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 both their lives and your own.

Read the final shout-outs submitted this week!

“A shout-out to Renee Sedlacek Lee for putting on an inspiring Pecha Kucha event with faculty during the Global Citizen Forum, and for her leadership in rolling out DUgood on Drake’s campus!” – Amanda Martin

“A shout-out to the Professional and Career Development Services team for putting on a wonderful career conference for the entire student body.” – Amanda Martin

“A shout-out to Laney Guintard:  Laney is a welcoming presence to all who enter Carnegie Hall to visit Financial Aid, Student Accounts, Cashier, or Registrar.  She happily greets all who come through the doors and makes them feel at ease while quickly determining which office is best suited to help the student or family.  In addition, she manages the Financial Aid Office student workers while also fulfilling other critical tasks in Financial Aid to ensure students receive their award packages.  We appreciate Laney and the work she puts in every day to help Carnegie Hall visitors feel welcome and valued!” – Kristi Fuller

“A shout-out to Drake Public Safety: On March 20 I locked my car keys in my trunk.  They were in my coat with my phone.  I removed my coat to enjoy the nice weather and put it in my trunk with my messenger bag and lunch bag and then closed my trunk.  Immediately realizing I locked my car keys in my trunk, I stopped by Harmon Fine Arts Center and asked Natalie Bayer for help calling Drake Public Safety (Thanks Natalie!).  The response from Drake Public Safety was prompt and courteous.  The public safety officer (sorry, I didn’t get your name) was able to unlock my car, then Google a YouTube video to help me break into my trunk (the built-in anti-theft system in my car disabled my trunk release).  FPM also assisted by bringing over a long screwdriver so I could pop the trunk latch from inside my car.  Thanks again to everyone who helped me out of my embarrassing predicament!” – James Wu

“A shout-out to the PCDS team:  I could not be more proud to be a part of this strong, dedicated, collaborative, and fun-loving team!  Because of their hard work and collaboration across campus, Drake has Accomplishment Rates that are consistently among the highest in the country and response rates that tower 35% higher than the national average.  Well done everyone!” – Chrystal Stanley

“A shout-out to Dan Chibnall and Erica McGowan:  Thanks for all your help in organizing the University Book Club!  Your enthusiasm makes it a pleasure to plan and attend.” – Sara Heijerman

“A shout-out to Gail Witte:  Gail is always willing to fill in to sub for GroupX classes, and does an amazing job in all formats!  I can’t wait to see what she does with the Group Exercise program at Drake.  She’s only been here a short time but is already rocking it.” – Sara Heijerman

“A shout-out to Linda Feiden:  I really appreciate all the activities you organize!  From BUILD classes to Wellness Challenges, you work hard to promote them, and make them fun and engaging.  They are always a welcome addition to our normal day to day, and I appreciate all the time and enthusiasm you put into them.  Thanks!” – Sara Heijerman

“A shout-out to Donald Severs:  Don always goes above and beyond when card access tickets come in.  He usually responds to requests before I even have time to look at them and is dedicated to making sure he understands and delivers what our ticket requesters need.  You have been a great help to me these past few years, and I appreciate you!” – Sara Heijerman

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

As part of Employee Appreciation Month, Human Resources is adding one Drake trivia question in each issue of OnCampus in March.  The first person who correctly answers the question, once the issue of OnCampus is distributed via email, will receive $10 in Bulldog Bucks.  Answers should be submitted to linda.feiden@drake.edu.

Last week’s winner was Elicia Ropte.  Congratulations!

Question of the week: What former Drake Relays competitor went from tossing javelins in the early 1980’s to topping the music charts?

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. The deadline to submit a shout-out is Thursday, March 23.

Read the shout-outs submitted this week!

“A shout-out to the Drake Online and Continuing Education team:  You guys rock! Thanks for all you have done to strengthen access to a Drake education, whether online, hybrid, or noncredit!  You are one of the hardest working teams I know.  Shannon, Kara, Nichole, Suzanne, Sarah, Bret, Bill, Pam, Dianna, and Megan.  I appreciate you!” – Christina Trombley

“A shout-out to Sara Heijerman:  Sara is our leader for all the campus walking challenges (Walk this May, Walktober, DU Well Mystery Challenge) and she does a great job of motivating and encouraging us, plus emailing all our steps in.  I appreciate her positive attitude and the impact it has on our team!” – Lauren McCarthy

“A shout-out to Jen Hinton:  Jen is always willing to help out when needed, eager to learn new things, and is a calming presence.  She relates to her students and thoroughly follows through on their needs.  We are thrilled she has joined our team and is very appreciated for her friendship and hard work.  Yay Jen!” – Rachelle Setsodi

“A shout-out to Emily Gates for stepping up while I was out.  She completed conferences and taught class one day.” – Lori Archer

“A shout-out to Patrick Bourgeacq for tirelessly recruiting amazing students worldwide to come to Drake!” – Amy Nichols

“A shout-out to Linda Feiden for coordinating fun wellness activities and such a wide range of useful and informative BUILD sessions for the Bulldog Community!” – Amanda Harris

“A shout-out to Betsy Wilson:  Betsy is the EPITOME of what it is to be a ray of sunshine.  Every single interaction I have had with her I have left in an even better and happier disposition than when I started.  Her smile and kind spirit are infectious, and I am so eternally grateful to call her colleague, and friend.” – Amber Welsh

Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Drake University sponsors both mandatory and voluntary 403(b) retirement plans which are reviewed quarterly by the Drake University Retirement Plan Review Committee. The Committee consults with an independent fiduciary advisor to closely monitor investment performance, negotiate contracts, establish reasonable plan needs, review investment options and make plan design decisions as directed by the Drake University Investment Policy Statement.  The Retirement Plan Review Committee and Investment Policy Statement are posted here in myDrake.

For many years Drake has relied upon TIAA to provide appropriate products and services, which the Committee examines regularly.  Although TIAA representatives can provide information and make recommendations, plan participants must decide how to allocate plan contributions and designate plan beneficiaries.  Thus, participants are encouraged to review their investment options regularly.  Summary Plan Descriptions of Drake’s Mandatory and Voluntary Retirement Plans may be found here.

The annual contribution limit for Drake’s Voluntary Retirement Plan increased to $22,500 effective January 1, 2023.  Employees age 50 and over may contribute an additional $7,500 for a total maximum of up to $30,000 during the 2023 calendar year.  If you would like to change your current contribution amount, or open a voluntary retirement account, simply complete the 403(b) Salary Reduction Form here.  Please note changes to your current election will become effective the first day of the following month.

Should you wish to schedule an individual counseling session with TIAA Senior Financial Planner, Paige Philips, call 800-732-8353 or visit www.TIAA.org/schedulenow   We encourage you to take advantage of the numerous webinars provided by TIAA.  Details are provided in the HR Monthly on the first Wednesday of the month.

— Marlene Heuertz, Human Resources

Last week’s Pi-NGO, hosted by All Staff Council and Human Resources, was a great success. Participants enjoyed free pizza pies, multiple rounds of BINGO, and dessert pies for the winners.  Thank you to everyone who attended.

This event is part of Employee Appreciation Month — a great reminder to take time to reflect and find ways to show gratitude to your teams for their hard work, dedication, and effort throughout the year.

Human Resources would like to continue to show our appreciation by inviting everyone to take a break and join us for Faculty/Staff Recess on Tuesday, March 28, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the Bell Center, Courts 1 & 2.  Play nine holes of miniature golf, try pickleball, or challenge a colleague to a game of cornhole (bags).  And test your hula hooping skills for a chance at prizes. All equipment will be provided.

Finally, thank you for everything you do to live Drake’s core values, in caring for our students and each other, every day.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

As many employees know, when we adopt a new policy or make substantial changes to an existing policy, we post the drafts on the Policy Development Page, so the Drake community can share its thoughts.

While there is a long list of policies slowly being reviewed by Drake Human Resources, we have three ready for comment.

First, Drake HR was asked a while back by All Staff Council to take a look at the Staff Learning and Development Leave policy as it was viewed as being perhaps too vague to give the reader the idea of what kinds of leave might permissibly fall under the policy. We worked to add some more detail and examples in hopes of the policy being more informative. The updated (clean) version is posted for comment.

Second, while working on updating the faculty recruitment process, we heard from deans that the University’s Relocation Expense Reimbursement Policy would benefit from some updates and additional flexibility. Working with Finance, we are posting a revised (clean) version of that policy for comment.

Lastly, Drake’s Non-Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment Policy needed a few tweaks. It coexists with Drake’s Sexual Harassment Policy and the two had been revised and edited in slightly different ways over the years. We needed to bring them into greater alignment. We are posting the redlined and proposed version of the policy, so readers can see the proposed changes.

If you have comments on any of these three policies, please use the comment function through the Policy Development Page. These policies will remain posted for comment through Friday, April 7, 2023.

Drake HR is also working on reviewing a number of leave policies. This review has been very slow due to competing priorities, but we are making an effort to get back to those prior to the close of the spring semester. If you are aware of a HR policy in need of review or adoption, please let us know at drakehr@drake.edu.

— Maureen De Armond, Human Resources

Many people start the year out by getting their annual physical.  If that sounds like you and you are on Drake’s health plan, don’t forget to take a copy of the Premium Discount-Annual Physical Form to your appointment. This form can be found on myDrake under the Employee Wellness section of Human Resources.

Those on Drake’s health plan who complete a physical with their PCP between Dec. 1, 2022 and Nov. 30, 2023 and submit a Premium Discount-Annual Physical Form  to linda.feiden@drake.edu by Nov. 30, 2023, will receive the wellness health insurance premium discount in 2024, which is a savings of approximately $30 per month. 

If you already had your physical since Dec. 1, 2022, please fill out the form and turn it in now.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

As part of Employee Appreciation Month, Human Resources is adding one Drake trivia question in each issue of OnCampus in March.  The first person who correctly answers the question will receive $10 in Bulldog Bucks.  Answers should be submitted to linda.feiden@drake.edu.

Question of the week: Drake University was the first team in the state of Iowa to make an appearance in a college football bowl game. They beat Fresno State 13 to 12 in 1946.  What was the name of the bowl they appeared in?

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. The deadline to submit a shout-out is Thursday, March 23.

Read some of the shout-outs submitted this week!

“A shout-out to Laure Fredenburg:  She has gone above and beyond in communicating with me through a scholarship program process.  I had daily questions and she got back to me quickly and cheerfully!  She is absolutely amazing!” – Amanda Martin

“A shout-out to Will Storm for the great work he is doing to clean-up the alumni & development database!” – Pam Pepper

“A shout-out to Julie Purscell for all her great help with our Records Room transition.” – Pam Pepper

“A shout-out to Kathy Veach and Cathy Hoch in Finance for all of their help with our Records Room transition.” – Pam Pepper

“A shout-out to our Advancement Officers for their great work towards The Ones: Drake’s Campaign for the Brave & Bold.” – Pam Pepper

“A shout-out to Thad Smull for all of the day-in/day-out work he does that truly makes a difference!” – Pam Pepper

“A shout-out to our Annual Fund team and our UCM team for their great work on our 24-hour giving campaign – All In!” – Pam Pepper

“A shout-out to Jessica Armstrong for her skill with data and her patience in working with people with that data.  She’s a great colleague!” – Christine Marchand

“A shout-out to Judy Jones:  Judy has come into assessment with gusto! Judy’s energy is boundless and contagious.” – Christine Marchand

“A shout-out to Kevin Moenkhaus for his prompt and accurate work.  He’s always willing to share his expertise and knows exactly what it is you’re asking for, even if you aren’t sure.  He’s great to work with!” – Christine Marchand

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

National Employee Appreciation Day is Friday, March 3, and we are celebrating YOU! Recognizing and celebrating employees’ great work—not only on this day but every day of the year—speaks to our core values.  Take time to reflect and find ways to show gratitude to your team for their hard work, dedication, and effort on this day, this month, and throughout the year.

To help show our appreciation, Human Resources and All Staff Council invite you to take a break and join us for the following Employee Appreciation Month events in March.

Pi-NGO! (BINGO)
Join All Staff Council and Human Resources on Tuesday, March 14, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Parents Hall South, Olmsted Center to celebrate National Pi Day with free pizza pies and BINGO.  This is a family-friendly event and winners will receive baked pie goods.  Griff II will be in attendance for part of the festivities and would love to take a photo with you.  Pizza is available while it lasts so get there early.

Faculty/Staff Recess
When we were kids, recess was a part of our day, but as adults we don’t take time to play.  As part of employee appreciation month, we invite faculty and staff to take a break from work on Tuesday, March 28, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and join us in the Bell Center Courts 1 & 2 for recess! Play nine holes of miniature golf, try pickleball, or challenge a colleague to a game of cornhole (bags). And test your hula hooping skills for a chance at prizes. All equipment will be provided.

Give a shout-out
In addition, we have brought back the popular Shout-Out program for Employee Appreciation Month. This is a great way to recognize your colleagues. Simply write a sentence or two thanking a colleague or team for going the extra mile or showing support to others. Submit your shout-outs to linda.feiden@drake.edu between now and March 23, and they will be compiled and posted in OnCampus.

Griff II high-five
And watch your mail! All Staff Council will be sending 100 lucky staff members a magnet this week with a picture of Griff II ‘high-fiving’ you.  This is a way to say, “We see you, and we appreciate you.” If you receive one, keep it for a few days, then pass it along to another colleague who also deserves a high-five. The magnets can be handed off again and again, with the hopes of reaching as many of Drake’s amazing staff members as possible.

Please take some time this month to let others know you appreciate their efforts and know that your efforts are appreciated every day!

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources