Microsoft has changed how Copilot is licensed. As a result, the button that previously appeared inside some Office apps is no longer available for most campus accounts.

What’s changing:

• Beginning April 15, Microsoft stopped offering the embedded Copilot experience within Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote for users who do not have a paid Microsoft 365 Copilot (Premium) license.
• You may notice the Copilot icon is no longer available on the ribbon in those apps.

What’s staying the same:

• Copilot Chat (web-based chat experience) is still available.
• You can continue to access Copilot Chat through the Microsoft 365 Copilot app and on the web (for example, via the Microsoft 365 portal).
• Copilot Chat also remains available in Outlook (mail and calendar) and in Teams.

More information:

This is a Microsoft-wide licensing change (not a Drake-specific decision). Microsoft may adjust how and where Copilot features appear across Microsoft 365 apps over time as licensing and product experiences evolve.

Do I need to do anything?

No action is required. If you were using Copilot inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or OneNote, you can continue using Copilot via Copilot Chat instead. If you have questions or need help finding Copilot Chat, contact the IT Support Center by submitting a Software Request ticket on the service portal, calling 515-271-3001, or bringing your device to the lower level of Carnegie Hall.

— Becky Klein, ITS

Please mark your calendar for Drake University’s Learning Symposium on Tuesday, Aug. 18, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. We invite all faculty and staff to attend, and lunch will be provided.

A more detailed agenda will be shared at a later date.

— Anne Marie Greenwood, Office of the Provost

After three incredible decades of dedication to the Drake University community, Karen Pomeroy is retiring! Please join us as we honor her remarkable career, share memories, and wish her the very best in her next chapter.

When: May 15
Time: 9–11 a.m.
Where: Aliber Hall, Room 204

We look forward to seeing you there!

— Sydney Sattre, Dean’s Office Zimpleman College of Business

Facilities Planning and Management has scheduled a steam outage on campus from Monday, May 18 — Wednesday, May 20. This outage is necessary to make repairs to a condensate line near Herriott Hall as well as additional repairs to the steam system within Harvey Ingham.

During this outage, which will affect most buildings on campus, there will be no hot water. This outage will NOT affect cooling on campus.

Buildings excluded are:

Alumni House
Boys and Girls Club
Campus Suites at Dogtown
Harkin Center
Nursing Building
Jewett Hall
Occupational Therapy Building
Ross Hall

Facilities Planning and Management has scheduled this outage after careful consideration of the impacts to the greater campus community. With limited students on campus and the many camps, conferences, and orientation sessions scheduled for late May through August, this was deemed to be the most optimal time for a shutdown.

— Colin Atkinson, Associate Director, Facilities Planning & Management

If you know a junior who is interested in going abroad after graduation, invite them to consider the Fulbright program. Awardees teach English, study, or conduct research outside of the U.S., serving as cultural ambassadors. This is just one of many funded opportunities for graduates to experience life in another country.

Exemplary juniors with plans for graduate school might consider scholarships such as the Marshall or Rhodes for study in the U.K. There are also numerous scholarships available to research and/or study in other countries and in the U.S.

Interested students are encouraged to contact Drake’s Coordinator of Global Post-Graduate Scholarships, shelley.fairbairn@drake.edu, before the end of this semester.

— Shelley Fairbairn, Professor of Education

Don’t forget to vote for All Staff Council! Use the All Staff Council ballot to vote for your new committee members. Voting closes at midnight on Friday, May 1.

— All Staff Council Governance Committee

You are invited to the Provost’s next Drake Social on Wednesday, May 13, from 4–5:30 p.m. in the Schickler Club, adjacent to the Knapp Center.

During this event, faculty and staff who celebrated (or will be celebrating) a milestone service anniversary or retirement between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026, will be highlighted.  Their names will be scrolled on video screens around the room.

Refreshments will include an assortment of snacks and beverages. The Provost’s Social is a family friendly event. Feel free to bring your children or partner.

Please take a moment to stop by and congratulate your co-workers.

— Anne Marie Greenwood, Office of the Provost

Stipend-Supported Fellowship for Fall Instructors through OLLI at Drake and CEL

Building upon the success of recent intergenerational collaborations within the Drake curriculum, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) and the Office of Community Engaged Learning (CEL) invite instructors of Fall 2026 courses to convene 3-4 combined class meetings with OLLI members.

Selected instructors, known as OLLI at Drake Fellows for Intergenerational Learning, will receive a $1,000 stipend. Additional funding is available for project implementation or catering of a meal or social hour with students and OLLI members.

Drake instructors interested in the OLLI at Drake Fellowship for Intergenerational Learning can find more information andapply by Wednesday, April 15 at https://drake.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_czRxTYHUHeKHprw.

Please contact OLLI Director Tracy Beck or CEL Director Mallary Allen with any questions or to discuss ideas.

April 13–17 is National Student Employment Week! Student employees perform invaluable services to the campus community.

Supervisors, would you like to recognize your student employees? Here are a few low- to no-cost ideas:

• Bring in treats for your student workers or put together a goodie bag
• Write a hand-written note expressing your appreciation
• Help students with their career preparation – offer to review their resume or write a letter of recommendation
• Decorate office doors, desks, or bulletin boards with signs expressing your appreciation
• Highlight students on your social media pages, or submit a student/group spotlight to Career Services to be highlighted on Instagram – just send a photo and quote to Amanda Martin, amanda.martin@drake.edu

We are also thankful to the many on-campus supervisors who support the development of Drake students every day!

— Amanda Martin, Academic Excellence and Student Success