The Drake University Procurement Office, with the assistance of an evaluation committee of cross-representative faculty and staff, conducted a competitive RFP process to evaluate travel management service providers. As a result of the evaluation, Drake University will be transitioning all non-athletic travel management services to Travel Leaders beginning August 22, 2023.  Over the last few months, we have been working closely with Travel Leaders to ensure a seamless transition with minimal impact to our travelers. Please note this change does not impact our current travel policy.

Travel Leaders/Destinations Unlimited (TLDU) has over 35 years of experience managing higher education travel and is familiar with the various types of travel we have and our unique challenges. This partnership will provide numerous benefits to our traveling faculty, staff, and students. 

Travel Leaders will be offering several virtual training sessions to prepare travelers for this change and answer questions you may have about the program.

August 22, 10:30-11:30am
August 23, 9-10am and 2-3pm
August 24, 1-2pm

If you have not already received a meeting invitation and would like to attend a training session, email procurement@drake.edu to request an invitation. Please indicate in the email the date that works best for you.

The Procurement website is currently under construction and is scheduled to be updated with FAQ and other travel specific information prior to scheduled training noted above. Please check back to the website for pertinent information in the weeks to come. In the meantime, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email procurement@drake.edu.  

— Adam Voigts, Chief Financial Officer

University Communications and Marketing is sponsoring a professional portrait day Monday, Aug. 21, from 12–1 p.m. in Old Main, Conference Room 115. The photo session is free and open to all faculty and staff. High-resolution portraits are made available for download through SmugMug. 

There is no advanced sign up. Photos will be taken on a first-come, first-serve basis.

— Jimmy Hoover, University Communications and Marketing

Drake Online will hold Ultra Hours throughout the month of August to help you prepare for the start of term. Ultra Hours is an informal working session with our instructional design team that allows you to ask questions about your presence on Blackboard Learn Ultra. 

Join us in Cowles Library, Room 201 any time from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the following days: 

• Wednesday, August 9
• Thursday, August 10
• Tuesday, August 15
• Wednesday, August 16
• Thursday, August 17
• Tuesday, August 22
• Wednesday, August 23

Please sign up to indicate when you plan to come and what types of questions you have. Your feedback helps us adequately staff and prepare to assist you. 

If you prefer to meet virtually, our team is available to meet with you on request. Please fill out a service request and include 1-2 windows of time that you would be available to meet. Remember that you can always request just-in-time help from Drake Online or reference our help guides.

— Bret Sikkink, Office of the Provost

The Capital Project Approval Process policy was first approved in 2021. The policy establishes a formal process for the identification, prioritization, approval, development and delivery of capital projects.

After working with the policy for two years, several recommendations are being made to further improve the policy. The revised policy is now posted for comment here. The key changes to the policy are (a) to provide additional opportunities for departments to submit requests throughout the year; (b) eliminate unclear language about pre-construction processes (referred to as the feasibility phase); (c) clarify the budget approval process; and (d) broaden the group charged with authorizing projects to include the Provost since most projects touch the academic units in some way.

We invite comment on the policy revisions through Aug. 11.

— Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer

Please join us for the 2023 Learning Symposium on Thursday, Aug. 17.  We are planning a day with ample opportunities to reflect and reconnect, to socialize with colleagues, to focus on our community, and to center ourselves for the year ahead.  

This year’s Drake Learning Symposium will allow faculty and staff to gather as one, bringing with us our unique and shared experiences, while focusing on our way forward as a community.  

At the Learning Symposium, we will dive into cultivating the skillsets behind effective communication, conflict management, empathy, resilience, and personal power through activities led by speaker Whitney Warne of Evoke EQ.  

Lunch will be provided by two food trucks; Mactopia and Bearded Jackal. Mactopia items will include Perfection, Garden of Eden, Bliss, and Paradise, as well as soft drinks. Bearded Jackal items will include Peruvian Chicken, Bulgogi, Skirt Steak with Chimichurri, or Thai Curry Tofu (vegetarian). This will come with a side of street corn and Dragon Fruit Lemonade. A voucher for a free entrée and beverage will be provided to all Symposium attendees. Vegetarian and gluten free options will be available. 

Please register for the Learning Symposium on Eventbrite. Those registered will receive a voucher for their lunch at the trucks. 

We are excited to offer this year’s Learning Symposium as a wonderful opportunity for building community. As with all campus events and activities, we ask managers to actively encourage their employees to consider attending—this applies to faculty and both hourly and salaried staff. 

—Madison Bemus, Office of the Provost

Please join us for the next Provost’s Drake Social on Friday, Aug. 18 in the Turner Jazz Center beginning at 4 p.m. As the first Social of the academic year, this will be a chance to reconnect with colleagues, meet new faculty members, and celebrate the start of another great year!

Refreshments will include wine, beer, soft drinks, cake, and an assortment of light snacks. Keep in mind that this is a family friendly event—please feel free to bring your children and partner!

— Madison Bemus, Office of the Provost

Students utilizing the Drake Tuition Waiver benefit for undergraduate degree programs in the Fall 2023 or Spring 2024 semesters are required to complete the 2023–2024 FAFSA before by June 30, 2023. See Drake’s Tuition Waiver Policy for more details.

Employees should complete the Tuition Waiver Application for each semester that the employee or eligible dependent wishes to utilize this benefit.

— Ryan Zantingh, Financial Aid Office

Ice Cream Week is coming! During the last week in June, Provost Mattison invites you to gather some colleagues, take a walk down to Black Cat Ice Cream on Cottage Grove, and enjoy a free cup or cone of one of their amazing ice cream or sorbet flavors.

You can pick up your ticket at the Provost’s Office in Old Main anytime from June 27–30.

Happy summer!

— Madison Bemus, Office of the Provost

You are invited to a series of open forums with the final three candidates for the Associate Provost for Online Education position.

During these forums, each candidate will briefly present their vision for online programming and take questions from the campus community. Please join us via Teams at the any of the following times to ask your questions and get to know the finalists for this position.

Please use the following links to log in:

Dr. Jennifer Miller: 6/21, 1:00-2:00 pm

Dr. Mandara Savage: 6/23, 3:30-4:30 pm

Dr. Belle Cowden: 6/28, 3:30-4:30 pm

— Madison Bemus, Office of the Provost

This group will focus on writing instruction, activities, assignments, and assessments for First-Year Seminar. Instructors who participate in this project will have a one-semester commitment that will include:

• Working with the Director of Writing, Megan Brown, on the development of a writing assignment, writing activities, or a writing project for their FYS.
• Attending an individual meeting at the start of the semester (or during the summer if preferred) to work on writing assignment ideas.
• Attending meetings of all participants in the program in August/September, at approximately midterm, and at end of Fall 2023 semester.  These meetings may be structured as two sessions each time, with half of the participants at each session, in order to facilitate more in-depth discussion.
• Requiring all students enrolled in their FYS to attend tutoring sessions at the Writing Center at least twice during the semester.
• Submitting samples of student writing and a brief critical reflection at the end of the semester.

After the initial meeting(s) with the Director of Writing to develop a writing assignment or writing project, participants will receive a stipend of $500. After completing the requirements and attending the final meeting, participants will receive an additional $500.

If you are interested in participating, or if you have questions, please contact Megan Brown (megan.brown@drake.edu) by June 30.

— Megan Brown, Professor of English