fellows farewell

Please join Drake International and the College of Business and Public Administration at the Turner Jazz Center on Thursday, July 25 from 4:30–6:30 p.m. to say goodbye to the Mandela Washington Fellows. This group of 25 young professionals from sub-Saharan Africa has been on campus since June 19, partaking in an intensive program on business and entrepreneurship. Help us congratulate them on completing their program and wishing them well as they leave Des Moines!

–Stephanie Dana Ely, Center for International Programs and Services

Faculty and staff picnic

Mark your calendars for this year’s employee picnic on Tuesday, July 23, from 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. at Hubbell Dining. The lunch is free, and it is a great chance to socialize with coworkers from across campus. You may also wear jeans or shorts (work appropriate) with your manager’s approval.

Faculty and staff can enjoy a state fair-themed menu. Then, after lunch, head outdoors and try your hand at the ring toss, bags, or rubber chicken toss in our mini-midway.

New this year: we are holding a judged pie contest. To enter the contest and receive further instructions, please send an email to linda.feiden@drake.edu.

And don’t forget to bring at least one non-perishable item for the Drake Little Food Pantries on campus to be eligible for a prize drawing, held at the conclusion of the picnic. We look forward to seeing you there!

–Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Enter Drake’s faculty & staff pie baking contest

Do you enjoy baking?  Is your pie the star attraction at family dinners?  We are looking for as many pie-loving cooks as possible to enter this summer’s pie baking contest. This event will be part of the State Fair-themed faculty & staff picnic on Tuesday, July 23 from 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. in the Hubbell Dining Hall.

Contest Rules:

  • The dessert pie must be made from scratch and entered in the name of the faculty or staff member who made it.
  • One or two pie entries per person are allowed.
  • Pies may have single or double crusts. Lace/lattice and crumb toppings may also be used.
  • No pies allowed that require refrigeration (i.e. dairy or cream pies).
  • Bring the pie in a disposable 8”, 9”, or 10” pie plate/pan with a cover.
  • All pies must be brought to Hubbell Dining Hall (main cafeteria entrance) between 11:30 a.m.–noon on Tuesday, July 23.
  • A copy of the pie recipe, with the list of ingredients must be provided. Make sure your name and the name of the pie entry are on the recipe and submit it at the time you bring your pie.
  • Pies will be judged on overall appearance (crust and filling), and taste.
  • All winners will be announced during the picnic. The first, second, and third place winners will receive a certificate, a prize, and “bragging rights.”
  • At the conclusion of the event, the judged pies will be sliced for everyone to sample.

To register a pie for the contest, please send an email to Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu.

–Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Faculty and staff affinity groups for underrepresented identities

Starting in the fall, the Office of Equity and Inclusion will be sponsoring faculty and staff affinity groups. These groups will provide opportunities for faculty and staff from underrepresented identities to get to know each other, socialize, and provide support for one another. Each affinity group will host events twice a semester both on and off campus.

If you belong to one of the affinity group identities and are interested in joining, please contact the following champions.

Affinity Group Champion Email
LGBTQ Tony Tyler tony.tyler@drake.edu
Black/African American Brandi Miller brandi.miller@drake.edu
Jewish Lilianna Bernstein lilianna.bernstein@drake.edu
Asian Michi Matsukura michi.matsukura@drake.edu
Latino/a/x Marina Verlingia marina.verlengia@drake.edu

Additionally, if you would like to start an affinity group for an underrepresented identity, please contact Erin Lain at erin.lain@drake.edu.

–Erin Lain, Office of the Provost