Have you ever thought of yourself as your own brand? It may seem like terminology that is only specific to product marketing, but today personal branding can be your path to success in professional development, whether you are wanting to expand your career, achieve personal recognition, or just work better with your colleagues.

During a session on Nov. 7 from 1–2:30 p.m. in Olmsted, Room 310, Carlyn Crowe, visiting assistant professor and internship coordinator for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, will provide several tools for developing or enhancing your personal brand by identifying and learning to express your unique set of values. You’ll leave this session with tools you can use immediately for understanding and communicating your brand that will give you more confidence and empowerment for professional and personal success. Register online.

Debra Wiley, Human Resources

Holiday Trimmings is a six-week program designed to encourage you to maintain or lose weight over the holiday season. If you have trouble dodging festive, yet fattening foods like pecan pie, sausage stuffing, and egg nog, this challenge is for you.

Beginning and ending weights will be recorded and throughout the challenge you will receive healthy holiday tips. Everyone who maintains or loses weight will be placed in a drawing for a chance to win prizes.

For more information, or to register to participate, please send an email to Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu with the subject line “Holiday Trimmings.”  Deadline to register is Thursday, Nov. 15.

A packet of information will be sent to those who register. Read through the packet carefully and start the challenge on Monday, Nov. 19.

Let’s make this a happy and healthy holiday season!

Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Join this interactive session with Scott Raecker, Executive Director of the Robert D. and Billie Ray Center, and learn how to integrate Drake’s core values into your team’s work experiences. Scott will share tips on how to have intentional conversations about values and bring them to life in day-to-day interactions across campus. This session will be on Thursday, Nov. 1, from 9–10:30 a.m. in Olmsted Center, Room 310. Register online.

Debra Wiley, Human Resources

Drake’s Annual Open Enrollment Period began Oct. 19.  If you haven’t already done so, please visit the Benefits Portal in myDrake to make benefit elections for the 2019 Plan Year.

As noted previously, you are not required to visit the Benefits Portal if you do not wish to make changes to your medical, dental, or wellness participation.  However, if you wish to participate in Drake’s flexible spending account plans during 2019, YOU MUST make a new election in the Benefits Portal. Additionally, it is important to ensure your basic and voluntary life insurance beneficiary information is correct in the Benefits Portal.

Please note you will periodically receive emails from Drake’s online benefit enrollment system during the annual open enrollment period. Emails promoted by eBenefits Edge will be provided via the address below, and should not be disregarded as SPAM.

SBDEBEANALYST <SBDEBEANALYST@exchange.principal.com>

Should you have questions, please contact Diana at 515-271-1871 or Marlene at 515-271-1901. Benefit elections for the 2019 Plan Year must be made on or before Nov. 30, 2018.

Marlene Heuertz, Human Resources

Drake Benefit Consultants will provide a benefit overview addressing benchmark comparison data and plan design changes for the 2019 Plan Year Wednesday. Wellmark representatives will also be present to answer your questions.

Please take this opportunity to learn more about your Drake benefits Wednesday, Oct. 31, at 12 p.m. in the Shivers Courtside Club Suite.

Marlene Heuertz, Human Resources

Employee and Family Resources (EFR) offer a variety of Employee Assistance Program (EAP) benefits to full-time Drake employees and their family members. Besides the more familiar services such as phone-based support and in-person counseling, they also offer financial and legal consulting, eldercare resources, childcare resources, and identity theft resolution services. Check out the Drake University EAP Benefit Summary for details.

If you would like a representative from EFR to attend your department meeting to discuss EAP benefits in detail, please contact Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Heart attack and stroke remain two of the leading causes of death in the United States. Ignoring your risks and failure to recognize the signs and symptoms can be fatal.

Join Chris Nickell, director, environmental health & safety, on Tuesday, Oct. 30, from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Olmsted Center, Room 310/311, to learn what you need to know to recognize a heart attack or stroke and steps you can take to reduce your risk.

Participants will earn Bulldogs in Learning Drake (BUILD) credit and be entered into a drawing at the end of the semester.

An online registration form is available in myDrake. To access the form, click on All Apps and find the HR BUILD Classes app in the Other Employee Apps section.  You may also send an email to Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu to register for this class.

Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Drake benefit consultants will provide a benefit overview addressing benchmark comparison data and plan design changes for the 2019 plan year this Thursday. Wellmark representatives will also be present to answer your questions.

Please take this opportunity to learn more about your Drake benefits on Thursday, Oct. 25, at 3 p.m. in Olmsted, Room 310.

Marlene Heuertz, Benefits Specialist

Time is running out to take advantage of the Drake wellness premium incentive. If you are on Drake’s health plan, you must complete a biometric screening annually to retain your wellness premium discount, which in 2019, is a savings of nearly $30 per month.

Log into the UnityPoint Health online registration form with the username DRAKE and password SCREEN (in all CAPS). The remaining screening date is Wednesday, Oct. 17 between 6:30 and 10:30 a.m. in the lower level of the Olmsted Center.  If the appointment schedule is full please contact Linda Feiden today.  There will be no make-up dates so this is your last chance.

For questions, contact Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu or 271-1880.

Linda Feiden, Human Resources

More than 115 people die a day in the U.S. from opioid-related overdoses, including prescription pain killers. If you think it can’t happen to someone you love, you are wrong.

Join Craige Wrenn, Department Chair of Pharmaceutical and Administrative Science, Professor of Pharmacology, and Sally Haack, Associate Professor of Clinical Sciences on Tuesday, Oct. 23, from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Olmsted Center, Room 310/311, as we learn more about the class of drugs known as “opioids”. Discover the different types of opioids and how they work in the body. Reasons for the opioid epidemic, state and national trends, and strategies to address the opioid epidemic will also be discussed.

Participants will earn Bulldogs in Learning Drake (BUILD) credit and be entered into a drawing at the end of the semester.

An online registration form is available in myDrake. To access the form, click on All Apps and find the HR BUILD Classes app in the Other Employee Apps section. You may also send an email to Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu to register for this class.

Linda Feiden, Human Resources