In 1994, the Madelyn Levitt Mentor Award was created in honor of Madelyn Levitt’s commitment to Drake and her ongoing interest in faculty and staff achievement and academic excellence. Each year this award recognizes commitment to student success on the Drake campus by honoring a member of the Drake University faculty or staff for excellence in advising and mentoring students.  

You are invited this year to nominate a faculty or staff member for this prestigious award.

Process:

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

· an outstanding commitment to student success in and out of the classroom in support of the Drake mission.

· integrity in personal relationships.

· typifying the ideal student mentor by providing for students the support they need to graduate and move forward to live productive, fulfilling lives.

The nominee must be a faculty or staff member in at least her/his fourth year of service at the University.  The nominee cannot have won this award within the past five years. 

The letter is due to Deputy Provost Jimmy Senteza, no later than Feb. 16, 2024. The letter should be sent as an attachment to madison.bemus@drake.edu.

2. The nominated individual is notified by the Provost’s Office of her/his nomination and asked of her/his willingness to be considered.

3.  At the nominee’s acceptance, the nominator is asked to collect the following supporting material and submit it to madison.bemus@drake.edu in the Provost’s Office by March 16, 2024: a curriculum vitae or resume, a minimum of one other letter supporting the nomination, and a description by the nominee of activities which illustrate her/his mentoring/advising involvement.  At least one of the letters must be from a current student and there may be no more than five letters supporting the nomination. Electronic submission of materials is required. Send all documents to madison.bemus@drake.edu. 

4.  A screening committee, appointed by the Provost, will review all nominations and make appropriate recommendations to the Provost.

5.   Any individual who was initially nominated for the award in 2022 or 2023 may be re-nominated if the nominator resubmits a letter offering the individual for consideration this year. Files of previous nominees are maintained for two years.  In the case of re-nomination, the nominator will be invited to review the file to ensure that the nomination is as current as possible. The limit of five letters of support, including one from a current student, also applies to re-nominations.

The 2024 recipient of the Madelyn Levitt Mentor Award will be announced at one of the spring 2024 commencements.

— Jimmy Senteza, Deputy Provost

Time is running out to submit a nomination for a True Blue Award. Submit your nomination by Friday, March 1, to make sure the individual or group you want to honor will be in the running for a coveted Sapphire Award in April. Nominations of any length are meaningful, and there aren’t any requirements about a specific number of paragraphs.

Read more about the award criteria and submit your nomination. Cheers to starting the New Year by reminding folks that they are appreciated.

— Betsy Wilson, On behalf of All Staff Council

The Drake Principal Center for Global Citizenship is currently accepting nominations from Drake faculty and staff for the 2024 Principal Global Citizenship Award, recognizing outstanding contributions to global engagement and internationalization of the campus and curriculum on the part of faculty or staff.

The selected awardee will receive a plaque and a stipend of up to $3,000. A screening committee, appointed by the Provost, reviews all nominations and makes recommendations to the Provost.

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:

Pursuant to the University’s mission to prepare students for “responsible global citizenship,” this letter must also explain how the nominee has made outstanding contributions toward at least one of the following priority areas:

• High impact global learning
• A globally-engaged campus
• Access to global opportunities
• Enhanced global and intercultural competency (students)
• Increased global and intercultural capacity (faculty and staff)

The nominee must be a faculty or staff members in their fourth year of service at the University, at minimum. The nominee cannot have won this award within the past five years. Faculty and staff members who work directly for Global Engagement are ineligible.

Nominees who indicate a willingness to be considered will be invited to submit a CV and a statement discussing their contributions to the above goals. One or two additional letters of support from faculty, staff or students will be accepted; this is optional.

Any individual who was nominated for the award in the preceding year may be re-nominated if the nominator resubmits a letter offering the individual for consideration this year. A record of previous nominees is maintained for two years. If a faculty or staff member is re-nominated, the nominator will be invited to review the file from the previous year to ensure that the nomination details are current.

The nomination period closes on Friday, February 11, 2024. Nomination letters should be submitted via this online form.

Questions may be directed to Annique Kiel, Executive Director for Global Engagement and International Programs.

— Dawson Urquidez, Global Engagement

Please join All Staff Council to pack meals at Meals from the Heartland on Wednesday, Jan. 17, from 2:30–4:30 p.m., located at 357 Lincoln Street in West Des Moines. If you haven’t done so yet, you may use a portion of your annual Community Service Leave for this volunteer event.

Please register here to participate.

— Courtney Conrad, On behalf of All Staff Council

All Drake faculty and staff are invited and encouraged to nominate a colleague for the 2024 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 1.

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

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Please join us for this month’s Provost’s Social on Thursday, Jan. 25, in the Cowles Library Reading Room beginning at 3:45 p.m.

Refreshments will include an assortment of beverages and light snacks. This is a family friendly event. Feel free to bring your children or partner.

— Madison Bemus, Office of the Provost

The Drake Principal Center for Global Citizenship is currently accepting nominations from Drake faculty and staff for the 2024 Principal Global Citizenship Award, recognizing outstanding contributions to global engagement and internationalization of the campus and curriculum on the part of faculty or staff.

The selected awardee will receive a plaque and a stipend of up to $3,000. A screening committee, appointed by the Provost, reviews all nominations and makes recommendations to the Provost.

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:

Pursuant to the University’s mission to prepare students for “responsible global citizenship,” this letter must also explain how the nominee has made outstanding contributions toward at least one of the following priority areas:

• High impact global learning
• A globally-engaged campus
• Access to global opportunities
• Enhanced global and intercultural competency (students)
• Increased global and intercultural capacity (faculty and staff)

The nominee must be a faculty or staff members in their fourth year of service at the University, at minimum. The nominee cannot have won this award within the past five years. Faculty and staff members who work directly for Global Engagement are ineligible.

Nominees who indicate a willingness to be considered will be invited to submit a CV and a statement discussing their contributions to the above goals. One or two additional letters of support from faculty, staff or students will be accepted; this is optional.

Any individual who was nominated for the award in the preceding year may be re-nominated if the nominator resubmits a letter offering the individual for consideration this year. A record of previous nominees is maintained for two years. If a faculty or staff member is re-nominated, the nominator will be invited to review the file from the previous year to ensure that the nomination details are current.

The nomination period closes on Friday, February 11, 2024. Nomination letters should be submitted via this online form.

Questions may be directed to Annique Kiel, Executive Director for Global Engagement and International Programs.

Please join All Staff Council packaging meals at Meals from the Heartland on Wednesday, Jan. 17, from 2:30–4:30 p.m., located at 357 Lincoln Street in West Des Moines. If you haven’t done so yet, you may use a portion of your annual Community Service Leave for this volunteer event.

Please register here to participate.

— Courtney Conrad, On behalf of All Staff Council

Drake reimburses mileage for the use of personal automobiles by employees for actual miles driven during business travel, not gas receipts. The reimbursement rate is based on the current standard mileage rate issued by the Internal Revenue Service.

Effective Jan. 1, 2024, the standard mileage rate issued by the IRS for the use of a car will be: $.67 cents per business mile driven, up 1.5 cents from 2023.

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, visit the IRS website or contact Accounting at accounting@drake.edu.

—Jenifer Baugher, Accounting