Drake faculty and staff can enjoy lunch for just $5 at Hubbell Dining this Thursday, March 24, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Bring your Drake Card and enjoy a tasty meal—Hubbell will be featuring Indian cuisine!
—Jennifer Bowersox, Unit Marketing Coordinator, Sodexo
Tyler Spoon, database administrator with Information Technology Services, was surprised March 4 at a departmental meeting with the Called to be True Blue Award. He was nominated for the honor by the human resources department, which lauded his excellent customer service, proactivity in responding to issues or requests, high level of expertise, integrity, professionalism, willingness to go the extra mile, and unfailingly positive attitude. In their nomination of Tyler, HR department members wrote:
“Tyler is always very willing to assist and will go out of his way to research and find a solution even if it is not technically in his area. I have never had him reply that it is not his responsibility … He has never made me feel inadequate with my lack of computer knowledge. He follows through with every request HR has sent to him. Tyler is our ‘go-to guy’ on campus.”
Tyler received a certificate and gift card, and is now in the running, along with other True Blue Award winners nominated before Friday, March 18, to win top honors for staff accomplishment at the All Staff Council Sapphire Awards event April 19.
Do you know of a staff member or department that has gone above and beyond to exemplify True Blue spirit? Nominate them today!
—All Staff Council Communications Committee
Nominations are now being accepted for the Ron and Jane Olson Outstanding Global Service-Learning Faculty/Staff Award. Nominations are due Friday, April 8, at 5 p.m. The selected awardee will receive a $500 award and will be recognized at the Faculty Awards and Honors Luncheon in May.
Ron and Jane Olson established the Outstanding Global Service-Learning Award to recognize outstanding work guiding and participating in global-service learning initiatives.
A letter of nomination should be submitted recommending an individual for the award speaking to the award criteria:
The nominee must be a current faculty or staff member at Drake.
Nomination Process
The letter of nomination is due to the Global Service-Learning Coordinator Maria Rohach no later than April 8. The letter should be sent as an attachment to maria.rohach@drake.edu. A committee of faculty and staff will review all nominations and make recommendations to the vice provost for international programs.
—Submitted by Maria Rohach
Nominations are being accepted from the University community for the prestigious Oreon E. Scott Award. Given annually since 1949, the Oreon E. Scott Award recipient is considered to be the outstanding senior student at Drake. The Oreon E. Scott Award winner will speak at Commencement.
Scholarship, leadership, service, and involvement are the criteria used by the selection committee. All letters of nomination should discuss in detail the reasons you believe the student, when judged by these criteria, should receive the award. To help in the selection process, please include the student’s résumé with your nomination letter.
The nominated student must receive a baccalaureate degree this spring or summer and have attended Drake for at least four semesters. Pharmacy students with the academic classification of P2 are also eligible for this award.
Visit www.drake.edu/leadershipinstitute/adamsleadershipconvocation/oreonescottaward/ for more information.
Letters of nomination are to be sent to Meghan Blancas, director of student leadership programs, in the Student Life Center by Wednesday, March 30.
—Meghan Blancas
Following the recent announcement that Drake is a top producer of Peace Corps volunteers, Drake International wishes to reach out to former Peace Corps volunteers who are Drake employees. You may be a valuable resource for current students considering volunteering. Any staff or faculty who have served in the Peace Corps, please contact Karen Leroux, associate professor of history and coordinator, post-graduate scholarships, at karen.leroux@drake.edu.
—Submitted by Drake International
The Iowa Network for Women in Higher Education (IowaWHE) Annual Leadership Conference brings women together from all corners of the state to network and discuss the issues facing leaders in higher education today. The theme of the 2016 conference is “Preparing for Leadership Challenges.” What are some of the major challenges confronting higher education today? How do women leaders prepare themselves to meet those challenges? An outstanding panel of women leaders will share their insights and experiences on some of the issues so relevant for current and aspiring leaders. This year’s conference is being hosted by Iowa State University on April 8. More information can be found online.
—Submitted by Maria Bohorquez, Professor of Chemistry, Department Chair
Have you encountered a Drake staff member or even a whole office or team who practices excellence, learning, integrity, citizenship, and/or fiscal responsibility? Nominate them for All-Staff Council’s Called to be True Blue Award today at www.drake.edu/asc/recognition.
All True Blue recipients nominated before Friday, March 18, will be in the running to receive All-Staff Council’s highest recognition for staff members at Drake—a Sapphire Award. Mark your calendar for the Sapphire Awards Show, held Tuesday, April 19 from 2 to 3 p.m. in Levitt Hall.
— Submitted by All-Staff Council
Melissa Sturm-Smith, associate provost for academic excellence and student success, was honored Feb. 9 with the Called to be True Blue Award. In nominating her, Melissa’s colleague wrote:
“Melissa has shown exemplary leadership as a supervisor, colleague, and supporter for all students, faculty, and staff. She never takes any credit for her hard work and dedication. Whether it’s working with Welcome Weekend, Dean’s Council, SDAT, etc., she embodies what it means to be an effective and humble leader. I can’t think of anyone here at Drake who cares about the well being of their staff and colleagues more than her. I hear students say that they want to be ‘Just like Melissa.’ If that isn’t True Blue then I don’t know what is.”
Melissa was surprised at a meeting and awarded a certificate and gift card, and is now in the running, along with other True Blue Award winners from this fiscal year, to win top honors for staff accomplishment at the All-Staff Council Sapphire Awards event April 19.
Do you know of a staff member or department that has gone above and beyond to exemplify True Blue spirit? Nominate them today! The nomination form is available online.
—Submitted by All Staff Council Communications Committee
Nominations are open for All Staff Council. Please take a few minutes to nominate yourself or others to serve on the All Staff Council. The nomination process will close on Friday, March 4, at 8 a.m.
The following committees and number of positions are open for election:
Communications: 2
Governance: 2
Recognition: 3
Special Event/Community Service: 2
Member at Large: 1
All nominated individuals will be contacted for confirmation that they wish to run and asked to provide a brief statement about why they wish to serve on the committee.
Click here to submit your nomination. (Link may be used multiple times for multiple nominations.)
—Chrystal Stanley, Academic Achievement Coordinator, Professional and Career Development Services
The first of our monthly lunch/discussions of the Scholarship of Teaching Learning (SoTL) is on Friday, Feb. 19, in Cowles 201. These lunchtime discussions are opportunities for those engaged in SoTL, thinking about SoTL, or just curious to get together and discuss ideas or concerns about teaching. If you would like us to provide a lunch for you, please go to: http://tinyurl.com/SoTLFeb to register for the event.
—Art Sanders, Associate Provost
