All Drake faculty and staff are invited and encouraged to nominate a colleague for the 2023 Madelyn M. Levitt Distinguished Community Service and Employee Excellence Awards.

Madelyn M. Levitt established the Distinguished Community Service Award to recognize the outstanding contributions of Drake faculty and staff to the Drake community. Recipients are chosen on the following criteria:

• A demonstrated personal commitment to volunteerism and community service
• An outstanding record of leadership or substantial involvement in community projects, services and activities contributing to the quality of life in our region, state, and/or the nation
• Professional and personal values and behavior that typify the ideals of “giving back to others” and “making a difference in the lives of others”

The nominee must be a current faculty or staff member with at least five years of service at Drake.

The Employee Excellence Award is presented to a staff member who demonstrates exceptional commitment to excellence in the performance of their duties. Criteria for the award includes:

• Exceptional performance as an employee of Drake University
• Outstanding dedication to providing courteous, prompt and quality service
• Demonstrated commitment to University programs, initiatives, and services
• Professional values and behavior that demonstrate exceptional service to others and a commitment to Drake University

The nominee must be a current staff member with at least one year of service at Drake.

To nominate a colleague, submit a letter of nomination to Human Resources. Nomination letters may be sent through campus mail or electronically to drakehr@drake.edu.  The subject line should read “Madelyn M. Levitt Award Nomination”.  The letter should detail specific examples of how the nominee exemplifies each of the applicable criteria. Additional letters of support are not necessary. Nominations are due to Human Resources by Friday, March 3.

For additional information, please contact Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Nominations are being accepted for the Principal Global Citizenship Award, recognizing outstanding contributions to global engagement and internationalization efforts on the part of faculty or staff. The selected awardee will receive a plaque, up to $3,000, and will be announced at the 2023 Global Citizen Forum in March. A screening committee will review all nominations and make recommendations to the Provost.  Nominations should be submitted to Bonnie Ehler at bonnie.ehler@drake.edu by Tuesday, Feb.14, 2023. 

A letter of nomination should be submitted recommending an individual for the award and explaining the context and manner in which the nominator has come to know the faculty or staff member. This letter should speak to the following qualifications:

Pursuant to the University’s mission to develop “responsible global citizens,” explain how the nominee has made outstanding contributions at Drake toward realizing the following:

1. Support Drake University as a global institution by creating linkages to global partners in local, national, and international settings;
2. Develop and/or actively support global and intercultural learning opportunities for Drake students;
3. Develop infrastructure, resources, and partnerships to support internationalization and global engagement.

The nominee must be a faculty or staff member with at least four years of service at the University. The nominee cannot have won this award within the past five years. Faculty and staff members who report directly to Global Engagement are ineligible.

Nominees who indicate a willingness to be considered will be invited to submit a resume or C.V. and a statement discussing their contributions to the above goals. Up to three letters of support from unit or institutional leadership, faculty, staff, or students will be accepted (this is optional).

Any individual who was nominated for the award in 2022 may be re-nominated if the nominator resubmits a letter offering the individual for consideration this year. Files of previous nominees are maintained for one year. If a faculty/staff member is re-nominated, the nominator will be invited to review the file from the previous year to ensure that the nomination is as current as possible.

Past recipients include:

2022 – Debra Bishop, Professor of Practice in Management & International Business
2021 – Sally Haack, Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Clinical Sciences
2020 – Jody Swilky, Ellis and Nelle Levitt Professor of English/Writing Workshop
2019 – Pramod Mahajan, Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences
2018 – Tim Knepper, Professor of Philosophy/Comparison Project Director
2017 – John Rovers, Professor of Pharmacy & Health Sciences
2016 – Ellen Yee, Professor of Law/Director of International Programs

Nomination letters are due by Feb. 14, 2023, and should be sent as an attachment to bonnie.ehler@drake.edu. Questions may be directed to Annique Kiel, executive director of Global Engagement and International Programs, at annique.kiel@drake.edu.

— Bonnie Ehler, Global Engagement

Drake reimburses mileage for use of personal automobiles by employees for actual miles driven during business travel. The reimbursement rate is based on the current standard mileage rate issued by the Internal Revenue Service.

Effective Jan. 1, 2023, the standard mileage rate issued by the IRS for the use of a car will be:

65.5 cents per business mile driven, up 3 cents from the midyear increase setting the rate for the second half of 2022.

The standard mileage rate is evaluated annually by the IRS and is based on an annual study of the fixed and variable costs of operating an automobile.

If you have any questions regarding the reimbursable mileage rate, please visit the IRS website, or contact Accounting at accounting@drake.edu.

— Jenifer Baugher, Accounting

Please join All Staff Council for its Meals from the Heartland event on Thursday, Jan. 12, from 2:30-4:30 p.m. The volunteer event will be held at Meals from the Heartland located at 357 Lincoln Street in West Des Moines. Register here.

— Sydni Jennings, On behalf of All Staff Council

The Office of Sponsored Programs Administration and Research Compliance (SPARC) congratulates the following individuals for receiving extramural funding. The awards mentioned below were received since July 1, 2022.  Each awarded grant supports valuable research or program development.  Many of the awarded grants include funding for scholarships and research assistantships. To learn more about any of the funded projects below, please feel free to reach out to the PI/PD. To learn more about grant support please reach out to any staff member in the SPARC office or go to the SPARC website.

PI/PD	Sponsor	Amount Awarded
Adam Case	National Science Foundation (NSF)	16,344.00
Meredith Moore	National Science Foundation (NSF)	4,760.00
Keith Summerville	Polk County Conservation Board	8,420.75
Keith Summerville	Impact7G	2,000.00
Lance Noe	IREX	215,000.00
Kim Huey	Iowa Space Grant Consortium	9,000.00
Pramod Mahajan	Iowa Space Grant Consortium – scholarships	20,000.00
John Rovers	Iowa Public Health Association	2,500.00
John Rovers	Iowa Care Givers Assoc.	1,000.00
Lisa Proctor	Polk County Behavior Health and Disabilities Services	930,536.00
Neil Hamilton	Amy P. Goldman Foundation	75,000.00
Suzie Pritchett	Office of Refugee Resettlement	486,601.00
Dan Chibnall	Iowa Space Grant Consortium	5,153.00
Kim Jones	Community Foundation of Greater Iowa	30,000.00
Hannah Sappenfield	IREX	224,999.34
Renee Sedlacek Lee	Iowa Department of Natural Resources	31,461.00
Walton, Ray	Mid Iowa Health Foundation	653,566.00
Kruse, Jerrid	Iowa Space Grant Consortium	10,000.00

— Mary P Wohlford, Sponsored Programs Administration and Research Compliance

The deadline to apply for the Drake Principal Center for Global Engagement Partnership Grants for fiscal year 2024 is coming up, with all applications due on Jan. 20, 2023.

About the grants

Drake University has established formal partnerships with multiple institutions abroad. Joint faculty and staff projects with our global partner institutions may be eligible for financial support through the Global Partnership Grants. Full-time faculty and staff members are eligible to apply for these grants for activities taking place during FY24 (July 1, 2023–June 30, 2024). Preference will be given to proposals that:

• Identify a specific set of activities with distinct outcomes with one or more of our partner institutions.
• Demonstrate a specific impact on Drake curriculum, students, and current global partnerships.
• Advance Drake’s global engagement with existing partners in new ways.
• Support involvement by individuals who have not previously been globally engaged.
• Are financially supported by the school, college, or department of the individual submitting the proposal.
• Align with internationally or globally focused unit objects and/or the University’s Continuous Improvement Plan.

Application Process

1. Discuss the proposed activity with your unit Director or Dean prior to submission to help determine its strategic value, and if it aligns with the unit’s global engagement priorities. The discussion will help determine the unit’s interest and ability to support the proposal with financial resources.
2. Submit the online application via Qualtrics, which includes a description and budget (see Notes below) for the proposed activity.
3. Deans/Directors will review all proposals for their unit with the Assistant Director of Global Partnerships and the Executive Director of Global Engagement for prioritization and to make collaborative funding decisions. Final award decisions will be announced in Spring 2023.

Notes

• Global Engagement grant funds are not typically awarded for stipends for Drake faculty and staff; however, stipend requests may be considered for funding by your unit’s Dean/Director on a case-by-case basis. The College of Arts & Sciences will not fund stipends.
• The College of Arts & Sciences will not fund multiple projects in a given grant cycle submitted by the same individual.
• The College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences will not fund research through this grant.

To learn more about Drake University’s global partner institutions, please click here. For more information about this grant opportunity, and other funding opportunities by the Drake Principal CGC, please visit the official grant webpage. If you have any questions or would like further support with logistics, please don’t hesitate to contact grant program overseer Hannah Sappenfield.

— Hannah Sappenfield, Global Engagement

Provost Mattison sent the following message to campus Tuesday, Dec. 20.

Due to anticipated blizzard conditions, and dangerously cold air temperatures combined with high winds, Drake University offices will be closed after 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21, reopening at the conclusion of the winter break on Tuesday, Jan. 3.

Only essential staff should report to work. This designation includes employees who are in operations such as public safety, food service, security, power plant, animal care, critical maintenance, and snow and ice removal. Supervisors should communicate with their employees regarding individual schedules. 

Dress appropriately if you need to go outside during this time of bitter cold. It is best to wear layers and properly cover all extremities, including hands and face, as frostbite can occur on exposed skin in as little as 15 minutes. 

Thank you to those who work so diligently to keep our campus safe and ensure continued operations. 

— Sue Mattison, Provost

Are you curious about the historical trends of Drake’s undergraduate, graduate, and professional enrollment? Do you have questions about the demographic profile of our student body or faculty? The Drake Databook answers these questions and more. Find those answers at Databooks.

The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment publishes this information each year. As we wrap up the year and our work in the Databook, many of your questions can be answered now.

Any questions or issues, please contact Christine Marchand christine.marchand@drake.edu.

— Christine Marchand, Office of Institutional Research and Assessment

The Nelson Institute is seeking proposals for a two-year grant that will fund interdisciplinary faculty-student research addressing a global issue of broad public importance. Deadline: Jan. 27, 2023.

Background

The purpose of this initiative is to enhance Drake’s direct involvement in addressing pressing global issues, thus helping position Drake as a “global knowledge hub” in service to local, national, and international communities.

Over the last several years, the Nelson Institute has funded the following projects. Visit our website here to learn more about these projects:

• Cross-cultural Community-based Strategies for Sustainable Urban Streams: Lessons from Des Moines and Jakarta.
• Exploring complementary approaches to combat global non-communicable diseases in India.
• Religions of Beijing book project with Minzu University of China in Beijing.
• Assessing, Collaborating, and Empowering to Improve Water Quality in Rural Uganda.
• Transnational Des Moines: Reframing Des Moines Immigrant and Refugee Narratives through Collaborative Research with Youth.
• Drake University’s Presence in the Toledo District of Southern Belize: Maximizing Our Impact While Minimizing Our Footprint.

Call for Proposals

One project will be funded for the period from February 1, 2023 – January 31, 2025. The Nelson Institute will provide $20,000-$30,000 in support of the selected project, depending upon demonstrated need. Project leaders are encouraged, if necessary, to seek additional funding from on- and off-campus sources.

How to Submit a Proposal

Send your proposal to the Nelson Institute Faculty Director, Professor Jimmy Senteza, by January 27, 2023.

The review committee typically consists of the Director of the Nelson Institute, the Executive Director of Global Engagement, two additional faculty representatives from the Global Engagement Advisory Committee (GEAC), and a staff member from the Sponsored Programs Administration and Research Compliance office. Award notification will occur by January 31, 2023.

Teams are encouraged to consult with the Director of the Nelson Institute as they prepare their proposals. The successful grant team will be expected to submit a formal progress report by January 31, 2024, and a final grant report by January 31, 2025.

Successful proposals will feature the following elements/criteria:

Explication of Research Topic

• A clear identification of the pressing global issue to be addressed and an explanation of its public significance.
• An exposition of the research objectives and methods related to the project.
• An explanation of how the project takes advantage of particular strengths Drake and the community bring to addressing the issue.

Identification of Interdisciplinary Research Team

• Commitments from an interdisciplinary faculty research team consisting of three or more faculty members (at least two of whom must be Drake affiliated). One or more Principal Investigators must be identified.
• Evidence that the team members possess the requisite qualifications to successfully carry out the project (please attach CVs).
• The project must involve two or more paid student research assistants with appropriate qualifications.
• The research may be joint or parallel (i.e., a single joint project or several individual projects that each address related aspects of a common theme).

Activities and Outcomes

• The project timeline will allow for completion of the primary research products within a two-year period.
• The project participants will engage in at least two team activities (e.g., summer campus workshop, international travel as a team, cooperative field work, etc.) during the grant period.
• Team members will collaborate with other campus entities (e.g., Principal Center for Global Citizenship, Humanities Center, DUSCI, the Harkin Institute, Engaged Citizen, etc.) to schedule co-curricular events (e.g., speakers, films, panel discussions, etc.) related to the theme during the two-year grant period.
• The project will plausibly lead to externalization in the form of publication, presentation(s) at a professional conference, submission as a report to relevant public or non-governmental bodies involved with policy-making, or other outputs of similar import.
• The student members of the grant team are expected to participate in the annual Nelson Conference held on campus each Spring. Additionally, we encourage organizing an on-campus conference related to the theme to be held during (or soon following) year two of the grant involving Drake faculty and students and relevant off-campus experts from academia, government or the professions.

Preferences

• Preference will be given to projects that draw upon connections with partners at the local, national, or international level (e.g., overseas university partner).
• Preference will be given to new projects that have not been funded in prior years by the Nelson Institute.

— Hannah Sappenfield, Global Engagement