Apply now to participate in a new staff mentor program. Staff members can be either a mentor or mentee, and faculty members are welcome to serve as mentors.
The final deadline to sign up is Sept. 7. After that, placements will be made and the program will launch during the fall semester.
To learn more and to apply, visit www.drake.edu/asc/specialinterest/
If you have questions, please reach out to committee chair, Carla Herling at carla.herling@drake.edu or 515-271-2356.
Don Marcoullier, former professor emeritus of wind and brass instruments and director of bands at Drake, passed away on Aug. 5. Don was director of bands from 1956 through 1987, and under his leadership, the band program achieved national prominence. Don always considered the real success of the program to be the achievements of “his kids”—the university students he served and followed throughout their careers. To this day, his former students still refer to him as “Chief.”
Under his direction, the Concert Band performed for national conferences of preeminent music education organizations, and premiered major compositions by six nationally renowned composers. He was a guest conductor, clinician, and lecturer in 38 states, Ireland, Canada, and Mexico. The Drake University Marching Band performed at 18 National Football League games and was named, “One of the nation’s top five marching bands” by CBS.
Don authored the book, “Marching for Marching Bands,” introducing the unit system of marching which was widely adopted by marching bands across the U.S. For 50 years he served on the executive committee of the Drake Relays, and was elected to its Hall of Fame. Don was a Board Member of the American Bandmasters Association, and Past President of College Band Directors National Association, Iowa Bandmasters Association, Iowa Music Educators Association, and Des Moines Civic Music Association.
If you’d like to pay tribute to Don by generously contributing to the Don R. Marcouiller Endowment for Band Excellence, please contact Doug Lampe at doug.lampe@drake.edu or 515-271-3055. Please see his obituary online. Don will be deeply missed by many family, friends, and colleagues.
Originally sent in an email to faculty and staff Aug. 7:
As we near completion of the cleanup and restoration work resulting from the rain event on June 30, I want to extend my appreciation to our colleagues who have worked so hard to get our campus back in shape. Our Facilities Planning & Management team and the Office of Environmental Health and Safety, in particular, have been working diligently to restore the spaces that were affected. Repair work relating to the majority of faculty and staff offices and student spaces, including classrooms and residence halls, will be completed and in working order prior to students returning to campus later this month. The lower level of Carnegie Hall, normally home to Student Services and the ITS Support Center, will not be ready prior to classes commencing. Those offices will operate out of Quad Creek and Collier-Scripps Hall, respectively, until repairs are completed.
In addition to managing flood cleanup, our Facilities staff have been moving forward with previously planned construction and renovation projects. These include major projects such as the Boys & Girls Club, Ray Promenade, a new floor and LED lighting in The Knapp Center, improvement in both Cowles and Cartwright Hall, and HVAC updates to the Quads. The Boys & Girls Club continues to take shape as pre-cast walls are scheduled to go up beginning August 20. The promenade is nearly finished, with only final touches such as landscaping and seeding left to be completed. The Knapp Center floor will be ready for play in mid-September. And, upgrades to the ventilation system in the Quads is nearing completion, ensuring these residence halls will be ready for move-in day in a couple of weeks. These projects, among others on campus, are indicative of our continuing improvement and our commitment to all members of our community with a vibrant learning environment.
Once again I want to thank all of our colleagues who have worked so hard this summer to mitigate the flood damage, while at the same time keeping so many major projects on track to completion. For all of us who haven’t been directly involved in this work, please take a few moments when the opportunity presents itself to thank these teammates for being there for us and for our campus!
Best regards,
Marty
Nathan Newman, EdD, ATC, associate professor of athletic training, is conducting a study on the impact of low-level laser therapy on lower extremity injuries. Low-level laser therapy is an experimental treatment that may decrease pain and inflammation in common musculoskeletal injuries. Faculty and staff members that have recently suffered a lower extremity injury, or suffer one in the near future, may contact Nathan Newman at nathan.newman@drake.edu about participating in the study. Compensation will be provided to participants who complete the entire study. This study has been approved by the IRB.
Nathan Newman, College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences
The Student Services Center/ID Card office is temporarily located in Quad Creek, the lower level of Hubbell (next to the C-Store), to allow for flood repair in Carnegie Hall. The department plans to be in this location for most of the fall semester.
Please visit the Student Services Center for assistance with parking passes, ID cards, office/lab keys, student employment paperwork, or any of our other services. Student Services can be reached at studentservices@drake.edu or 515-271-2000.
Sara Heijerman, Student Services Center
Looking for a chance to grow and connect with other professionals across Drake? The application to participate in the new All Staff Council mentor program is now available. Staff members interested in being either a mentor or mentee, or faculty members who would like to be mentors, should complete the application.
The final deadline to sign up is Sept. 7. After that, placements will be made and the program will officially launch during the fall semester.
If you have questions, please reach out to committee chair, Carla Herling at carla.herling@drake.edu or 515-271-2356.
Niki Smith, University Communications and Marketing
Final plans are being made for the 2018 Drake Learning Symposium, Building Trust: Leading the Conversation. There is still time to register by visiting the Eventbrite page. This year, the symposium is being held at the Olmsted Center and will feature Dr. Kathy Obear of the Center for Transformation and Change. For more details and a full description of the sessions, visit the symposium webpage.
Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost
Each month, ITS will offer various Tech Tuesday sessions designed to provide you with resources to use technology more efficiently in your job (and possibly your life). Some Tech Tuesday topics are being offered twice, please register by session. All sessions are 50 minutes, including time for Q&A.
Upcoming dates & topics:
Tuesday, Aug. 21: Getting Started with Blackboard
1 p.m., Olmsted Center, TMR 132
Taught by Karly Good & Clayton Mitchell, ITS
We will be providing basic tips and tricks for working with Blackboard. We will focus on course menus, navigation, grade center setup, and more.
Tuesday, Aug. 28: Setting up Your Blackboard Course to Match Your Syllabus
10 a.m. or 1 p.m., Olmsted Center, TMR 132
Taught by Karly Good, ITS
This practical, hands-on session will help you to take what is provided in your completed syllabus and build your Blackboard course to match what you have already developed.
Future Tech Tuesday topics include the IT Service Portal, Qualtrics, IT security, project management, and Office 365, as well as additional Blackboard training courses. Registration is open for all classes now.
Carla Herling, ITS
All faculty and staff are invited to the Provost’s first Drake Social of the 2018-2019 academic year on Monday, Aug. 20, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the Cline Atrium. The social will be held mid-afternoon, just after the Drake Learning Symposium.
President Marty Martin will welcome attendees, and talk about our next steps in actualizing the Core Values. In fact, the Drake Socials will become an exciting part of that implementation with recognition opportunities, prizes, and even use of some of our outdoor spaces to fully celebrate the Drake community.
We hope you will attend the Drake Learning Symposium, beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 20, and conclude the day at the social. To register for the Learning Symposium, visit the Eventbrite page. The social does not require registration.
Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost
On an average day, about 206,000 malicious emails are sent to Drake faculty, staff, and students, comprising nearly 80 percent of all the email sent to us. Most of these spam and phishing messages are blocked before they reach our mailboxes, but we cannot let down our guard on the content that does reach us.
Earlier this week, UnityPoint Health announced the potential breach of 1.4 million patients’ personal information. Attackers sent an email to employees disguised as an official communication from a senior executive that directed recipients to a fake website asking for their username and password. Once entered, the attackers accessed patient information stored in the email accounts.
Each of us stand between attackers and the information entrusted to us by students, alumni, community partners, donors, and each other. Fortunately, we have a set of tools available to combat this problem.
ITS will continue to provide training throughout the academic year through simulated emails and follow-up training, to help faculty and staff identify and respond to these attacks.
Peter Lundstedt, ITS
