There was a lovely turnout for the Provost’s Drake Social in the Cowles Library Reading Room last week. As part of the event, the following were recognized by colleagues for exhibiting the Drake Core Values: 

Joyful Accountability 

• Nicci Kuhl 
• Gina Ryan 
• Jeanette Tran 
• Jamie Rognes 
• Rachel Allen-McHugh 
• Grace Wenzel 

Generosity of Spirit 

• Teresa Downs 
• Elizabeth Robertson 
• Rachel Allen- McHugh, 
• Christine Urish 
• Lynne Cornelius 

All In This Together 

• Molly Wuebker 
• Jamie Rognes 
• Yolanda Griffiths 
• Joan McAlister 
• David Plutschack 
• Jeannie Nielsen 
• Leah Berte

Commitment to Mission 

• Christine Urish 
• Nate Reagen 
• Violeta Aleman 
• Beth Younger 
• Molly Wuebker 

Prize winners were drawn at random, and were: 

• Lynne Cornelius – $20 gift card for Lucky Horse 
• Nate Reagen – Office snack break 
• Jeanette Tran – Baked good
  

Two prizes were also won based on Trivia questions: 

• Samantha Nordstrom – Office breakfast 
• Carrie Dunham LaGree – Premiere Parking 

The next Drake Social will be Monday, April 11, in Shivers Hospitality Suite. If you want to nominate a colleague for Core Values recognition, please fill out our Qualtrics form. 

— Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost

As part of Employee Appreciation Month, Human Resources has been sharing shout-outs submitted by faculty and staff.  Thanks to everyone who participated this month.

Even though Employee Appreciation Month is ending, we hope you continue to find ways to show your appreciation to staff, faculty, and student employees across campus.  Sharing positive energy is contagious.  When you look for the good in people, you strengthen relationships, improving not only their lives, but your own.

Read the final shout-outs submitted this week!

“A shout-out to Sara Hughes and Kris Magill, who have time and again stepped in to help (save) the Career Development Office through our busiest times with staff shortages. We appreciate you and all that you do for us on top of your own jobs!” – Katie Overberg

“A shout-out to Brett Lindman for being so easy to work with.  I know that I can count on him for whatever is needed.  Thanks Brett! You are appreciated.” – Cheri McDaniel

“A shout-out to the accounting department: Thank you for researching and implementing the new self-serve system.  Your patience with those of us learning the new system is noted and appreciated. “– Cheri McDaniel

“A shout-out to Natalie Russell and her staff for helping The Ray Center mail out so many packages.  You guys rock!” – Cheri McDaniel

“A shout-out to Linda Feiden for organizing and collecting emails for BUILD professional development sessions. Thanks for your hard work Linda! – Cheri McDaniel

“A shout-out to Sara Sommerlot for everything she did last fall to assist our department in selecting and ordering Drake branded wellbeing incentives.  She helped guide the process through from start to finish and made sure we had it by the deadline.  Thanks so much Sara!” – Linda Feiden

“A shout-out to Ryan Parriott, Lisa Murphy, and their staff in making sure the inaugural Faculty/Staff “Recess” event was successful.  Thank you for your “All in This Together” attitude and your “Generosity of Spirit” in giving your time.” – Linda Feiden

“A shout-out of appreciation to Kelly Foster, Donita Greenough, and Chris Nickell for their work to improve safety and risk related processes and training.  They have demonstrated an ability to implement new processes on topics like vehicle safety and domestic travel in a way that accomplishes the goal of greater safety and security, while at the same time ensuring processes are not unduly burdensome or repetitive. They collectively do a great job working with others across campus and have built strong relationships that make the roll out of new programs more effective and sustainable.” – Venessa Macro

“A big shout out of thanks and admiration to Anne Kremer, Deneen Dygert and the entire Admissions staff for managing and adjusting to many shifts in protocol and programming throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. They have managed through many challenging situations with grace and generous spirits; never relenting in their focus on delivering effective and impactful admission programming.” – Venessa Macro

“A shout-out to the Finance & Administration and ITS teams for their grueling work rolling out and tweaking Finance Self Serve.” – Sara Sommerlot

“A shout-out to the All Staff Council Governance Committee for commitment to running a clean and fair All Staff Council nomination process.” – Sara Sommerlot

Every Tuesday in OnCampus the Deputy Provost shares two articles with a read time of 10 minutes.

There is a lot going on in the Office of the Deputy Provost and the Center for Teaching Excellence.

We have partnered with the School of Education to provide 10 additional spaces in an on-line Intercultural Conflict Workshop facilitated by Dr. Tara Harvey (True North Intercultural, LLC). The workshop will focus on helping participants better understand and navigate their own and others’ preferred conflict styles, so that they can more effectively communicate and engage in a diverse work environment. It is perfect for department chairs, associate deans, and others who might manage in and through conflict (ie: all of us). Registered participants would take, in advance, the Intercultural Conflict Style Inventory, and the focus of the half-day workshop will be on building participants’ awareness using the Inventory.

This is an online workshop, held April 25 from 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m.; preregistration required by April 11. Please note, if you are SOE faculty or staff, your registration is not through this link.

Please consider signing up to be part of the conversation on creating a faculty-to-faculty mentoring program, to inform my work as I look forward to launching a comprehensive faculty mentoring program over the summer. Register here, so we can provide hospitality for everyone on Friday, March 25, from 1:30–3 p.m. in Howard Hall, Room 210. If you cannot attend but would like to be a mentor—or be assigned a mentor—please email and tell me that.

And exciting news: The 2022 Baum Symposium will be comprised of a series of workshops focused on helping Drake faculty and staff respond ethically and compassionately to the shifts in higher education we have seen as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and demographic trends in our student body.  Featured speaker Cathy Davidson, the author of The New Education: How to Revolutionize the University to Prepare Students for a World in Flux, will speak on the evening of Wednesday, May 5. The event will start at 7 p.m., and will be virtual.

Dr. Davidson is the winner of the 2021 Annual Advocacy Award from the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences, the Founding Director of the Futures Initiative at CUNY, and a founding member of HASTAC: Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Alliance and Collaboratory.  Her keynote will kick off an entire month of programming meant to help our faculty and staff address the ethical imperative of meeting our students where they are—emotionally, intellectually, and socially.  Please save the date, and watch for more.

— Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost

Every Tuesday in OnCampus the Deputy Provost shares two articles with a read time of 10 minutes.

The annual J-Term Fair will be held on April 14, from 4:30–6 p.m. in Parents Hall, Olmsted Center. I encourage all faculty and staff who are teaching in January 2023 to attend—bring resources for students to learn more about your course and a sign-up sheet for you to be in touch with them.

We provide: the space, the tables, lemonade, and snacks. You provide: enthusiasm about the course you’re offering and a readiness to talk about it!

In recent years the fair has been exceptionally helpful for helping students learn about our travel offerings; I’d love to continue that, while highlighting as many of our on-campus and web-based J-Term courses as possible.

— Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost

The past two years have put this week’s core value to the test on many fronts. Yet, we remain: All In This Together.

• We embrace robust communication and transparency.
• We thrive through collaboration and teamwork.

While we have done our best to brave this storm together, we know that each person’s experience has been unique. And let’s acknowledge it, a lot has been asked of the Drake community as a whole. Students, in some ways, lost a portion of their “normal” college experience. Faculty had to completely change how they teach and interact with students. Some staff were asked to do less, some were asked to do more, some were asked to do much more. No one had a clear idea of what the future would look like and the uncertainty—along with all the other hurdles—has taken a toll.

Where we go from here is pivotal. Channeling appreciation and gratitude will help focus on a path lined with hope. One of the best ways for us to identify that path is to be intentional in the core sentiments embodied in this value. As an institution, we have been working on assuring channels of communication are more robust. We have taken positive strides toward increased transparency in HR—I know other units are doing the same.

Collaboration and teamwork must be embraced both vertically (within a department, up and down the chain of supervision) and horizontally (across teams and units). This is one of the spaces where absolutely everyone can help foster a working and learning environment that values collaboration and teamwork. It truly takes the entire Drake community to deliver the services and support our students, employees, and communities.

This is a great week to send a message to your favorite collaborators and teammates—including those who work outside of your team and your wonderful student workers. Please take a minute to reflect on the faculty, staff, and student workers who are happy to help you. It just takes a minute to send a note of gratitude and thanks, but when you receive such a note—the joy can last indefinitely.

Consistent with the goals of this core value, Drake HR is thrilled to again partner with All Staff Council to host a town hall. We are currently working to pin down the date—it will likely be in May at the close of the term. Whether it will be in person or virtual (or both) is still being determined. As we did last time, ASC will solicit questions in advance to build the discussion around the topics that are most important to you.

While our perspectives, experiences, and thoughts all vary, when it comes to what lies ahead, we are, indeed, all in this together—let’s find comfort in sharing the path before us. If you have the time and the weather cooperates, please join Renée Cramer, Nate Reagen, and Maureen De Armond for a Thursday walk. Come share the literal path with us. Meet us at 12:00 p.m. sharp on Thursday, March 24. We’ll meet on the sidewalk just southeast of Olmsted and walk a Bulldog Mile together (weather permitting). Wear your walking shoes!

— Maureen De Armond, Human Resources; Nate Reagen, Office of the President

Human Resources and the Provost’s Office invite you to take a break and join in on the upcoming Employee Appreciation Month events. 

March 23: Provost’s Drake Social. The Provost’s Drake Socials have resumed! This month’s social will be held in Cowles Reading Room, beginning at 4 p.m. This is a family friendly event.  There will be snacks, beer, wine, soft drinks, and water. If you would like to recognize a colleague for demonstrating our Core Values, please go to this Qualtrics page to provide information.  Everyone entered will be recognized via a scrolling PowerPoint and several will have their names drawn for prizes.

March 24: Walk the Dog. Join the Deputy Provost for Academic Affairs Renée Cramer, Associate Chief Information Technology Officer Keren Fiorenza, and Executive Director of Human Resources Maureen De Armond for a noon walk. We’ll meet on the sidewalk just southeast of Olmsted at noon and walk a Bulldog Mile together (weather permitting). Wear your walking shoes!

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

As part of Employee Appreciation Month, Human Resources is encouraging everyone to submit a shout-out for a faculty, staff, or student employee.  Simply write a sentence of appreciation for a colleague and submit it to Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu. Deadline to submit a shout-out is March 24.

Read the shout-outs submitted this week!

“A shout-out to the Drake Law School admission office team of Jill Costanzo, Chris Miller, and Brianna Leistikow: This group has done an amazing job of upholding our core values while navigating the challenges of a pandemic and staff shortages in our office over the past two years!”– Kara Blanchard

“A shout-out to Ashley Rasmussen: Ashley gives very clear and detailed information when I work with her.  She makes it easy for me to understand my piece of the puzzle in my role.” – Anonymous

“A shout-out to Nate Reagen: Nate always has a smile on his face and is easy to work with.  He is part of what makes Drake a great place to be.” – Anonymous

“A shout-out to Marlene Heuertz: Marlene is so easy to work with and is always helpful and friendly.  She also has a great sense of humor.” – Anonymous

“A shout-out to Linda Feiden: Everyone who knows Linda enjoys working with her.  She is an ever-smiling, positive face in all situations.  We are lucky to have her here at Drake.” – Anonymous

“A shout-out to Maureen De Armond: Maureen has been doing great things for Drake ever since she joined us this summer.  I can’t wait to see what great initiatives are in store for Drake in the future!” – Anonymous

“A shout-out to Heather Winslow: Heather really dives in and does great detailed work in payroll.  And she does it all with a smile.” – Anonymous

“A shout-out to Trevon Smith: Trevon is always so helpful and professional.  He is friendly and quick with his replies to my many, many inquires!  He is an exceptional addition to HR team.” – Susan Dittmer

“A shout-out to Kristi Longtin: Kristi has the most positive, friendly attitude!  She goes above and beyond working tirelessly on many projects, including assisting with faculty recruitment.  This is a big undertaking with a lot of moving parts.  She is so organized and efficient and handles it all brilliantly!” – Susan Dittmer

“A shout-out to Sara Hughes & Kris Magill: Sara & Kris recently stepped in last minute for a co-worker to assist with the live stream Q&A event with astronaut Raja Chari from the International Space Station.  Astronaut Raja is the husband of Holly Schaffter Chari, LW’02.  Just one of the many ways they demonstrate daily “All in this Together”.” – Susan Dittmer

“A shout-out to Emily Fleming: Emily started at Drake in March 2020, just as the pandemic hit and we were shutting down to work remotely.  She didn’t know her co-workers and learned her job completely in a remote setting.  I applaud her tenacity.  She is always friendly and willing to do whatever is needed.  I appreciate her organizational skills and attention to detail.  She is helpful to students, faculty, and staff.  She has become an integral part of our team.” – Susan Dittmer 

“A shout-out to Ashley Rasmussen: Ashley is always going above and beyond to make sure the faculty and staff get their questions answered. She has been diligent in her help for the Administrative Assistants and the Assistant Deans in the College of Arts and Sciences, even if it’s beyond her purview. She is a collaborative colleague, and she deeply cares about the experiences with training, onboarding, workload, and support for our staff. The college functions as well as it does thanks in part to Ashley’s support and hard work! Thank you!” – Anonymous

 “A shout-out to our Work Study friends in the Office of Student Financial Planning – Allison, Maggie, Maria and Emma: You guys are FABULOUS! Thank you for stepping in and learning new things to help out the Front Desk during busy packaging and awarding season. I appreciate all of you and your hard work that helps keep the OSFP running as smoothly as possible!” – Laney Guintard

“A shout-out to Chris Nickell: CPR Certification class was informative and enjoyable. 10/10 – would take the class again (In 2 years). Thank you for taking the time to teach the class!” – Laney Guintard

“A shout-out to the Office of Student Financial Planning Team – Kristi, Ryan, Michele, Chris, Brandi, Denise, Suman, Sheila, Merrie, and Matt: Relative to most of the team, it’s only been a short time since I started in the OSFP and everyone made the transition so much better than I could have hoped. I learn new things from each of you every week, and I love being a part of working together to overcome challenges and always looking for ways to improve the Financial Aid process for students and their families. This is an All-Star team who wants to set students up for success at Drake and beyond. You are appreciated and YOU ARE ALL AMAZING!” – Laney Guintard

“A shout-out to Scott Law, Kayla Bell, Maureen De Armond, Christine Marchand, Samantha Matt, Kristin Economos, Alanah Mitchell, Jennifer Harvey, Jazlin Coley, Sarah Derry, Marlene Heuertz, Erin Lee Schneider, Chris Nickell, Angela Shultz, Christine Urish and the Occupational Therapy students: They have all taken time out of their busy schedules to lead BUILD classes for faculty and staff this academic year.  Our offerings would not be as robust and informative without their expertise.  They truly exhibit a ‘Generosity of Spirit’!” – Linda Feiden

“A shout-out to Carla Herling for helping to organize additional Microsoft Teams training classes for faculty and staff.  We would not be able to offer these types of technical classes without her help. Thanks Carla!” – Linda Feiden

“A shout-out to Teresa Downs for her ‘Generosity of Spirit’ in taking time to sit down with me and help explain any technical questions I have.  Her teaching style is perfect, and she always does it with a smile.  Thank-you Teresa!” – Linda Feiden

“A shout-out to All Staff Council: Thank you for collaborating with HR on a number of projects and events this academic year.  Most recently – the GRIFO (BINGO) event for faculty and staff.  It was a huge success!  Although these events require extra work, in addition to your regular workload, you do it with “Joy” and “Generosity”.  We are lucky to have such quality individuals working at Drake!” – Linda Feiden

“A shout-out to the SPARC team: Thank you for your dedication in service to growing our grants portfolio and in supporting research compliance!” – Mary Pat Wohlford

“A shout-out to the faculty and staff who have written grants this year or who have received awards: Thank you for all you do to grow Drake’s extramural portfolio!” – Mary Pat Wohlford

“A shout-out to the OTD program faculty for their dedication to excellence in teaching and ongoing commitment to our students. What is more remarkable is their laser focus following the unexpected resignation of two of our faculty before the start of the spring semester. I am blessed to work with such a talented group of people!” – Leslie Jackson

“A shout-out to Teresa Downs: Teresa has a true gift and talent for instructing others. International admission credentials have an industry reputation of being daunting and complicated.  Afterall it is a big world.  But Teresa made this once ‘mysterious’ portion of admission credentialling much less intimidating to our newest admission processing team members.  She delivered the topic with a direct approach combining practicality and comfort.  Thus, our team not only has the knowledge but now also the confidence on how to dive into reviewing these abundant credential types from around the globe.  All in this Together.” – Amy Nichols

“A shout-out to Gerardo Rodriguez, Anthony Doss and Dale Purdy: Thank you for assisting me whenever or wherever it is needed. You have been a tremendous help through all our staff and supply shortages. It has not gone unnoticed. I appreciate all of it. Thank You!!!” – Marla Johnson

“A shout-out to Kyle Schura in Admissions for being my Slate go-to. I know Kyle is managing many projects but is always willing to provide timely customer service with a positive attitude!” – Amanda Martin

“A shout-out to Grace Wenzel in Admissions for volunteering her time on a selection committee in our office and going above and beyond to gather information. Always a joy to work with!” – Amanda Martin

“A shout-out to Renee Sedlacek Lee for putting on an innovative Changemakers event during the Global Citizen Forum. It was fun and inspiring!” – Amanda Martin

“A shout-out to Reb Ebel in FP&M for all of his courteous and timely help in our office move and the Sprout Garden move – Rob is amazing and brightens my day!” – Amanda Martin

“A shout-out to Karen Pomeroy: It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day, but the work you do matters. Your dedication to your work is helping lead us to success. Thank you for all that you do, Karen!” – Kailee Springer

“A shout-out to Maddie Kovach: You have transitioned so well into the Drake community and into the CBPA family. We are fortunate to have an innovator like you working alongside us and I am so appreciative of all your efforts to catch up to speed in the middle of a semester. I’m looking forward to watching you grow in your new role!” – Kailee Springer

“A shout-out to Charitie Schaer: Even in your new role, you are excelling. Thank you for helping guide us through the awards ceremony this spring semester and ensuring our prospect students are well taken care of!” – Kailee Springer

Please join the Provost on Wednesday, March 23, for the return of the Provost’s Drake Social in the Cowles Library Reading Room at 4 p.m. This is a family friendly event.

Drake faculty and staff recognized for the Drake Core Values will be honored, and several names will be drawn for prizes. You must be present to win! All those recognized will receive an email to let them know a colleague appreciates all that they do.

There will be soft drinks, wine, beer, and light snacks.

— Drinda Williams, Provost’s Office