The University will now require all students pursuing an undergraduate degree from Drake University to complete the FAFSA prior to July 1 (preceding the academic year enrolled) as part of the Tuition Rebate Application process.

This requirement ensures that eligible students are considered for the Iowa Tuition Grant (which partially funds tuition and reduces the cost of offering this benefit). In addition, students will be considered for the Federal Pell Grant, which would be available to cover the costs of other educational expenses like room, board, or books.

This new requirement became effective April 1, 2019. This requirement may be waived students who can demonstrate that they would not qualify for the Iowa Tuition Grant (see the Tuition Rebate Policy for details).

— Brandy Eganhouse, Student Financial Planning

As your bookstore, we understand a lot more is going into your decision-making process for fall adoptions in this COVID-19 world. We know you are facing new challenges as more courses adjust to online formats. We have reached the middle of June and students are two months away from arriving on campus. We are at 50% of the titles we would expect so the importance of preparing for Fall is upon us all.

As always, we ask for your adoptions as early as possible so we can better source used materials that may be available. In addition, timely textbook adoptions keep campus in compliance with the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA). To this end, we want to work with you to assist in any way that will allow you to make your textbook adoption decisions and allow us to get the postings completed. While we recognize that some of you may still be trying to make decisions, this is only a friendly reminder that Fall textbook adoptions were due on April 15.

Reach out if you need any assistance maneuvering Follett Discover or feel free to email or call with your adoptions or concerns. We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you again soon!

Three easy steps to access Follett Discover through Blackboard

1. Log into myDrake.
2. Click on the Bb icon on the main ‘mydrake’ screen.
3. Find the Tools channel, scroll down and click the Follett Discover link OR find the Follett Discover channel and click the Launch Discover link.

— Donna Hallstrom & Katie Wilz, University Bookstore

With the University’s fiscal year-end (June 30, 2020) approaching, below are recommended guidelines for efficient and effective year-end processing of purchases.

In accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, Drake is required to report transactions in the proper fiscal period. For that reason, expenses are recorded in the period when goods are received and/or services are rendered. In short, items expensed to a FY20 budget will need to be received before June 30, 2020.  Factors such as budget allocation, invoice receipt, or payment issuance would not have an impact on the application of expenses within a fiscal period.

Exceptions to this general rule apply when a benefit of service or receipt of item extends into multiple fiscal years. In such cases, the following guidelines will be applied.

• Expenses less than $5,000: will be charged against the fiscal year in which the majority of the expense will be incurred. (For example, if a subscription is purchased for $3,000 and covers the period of 7/1/19 through 12/31/20, the expense would be charged to FY20)
• Expenses greater than or equal to $5,000: will be split into the fiscal years according to the percentage of benefit received during each fiscal period. (For example, if a subscription is purchased for $10,000 that covers a period of 7/1/19 through 6/30/21, $5,000 would be charged to FY20 and $5,000 charged to FY21)

The University’s guidelines for year-end purchases are subject to external audit. As you make purchases during this period leading up to and overlapping our fiscal year end, it is important to note when the goods or services were received so they are expensed according to reporting requirements. If the timing of receipt is not clearly noted on the invoice, it would be beneficial to help call the receipt date to accounting’s attention by clearly marking the appropriate fiscal year for the expense, based on the above guidelines, on the pay request.

Please contact Jeni Baugher at x4509 or Jenifer.Baugher@drake.edu with any questions you might have.

View the year-end timeline

— Heather Travis, Finance and Administration

With the overwhelming popularity of always-listening devices including Amazon Echo, Google Home, and smartphones, you’ve probably heard stories of these devices joining in on conversations without being prompted. It might have even happened to you!

These devices are also not designed or built with security in mind, which often leaves them vulnerable if your home network is not securely configured.  

Here are some tips to protect your private information, and conversations, from these always-listening devices: 

• Review and delete voice recordings. Your device stores your search and activity history to create a customized experience. To protect your privacy you can review and delete these recordings from the device. 

• Mute the microphone. You can mute the microphone to ensure that your device is not listening and recording when you are not using it. It won’t record until you turn the microphone back on.
  
• Don’t link accounts with sensitive information to your device. If you have any accounts containing personal or university information, don’t link those accounts to your device. This will prevent that information from being impacted by any potential breach.
  
• Change the settings to manually manage data stored by the device. Managing what data is connected with your account will give you more control over the information that is being stored and will make it easier for you to delete your history.
  
• Turn off your device when you’re away. If your device doesn’t have a power button, simply unplug it.

By creating habits to better control these always-listening devices, you can protect your personal information and prevent this modern twist on phishing.

ITS will continue to simulate phishing attacks and assign training to those most susceptible. If you believe you’ve been targeted, see Reporting a Phishing Message (How-to). 

— Peter Lundstedt, ITS 

 

 

 

Over the past several months, ITS has been working on a project requested by the Board of Trustees to improve the overall security of the Drake campus network.

We are implementing a system called network access control (NAC), which will allow us to manage access to Drake services based on a person’s campus role and/or the type of device they are using to connect to the network. This change has already been implemented for students since migrating to the eduroam wireless network this past fall.

Additional roles and access levels for faculty and staff and specific types of devices will be introduced in late July. Watch for more information about these changes in the coming weeks.

— Carla Herling, ITS

The Nelson Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs invites proposals for a two-year grant that will fund interdisciplinary faculty-student research projects that address a global issue of broad public importance. This is a unique experience for faculty and staff to work collaboratively on a global initiative, and support’s the University’s objective of infusing global and intercultural learning throughout the Drake experience.

Over the past five years, the Nelson Institute has funded the following Pressing Global Issues grant projects:

• Exploring complementary approaches to combat global non-communicable diseases in India
• Comparative religion project in partnership with Minzu University in Beijing, China, culminating in a photo narrative-style book
• 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

One project will be funded for the period from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2022*. Depending upon resource availability, the Nelson Institute may award similar grants in future years according to a similar two-year cycle. The Nelson Institute will provide $20,000 to $30,000 in support of selected projects, depending upon demonstrated need. Project leaders are encouraged, if necessary, to seek additional funding from on- and off-campus sources.

Send your proposals to the Director of the Nelson Institute for Diplomacy & International Affairs Dr. Jimmy Senteza at Jimmy.Senteza@drake.edu. The deadline for proposals is June 26, 2020. The proposals will be reviewed by a committee comprised of faculty and staff. Award notification will occur by July 6, 2020.

*Funds may not be expended during the period that University travel restrictions and correlating budget restrictions are in place.

Successful proposals will feature the following elements/criteria:

1. 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.

2. 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).

3. 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 Global Citizen Forum held on campus each Spring.

4. 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.

Teams are encouraged to consult with the director as they prepare their proposals. The successful grant team will be expected to submit a formal progress report by June 30, 2021, and a final grant report by June 30, 2022.

— Annique Kiel, Drake International

If you’ve participated in activities with Drake’s global partner institutions within the past year, please complete a brief survey by Monday, June 8.

The survey is designed to paint a more robust picture of faculty and staff activities with global partners. Some examples of activities include guest teaching, leading a travel seminar, participating in joint research, or hosting an international delegation.

Complete the Global Partnerships Activity survey.

The survey should take no more than 5–10 minutes to complete. You may submit multiple separate activities in the same survey, and there is an optional testimonial section at the end.

For questions, contact Hannah Sappenfield, global partnerships coordinator, at hannah.sappenfield@drake.edu.

— Hannah Sappenfield, Drake International

Faculty Senate 2020–2021 has been chosen and the executive committee elected. Shelley Fairbairn is the Faculty Senate president, while Carrie Dunham-LaGree moves into the role of past president. Matt Zwier serves as president-elect. Joining these officers on the Faculty Senate Executive Committee are Natalie Banta, Michelle Botttenberg, Dan Chibnall, Debra DeLaet, Matthew Hayden, Chip Miller, and Jill VanWyke.

At-Large Senators are Debra DeLaet (AS), Catherine Gillespie (SOE), Erik Maki (CPHS), and Jimmy Senteza (CBPA).

The College of Arts & Sciences is represented by Klaus Bartschat, Megan Brown, Matthew Canfield, Peter Levi, Yasmina Madden, Ashely Sidon, Neil Ward, and Matt Zwier.

The College of Business and Public Administration is represented by Paul Judd, Lynn McCool, and Chip Miller.

The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is represented by Michelle Bottenberg, Anisa Hansen, and Ron Torry.

Cowles Library is represented by Dan Chibnall and Priya Shenoy.

Law School is represented by Natalie Banta and Matt Dore.

The School of Education is represented by Matthew Hayden and Kevin Lam.

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication is represented by Sandy Henry and Jill VanWyke.

— Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost

It is with a great sense of pride that we announce the following promotions and tenure among our faculty colleagues.

College of Arts and Sciences

• Athan Petridis, Physics and Astronomy, Full Professor
• Benjamin Gardner, Art and Design, Full Professor
• Lisa West, English, Full Professor
• Olga Lazareva, Psychology, Full Professor
• Sandra Patton-Imani, American Studies, Full Professor with Tenure
• Neil Ward, Graphic Design, Associate Professor and Tenure

College of Business and Public Administration

• Andrew Bryant, Marketing, Associate Professor with Tenure
• Royce Fichtner, Business Law, Full Professor
• Ina Purvanova, Marketing and International Business, Full Professor

College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

• Michelle Bottenberg, Pharmacy Practice, Full Professor, Clinical
• Sally Haack, Pharmacy Practice, Full Professor with Tenure
• Shankar Munusamy, Pharmacology, Tenure
• Cassity Gutierrez, Health Sciences, Tenure
• Nathan Newman, Athletic Training, Tenure

Cowles Library

• Hope Bibens, Librarianship, Political Papers Archivist, Tenure

Law School

• Natalie Banta, Law, Professor of Law with Tenure
• Erin Lain, Law, Professor of Law with Tenure
• Suzan Pritchett, Law, Professor of Law with Tenure

School of Education

• Bengu Erguner-Tekinalp, Education Counseling, Full Professor with Tenure
• Robyn Cooper, Leadership & Counseling, Full Professor with Tenure

School of Journalism and Mass Communication

• Kelly Bruhn, Journalism & Mass Communication, Full Professor

— Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost