Students, final grades for non-Law School courses are due Wednesday, Dec. 18. Final grades for the Law School are due Tuesday, Jan. 14.

Generally, final grades are available to view by the first calendar day following the day the grade was entered. You may view your final grades by clicking the “My Grades” link under the Student Records area in MyDrake.

— Kevin Moenkhaus, Office of the Registrar

Interested in living and working abroad after graduation? Look no further than Working Worldwide, an opportunity for recent graduates to work teaching English in China or doing PR for a non-profit in Kosovo. The program provides all the support you need to be successful in these positions, including English teaching training. Learn more or email nathan.jacobson@drake.edu. Applications to open at the beginning of the spring semester.

Attend an Information Session:

— Tuesday, Dec. 10, 4 p.m., Meredith, Room 102
— Wednesday, Dec. 11, 11 a.m., Meredith, Room 103

The holiday break is an excellent time to speak with family and friends about this opportunity. We hope to see you at one of our information sessions to learn more about Working Worldwide.

— Nathan Jacobson, Drake International

Are you a first-year student looking to remain on campus to experience the final stages of the 2020 Iowa caucus campaign?  If so, INTD 030 Iowa Caucus 2020, a new one-credit J-Term class for first-year students, may be right for you.  Registration is limited to 18 first-year students who will be actively working with a campaign, media organization, or other caucus-related activity.  On-campus housing is available. To find out more, contact Professor Rachel Paine Caufield at rachel.caufield@drake.edu. 

— Tony Tyler, Assistant Dean of Students

Drake students interested in a career in mathematics, the physical sciences, natural sciences, or engineering are invited to apply for the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program.

Established by Congress in 1986, the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation operates an educational scholarship program designed to provide opportunities for outstanding U.S. students with excellent academic records and demonstrated interest in, and potential for, careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, the physical sciences, and engineering.

In April 2020, the Foundation will award scholarships to students who will be college juniors or seniors during the 2020-2021 academic year.  In order to be considered for an award, students must be nominated by their institution.  The national DEADLINE for RECEIPT of all nominations is January 31, 2020.  There are earlier on-campus deadlines however.  Please note them below.

The scholarship award covers eligible expenses up to a maximum of $7,500 per year. Sophomore scholarship recipients can expect to receive a maximum of two years of support. Junior scholarship recipients are eligible for a maximum of one year of support.

Who is eligible to apply?

1) Any Drake University student pursuing a career in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering is eligible if he or she majors in mathematics, physical sciences, or natural sciences.

2) Students must currently be full-time sophomores or juniors pursuing a baccalaureate degree.

3) Students must have a cumulative Drake G.P.A. of 3.75 or better.

4) Students must be a U.S. citizen, resident alien, or U.S. national.

5) Students who plan to study medicine are eligible only if they plan a research career rather than a career as a medical doctor in a private practice.

6) Strong candidates may have had the opportunity to participate in research or held internships in research facilities, either industrial or academic.

The application consists of 2 to 3 pages student essay on a research problem in science, three letters of recommendation, most likely from Drake University faculty, transcripts, and a nomination from the Goldwater Scholarship Faculty Representative (Dr. Gholam Mirafzal). In the case of students with research experience, one of the three letters of recommendation must come from the research advisor.

Application materials are available on the web at: https://goldwater.scholarsapply.org/.

Drake University can nominate up to four individuals. Qualified individuals will submit their essay to Dr. Mirafzal.  They will then be read by the Drake Goldwater Scholarship Committee.  From this pool of essays, four will be chosen and will be forwarded to the national scholarship committee.  The internal review of essays will begin on January 13, 2020.

To be considered, interested sophomores and juniors should contact: Professor Mirafzal, (Department of Chemistry, 213 Morgan E. Cline Hall of Pharmacy and Science, x4811) no later than Dec. 6. I would encourage you to speak to me earlier than that, however, to get a start on the essay and on the other application material.

— Gholam A. Mirafzal, Professor of Chemistry

Want to help welcome new students to Drake University? Want to get involved? Want an on-campus job this summer? Consider becoming an orientation leader!

Orientation leaders are dedicated to providing incoming students and their families with all of the information and resources necessary to ensure their transition to Drake is a smooth and enjoyable one.

We need you to help make this happen. Each year we recruit current Drake students to become part of the orientation leader staff. Orientation leaders play a vital role in this exciting process, working closely with new students and their families on a wide variety of topics including academics, student involvement, housing options, and more.

We highly encourage you to attend one of two information sessions:

• Friday, Dec. 6, 1 p.m., Olmsted, TMR 132
• Wednesday, Jan. 29, 6 p.m., Olmsted, TMR 132

You will be compensated for your time and effort and gain valuable skills in this position.

Please visit http://www.drake.edu/orientation/orientationleaders/ to learn more about the position, but if you have any questions, feel free to contact Marina Verlengia at marina.verlengia@drake.edu.

— Marina Verlengia, New Student Programs

Do you love Welcome Weekend? Was your PMAC your favorite person ever at Drake? Do you want to know what we yell during the Pump-Up?! If you answered yes to any of these questions, or just want to know more about the PMAC program, join the Peer Advisory Board (PAB) for one of the following info sessions:

Friday, Dec. 6, at 11 a.m. in Meredith Hall, Room 106
Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 5:30 p.m. in Sussman Theater

Can’t make a session? Email pab@drake.edu or go to https://www.drake.edu/welcome/peermentoracademicconsultantpmacinformation/ to learn more.

— Runal A. Patel, AS’20

Sign up for Bulldog Bootcamp for the spring semester. The six-week program will help you meet your New Year’s goals and build healthy habits for the rest of the school year. Each week the program will feature two group workouts and plenty of inspiration for individual workouts. The program will help you get fit, while providing a new social network along with nutrition and wellness tips. To sign up, email wellness@drake.edu.

— Drake Wellness

The web-based Drake Undergraduate Social Science Journal (DUSSJ) is accepting submissions for its Spring 2020 edition. Any current Drake undergraduate (or recent graduate) is eligible to submit a paper on a topic in the social sciences (political science, international relations, anthropology, sociology, economics, history, and social psychology). Submissions may be short analytic essays or longer research papers. Papers that feature thoughtful, original analysis, polished writing, and careful citation are especially welcome!

The deadline for submission is Friday, Feb. 14.

No more than one submission per person will be considered. Submissions will be blind peer-reviewed by a student editorial board. When submitting a paper, please indicate if it is a research paper or short analytic essay. Also, please indicate the primary discipline and any secondary discipline(s).

Questions and submissions should be sent to the
 DUSSJ faculty advisor, Professor Heath Henderson, at advisor.dussj@gmail.com.

Find previous editions of the journal at www.drake.edu/dussj.

— Heath Henderson, Assistant Professor of Economics