In light of restricted international mobility due to COVID-19, this new grant program has been developed to support Drake faculty and staff in bringing virtual global enhancement to their existing courses and programs. Examples may include (but are not limited to):

• Inviting a guest speaker or expert panel to present virtually on a specific global topic
• Incorporating a virtual tour of a site or location abroad to complement coursework
• Developing a module or project that includes virtual connectivity with students in another part of the world

Assistance is available through the Office of Global Engagement to connect Drake faculty and staff with provider organizations and global partner institutions that can serve as resources for potential projects. Contact Annique Kiel at annique.kiel@drake.edu for more information on resources.

Eligibility and criteria
Full-time faculty and staff members are eligible to apply for Global Enhancement Grants for activities beginning in January 2021. Preference will be given to proposals that:

• Identify a specific set of activities with intended outcomes
• Demonstrate global learning impact on Drake curriculum and students
• Support involvement by individuals who have not previously incorporated a global component into their courses/programs
• Align with existing course or program objectives and learning outcomes
• Build new partnerships or programs

Application process

1. Submit the online application via Qualtrix, which includes a description and budget for the proposed activity. (Note: Grant funds will not be awarded for stipends for Drake faculty.)
2. There is a rolling application deadline and submissions will be reviewed following the last day of the month by a committee. Funding decisions will be announced by the 15th of the month.  Applications must to be submitted prior to the proposed activities.  Grants will be awarded on an ongoing basis until funds are expended.

— Annique Kiel, Global Engagement

The Office of Global Engagement invites nominations for the Principal Global Scholar/Practitioner-in-Residence Program for 2021–2022, seeking to attract talented individuals from academia or the professions who have outstanding international expertise to teach a course, mentor students, give public lectures, work on joint research with faculty, and aid the global capacity-building of the institution as a whole through fruitful external collaborations. Nominations will be considered for fall, spring, or the full academic year.

Nomination Instructions:
Candidates should be nominated by faculty or administrators within the academic unit to which they will be attached. (Candidates must be non-Drake faculty or employees). Please submit the following supporting materials:

• A nomination letter discussing the qualifications of the candidate and expected contributions to the department and Drake University as a whole
• Candidate’s biographical information
• A letter of interest from the candidate
• A letter of support from the department chair and college/school dean

Nominations should be directed to Annique Kiel, executive director of Global Engagement and International Programs, by Feb. 12, 2021. Units considering a nomination are encouraged to consult with Annique prior to submission.

Among the criteria to be considered for the nominee:
1. A record of recognized international leadership and distinguished professional accomplishment in their field
2. A documented commitment to international understanding and global citizenship
3. An ability to bring unique perspectives and experiences to the Drake community
4. A willingness and ability to offer courses that complement the existing curriculum and meet rigorous academic standards.

In recognition of their contributions, Global Scholars/Practitioners receive a stipend, a travel allowance, an appropriate workspace in the host college/school, and access to university facilities. Global Scholars/Practitioners will be affiliated with an appropriate academic unit for at least one semester and offer at least one course per term.

This program is proudly sponsored by the Principal Center for Global Citizenship, housed within the Office of Global Engagement.

— Annique Kiel, Global Engagement

As we’ve previously communicated in OnCampus, ITS is upgrading the campus phone system and moving faculty and staff to using Microsoft Teams for calling. This change only affects extensions assigned to employees. We are not taking away physical phones in conference rooms, classrooms, or public areas. 

On Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, the Microsoft Teams client will replace traditional handsets and allow faculty and staff to make and receive telephone calls using their office extension from anywhere they are connected to the Internet. 

To prepare for this change, we distributed headsets to all full-time employees before Thanksgiving. If you are encountering any issues with the headset you received, please review the user guides linked from ITS Recommended Phone Headsets (FAQ). If that doesn’t resolve your issues, or if you did not receive a headset in campus mail, please submit a Telephone Issue request.  

On the day of the change, we’ll send everyone an email outlining how to get started and the first steps you need to take to set up your voicemail and begin using Teams for all your calling. 

If you’d like to learn more ahead of this change, please review the resources we’ve curated at Using Microsoft Teams for Phone Calls and Voicemail (How-to). These include links on specific elements of calling and voicemail usage and a video overview.

You’ll be able to make calls from either the Teams desktop or mobile app and email notification of voicemail messages is automatically set up with Microsoft Teams calling. 

We’ve also created a FAQ page that we’ll keep up into the beginning of the spring semester at drake.edu/its/teamscalling/. If you don’t see your question there, please share it with us at drake.edu/its/giveitsfeedback/ and we will contact you with a response and add it to the FAQ when appropriate.   

— Chris Mielke, ITS  

The Offices of Finance and Student Financial Planning would like to thank everyone for taking the time to complete the Administrative Survey in October 2020.  We have gained valuable feedback to help us maintain and improve the services we provide to students, faculty, and staff.

Ratings in nearly every question increased over the prior year.  Each of the departments individually scored between 4 and 5 on the 5-point scale.  While not a statistically significant difference, the overall satisfaction with the services provided by the Offices of Finance and Student Financial Planning increased to an average score of 4.49 this year compared to 4.38 in 2019.  While there is always room for improvement, the unit’s staff are clearly doing their best to meet our service-oriented objectives to:

• Ensure our constituents are engaged and informed,
• Ensure integrity and transparency,
• Process university resources timely and accurately, and
• Improve service excellence.

The comments included in the survey were very helpful.  Several comments related to the shift to more electronic processes as necessitated by the pandemic with many staff working from home.  There were many positive comments all centered around the staff being knowledgeable, approachable, kind, reliable, responsive, and helpful, as well as sharing an attitude of fun.  There were also several valuable suggestions for improvement.  The most significant theme identified is the need to approach interactions with a collaborative mentality rather than beginning from a place of distrust.

Thank you again for participating in the Administrative Survey and please know that your input is reviewed and analyzed by the entire staff of the Offices of Finance and Student Financial Planning.

— Adam Voigts, Finance & Administration

Faculty, final grades are due by 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16. Exception: Final grades for the Law School are due on Tuesday, Jan. 12. Following these deadlines, your ability to submit final grades will be disabled.

View instructions on how to send your final grades from Blackboard to MyDUSIS.

Those of you who want to submit grades directly into MyDUSIS should begin by clicking the Grading button in the “Faculty & Advising” menu in MyDrake and then finding the “Final Grades–Submittal Link.”

The final evaluation schedule includes a listing of when courses are scheduled to meet for their final evaluations.

May all of you enjoy your winter break.

— Kevin Moenkhaus, Office of the Registrar

We have been keeping campus informed about the planned extensive changes with Blackboard Learn Ultra, the update to our learning management system. This past fall we upgraded to a new navigation to make our system more user-friendly, but there are more significant changes coming.   

Blackboard Learn Ultra is comprised of three components:  

• Ultra Base Navigation (completed as of August 2020): Modern navigation that provides quick access to the most critical information from across all courses. 
• Original Course View (Drake course view through Summer 2021): This is the current course view that instructors and students are familiar with. There have been minimal changes to the features and workflows through regular system updates. 
• Ultra Course View (Drake course view starting Fall 2021): This new course view will offer a streamlined, more intuitive interface and workflows. The Ultra Course View is fully responsive for optimal use on any device, and new functionality and enhancements will be added regularly. 

Throughout November, we’ve released training modules covering the new navigation and the new look and feel for the Ultra Course View. In addition, we’ve provided all instructors with sandbox courses where you can practice using new functions and see how your current course structures will translate.   

Communication and training will continue to be provided throughout Spring of 2021 to support your preparedness for your Fall 2021 courses in the Ultra Course View. It is important to be engaged with the training offered as the changes in workflows and functionality will be extensive.  

Watch a video from Blackboard to see a preview of the Ultra Course View: 

— Karly Good, ITS