The Offices of Finance and Student Financial Planning would like to thank everyone for taking the time to complete the Administrative Survey in October 2018.  We have gained valuable feedback to help us maintain and improve the services we provide to faculty and staff.

Our median scores, on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest, were as follows:

Each of our departments individually scored between 4 and 5 on all survey questions, with the average score = 4.31 for both 2017 and 2018.  In addition, we scored between 4 and 5 on each of our core values.

In accordance with our continuous improvement plan, we currently have initiatives in place to meet the following service-oriented objectives:

• Ensure our constituents are engaged and informed
• Ensure integrity and transparency
• Process university resources timely and accurately
• Improve service excellence

We appreciate all the comments included in the survey.  Thank you for the many positive comments, which support our efforts to be prompt, helpful, responsive, and friendly.  Thank you, too, for providing feedback to help us make improvements in the future.  Based on those comments, we are taking the following steps to make improvements:

• We recently attended a process improvement training presented by the Education Advisory Board (EAB). We intend to review our processes using the EAB model, in order to:
  • Simplify
  • Communicate better
  • Collaborate more
  • Be more consistent
  • Reduce paper processes
  • Streamline operations
  • Improve customer experience and satisfaction

As part of this work, we will include stakeholders in the process review and communicate the results of our work.

• We have also reaffirmed our commitment to our Finance Service Standards, namely:
• Provide Solutions not Excuses
• Take Ownership
• Foster an Innovative Environment
• Be Accountable as Team Members and Individuals
• Value and Trust Others
• Uphold Professional, Ethical and Confidential Standards
• Exceed Expectations
• Be an Ambassador for Drake
• Recognize Contributions

Teresa Krejci, Chief Financial Officer

I wanted to share with you the most recent results from this year’s Survey of Administrative Services as it relates to ITS. We are pleased to report that over the three years of this survey, data indicates a steadily improving sense of satisfaction with ITS.

In 2018, overall satisfaction with ITS has increased from 3.8 to 4.0 on a scale of 1 to 5. We are proud that the campus community recognizes the work that’s been done, but the results clearly leave room for additional improvement.

Figure 1 – Overall Satisfaction with ITS 2016-17 Trend

Questions related to satisfaction with ITS staff showed almost uniform improvement, although satisfaction with quality showed the least improvement year over year.

Figure 2 – ITS Staff Satisfaction 2016-18 Trend

From left to right

• ITS staff are courteous
• ITS staff are professional
• ITS staff are knowledgeable
• ITS staff resolve my requests in a timely manner
• ITS staff resolve my requests without errors
• ITS staff provide regular communication about the status of my requests
• When I contact ITS, I have confidence my requests will be resolved to my satisfaction

Responses to questions related to ITS’s continuous improvement efforts also show increasing satisfaction across all questions. Limited improvements to the question I have the right technology tools I need to do my job effectively show that the availability of functional, reliable technology remains an ongoing campus-wide concern.

Figure 3 – ITS Continuous Improvement Satisfaction 2016-18 Trend

From left to right

• I have the right technology tools I need to do my job effectively
• I know how to use the technology I need to do my job effectively
• I have the right level of support to use technology effectively
• I know how to get training when I need to learn new technology
• I know how to find information about the status of technology issues or problems on campus
• ITS keeps me aware of changes to technology that will impact my work

During the past year, ITS has paid particular attention to improving the consistency and frequency of communication to campus and we are pleased to see this effort reflected in the survey’s results. Two of the questions that showed the largest increase year-over-year are ITS staff provide regular communication about the status of my requests and I know how to find information about the status of technology issues or problems on campus.

This coming year, we are creating procedures to ensure that we have fully addressed your service requests to your satisfaction before closing them. We will also continue to focus on providing consistent communication regarding progress on your individual requests and on issues affecting the campus community to ensure future progress in these areas.

Although we are pleased to see your recognition of our hard work, we recognize that trust must be constantly earned. Thank you for taking the time from your busy schedules to provide us with your helpful feedback and perspectives. Our goal is to make sure that you see the benefits of that feedback in the overall quality and consistency of our services.

Chris Gill, Chief Information Technology Officer

Please plan to attend the Provost’s Drake Social, Thursday, Dec. 13, at Shivers Hospitality Suite. Employees who exemplify Generosity of Spirit will be recognized.

You may nominate a colleague as one who exemplifies Generosity of Spirit until Monday, Dec. 10. Submit their name and a sentence or two explaining why they embody this Drake Core Value to Drinda Williams, drinda.williams@drake.edu.

Generosity of Spirit: We trust, empower, and assume the best of each other. We treat our colleagues with care, respect, and civility. We remain committed to equity and inclusion.

Anyone nominated will be part of a rolling display at the event. Three will be selected at random to choose from a menu of prizes that this month includes: preferential parking space for a month, baked goods, restaurant gift certificates, and more!

The Social will be preceded by a town hall budget update presented by Teresa Krejci, chief financial officer, beginning at 3:30 p.m. The Social will follow immediately afterward.

The Drake Social is a time to relax with colleagues and enjoy wine, beer, soft drinks, and snacks.

Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost

Applications are now being accepted for 2019–2020 Drake Research Grants and Undergraduate Assistantships. If you have questions, contact Associate Provost Sanders.

Art Sanders, Associate Provost

The final Friday FYS lunch/discussion is Dec. 7 at noon in the Olmsted Center, TMR 133.  While these meetings are designed for those currently teaching FYS, we welcome those with an interest in possibly teaching FYS in the future. It is too late to order a lunch, but you are still welcome to attend.

Art Sanders, Associate Provost

The Office of Community Engaged Learning is now accepting nominations for the Newman Civic Fellowship.

The Newman Civic Fellowship is a national award that recognizes and supports community-committed students who are change-makers and public problem-solvers. Students should engage in collaborative action with others from campus or from surrounding communities in order to create long-term social change, take action in addressing issues of inequality and political polarization, and demonstrate the motivation and potential for effective long-term civic engagement.  Through the fellowship, Campus Compact provides students with training and resources that nurture their assets and passions and help them develop strategies for social change.

Nominees must be enrolled in higher education for the spring semester 2019, and the 2019-2020 academic year.

To nominate a student, please submit 1–3 paragraphs including information about the nominee’s approaches to addressing the root causes of social issues. This may include involvement in public policy reform, community organizing, community-based research, social entrepreneurism, or other efforts to build the capacity of community-based organizations. Additionally, please include why you believe this person has the motivation and potential to develop innovative and collaborative approaches to addressing public problems and to contribute to a network of similarly committed students.

A committee will review nominations to select one student from Drake University to be nominated for the Fellowship. That student will need to complete additional paperwork.

Please submit nominations to Amanda Martin, assistant director of Community Engaged Learning, at amanda.martin@drake.edu no later than Jan. 11.  More information about the Fellowship can be found at https://compact.org/initiatives/awards-programs/newman-civic-fellowship.

Amanda Martin, Community Engaged Learning & Service

To celebrate each of our core values, several employees have shared their thoughts on a particular core value.  This month, we are highlighting Joyful Accountability– take a look!

Nate Reagen, Office of the President

Drake International is accepting applications for FY2020 International Partnership Grants. Activities eligible for funding are listed below and include a variety of opportunities such as, visiting a partner institution, hosting a scholar, exploring a site for a J-Term class, hosting a delegation, and more. The grant deadline is Wednesday, Dec. 12. Contact Julie Yankey at julie.yankey@drake.edu for additional details. Apply today.

Eligible International Partners:

• Wiener Neustadt, Austria
• Universidad de los Andes, Chile
• Minzu University, China
• Sichuan International Studies University, China
• Southwest University of Political Science and Law, China
• University of International Business and Economics, China
• University of Clermont Auvergne, France*
• University of Nantes, France*
• Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences, India
• Kwansei Gakuin University, Japan
• Kosovo (agreement is with Ministry of Education)
• Tec de Monterrey, Mexico
• University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
• Makerere University Business School, Uganda

Please note those denoted with (*) indicate partners with more restricted grant funding; contact Julie Yankey at julie.yankey@drake.edu for clarification.

Eligibility and Criteria for Funding:
Full-time faculty and staff are eligible to apply. Preference will be given to proposals that:

• • Further relevant portions of the University’s Continuous Improvement Plan and the unit’s global engagement indicators in specific and identifiable ways.
  • Broaden or deepen the faculty/staff member’s knowledge of a particular strategic international partner.
  • Advance Drake’s global engagement with our partners in new ways: such as international travel seminars, creating original activities with existing partners, global curriculum development, building upon previous activity, etc.
  • Explain how proposed activities will have specific teaching, research, and service outcomes for student learning, faculty and staff development, and Drake.
  • Are financially supported by the academic unit of the individual submitting the grant.

Julie Yankey, Drake International