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.

The Employee Excellence Award is presented to a staff member who demonstrates exceptional commitment to excellence in the performance of their duties. The Distinguished Community Service Award recognizes the outstanding contributions of Drake faculty and staff to the Drake community. The criteria to be eligible for each of these awards can be found here.

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, HR

March is Employee Appreciation Month and National Employee Appreciation Day is Friday, March 1, and we are celebrating YOU! While we value Drake employees all year, we like to set aside some time for special fun in March to recognize and celebrate our amazing employees.

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:

March 1–13: Build a Bulldog

You have all probably seen the colorful bulldog statues around campus.  Now it is your turn to get creative in decorating a bulldog.  Not a bulldog statue, but a PICTURE of a bulldog. Simply send an email to linda.feiden@drake.edu to receive an outline of Griff–then decorate the picture using whatever artistic materials you wish.  Send your completed picture to Linda Feiden, HR, 3^rd floor Old Main, by Wednesday, March 13. All entries will go through a preliminary screening and the finalists will be on display during the BINGO event on March 20 for faculty and staff to vote on.  Prizes will be awarded to the winning entries!

March 20: BINGO!
Join All Staff Council and Human Resources on Wednesday, March 20, from 12–1 p.m. in Parents Hall South, Olmsted Center to play BINGO. This family-friendly event will include tasty treats for all, and an assortment of fun prizes for our winners.  And don’t forget to vote for your favorite “Build a Bulldog” picture.

March 28: Faculty/Staff Recess
When we were kids, recess was a part of our day, but as adults we often do not get nearly enough play time. As part of employee appreciation month, we invite faculty and staff to take a break from work on Thursday, March 28, between 11:30 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). All equipment will be provided.

All Month: 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 27, and they will be compiled and posted in OnCampus.

Be on the lookout for more Employee Appreciation Month information throughout March.

— Linda Feiden, HR

Did you work and were you paid by Drake University during 2023? If so, your W-2 is available online through myDrake’s Employee Dashboard. To access and print your W-2, look to the “Taxes” section of the Employee Dashboard.  Within this section, click “W-2 Wage and Tax Statement” and select the tax year for 2023. Instructions are available for your reference.  If you have questions, contact Human Resources at 271-3133.

— Debra Wiley, Human Resources

Bulldogs United in Learning & Development (BUILD) provides faculty and staff learning opportunities throughout the academic year that address technical, soft, philosophical, and very practical skills.  BUILD is a great platform for learning new ideas as well as an opportunity to collaborate with others from across campus.

The Spring 2024 schedule is available for viewing and registration is open.  Please take a moment to check out the classes on the Drake HR website under Learning & Development.  Click on BUILD – Upcoming Sessions for the full list, including detailed descriptions.  There is an online registration link to a Qualtrics survey that makes signing up easy.

Most classes are only an hour in length, and many are facilitated by our own faculty and staff.  This is a great way to invest in yourself, support your colleagues, and take in the culture that Drake has to offer.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Many 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 the Drake HR Internal website under DU Well-Wellness and Wellbeing.

Those on Drake’s health plan who complete a physical with an in-network provider between Dec. 1, 2023, and Nov. 30, 2024, and submit a completed form by Nov. 30, 2024, will qualify for the wellness health insurance premium discount in 2025, which is a savings of approximately $34 per month. 

If you already had your physical since Dec. 1, 2023, please fill out the form and turn it in now. If you turned in a form last year—great! But don’t forget, this is an annual event.

— Linda Feiden Human Resources

Last fall, Human Resources rolled out the first edition of the new DU Well Newsletter. It highlighted upcoming wellness events, discussed relevant wellbeing topics and health observances, tested your trivia knowledge, and hopefully challenged you to try something new.

The Spring 2024 edition is now posted. Please take a few minutes to check it out, and feel free to contact us at drakehr@drake.edu, using the subject line, DU Well Newsletter, with ideas for future editions.

You can explore other ways Drake supports employee wellness on our DU Well webpage, including a list of our upcoming Spring term wellness programs and events.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Bulldogs United in Learning & Development (BUILD) provides faculty and staff learning opportunities throughout the academic year that address technical, soft, philosophical, and very practical skills.  BUILD is a great platform for learning new ideas as well as an opportunity to collaborate with others from across campus.

The Spring 2024 schedule is now available for viewing and registration is open.  Please take a moment to check out the classes on the Drake HR website under Learning & Development.  Click on BUILD – Upcoming Sessions for the full list, including detailed descriptions.  There is an online registration link to a Qualtrics survey that makes signing up easy.

Most classes are only an hour in length, and many are facilitated by our own faculty and staff.  This is a great way to invest in yourself, support your colleagues, and take in the culture that Drake has to offer.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Bulldogs United in Learning & Development (BUILD) provides faculty and staff learning opportunities throughout the academic year that address technical, soft, philosophical, and very practical skills.  BUILD is a great platform for learning new ideas as well as an opportunity to collaborate with others from across campus.

The Spring 2024 schedule is now available for viewing and registration is open.  Please take a moment to check out the classes on the Drake HR website under Learning & Development.  Click on BUILD – Upcoming Sessions for the full list, including detailed descriptions.  There is an online registration link to a Qualtrics survey that makes signing up easy.

Most classes are only an hour in length, and many are facilitated by our own faculty and staff.  This is a great way to invest in yourself, support your colleagues, and take in the culture that Drake has to offer.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

During the educational sessions offered in November, Wellmark shared some additional programs that are available to health care plan participants at no additional cost. So, if you are on Drake’s healthcare plan, you can check out these additional perks. We have added these items to our Perks Page. If you have not checked out that page yet, you are missing out! There are a lot of perks to being a Drake employee.

#1: Free Identity Theft Protection

What it is: Drake employees and their dependents who are enrolled in Drake’s healthcare have access to identity protection services at no cost. Wellmark has a partner agreement with IDX Identity. It just takes a few minutes to enroll. The program will conduct an immediate scan of the information you provide (such as personal email accounts, bank accounts). Once you create an account, you’ll be sent alerts, you can periodically check your dashboard, etc. They also offer a number of other services, including a private search browser and password checker.

How to find it: Log into myWellmark and scroll to the very bottom of the webpage, on the bottom left you will see “Identity Protection” (under “DO MORE” and “Contact Us”). When you click on that link, you’ll first see a screen where you need to copy the enrollment code. When you go to enroll, have your Wellmark insurance card handy. To create an account, you will need to provide the Group No. and your ID number (which is listed directly below your name). After you create your account, you will need to verify your email address and then you will be able to log in. Provide as much or as little information as you like and test out the different tools.

What I Learned: Both of my personal email accounts had recently been hacked, one as recently as Sept. 30, 2023! They offered “What should I do?” guidance (I updated my passwords and will be extra leery of suspicious emails).

#2: Blue 365

What it is:  Oh boy! You are going to love Blue 365. Blue365 offers premier health and wellness discounts and is free to join. You can sort by topic to check out all current deals on topics such as: apparel & footwear, fitness, hearing & vision, home & family, nutrition, personal care, and travel.

How to find it: Log into myWellmark. On the left side of the screen, you’ll see a column of tiles, the top one being “Home”. Go down to the “Well-being” tile and click on it. You can learn more about all of the different vendors and discounts offered through Blue 365 by clicking on Visit Blue365 (on the right side of the screen under Member Discounts). Once on the Blue 365 site, you’ll need your health insurance card handy to create an account.

What I learned: Deals are added and expire regularly—so check back regularly to see what is new and still active. At present, you can get discounts on things like: Garmin equipment, Blue Apron, Nutrisystem, Skechers, Crocs, Reebok, Kind bars, Jabra earbuds, pet insurance, Chewy, Walt Disney World, Budget/Avis, and many other vendors. So many deals. Check it out!!

#3: BeWell 24/7

What it is: Health questions can arise no matter the time of day. From your child’s earache to side effects from a new medication, BeWell 24/7 can help. You can call the BeWell number day or night to get answers from real health care professionals and put your mind at ease. By using this resource you can:

• Receive an evaluation based on your symptoms and recommendations for where to go for care.
• Locate health care providers and facilities — whether at home or traveling.
• Discuss treatment options and answer your health and wellness questions.

How to find it: Log into myWellmark. On the left side of the screen, you’ll see a column of tiles, the top one being “Home.” Go down to the “Well-being” tile and click on it. You can learn more about BeWell 24/7 on this page. To access this service call 844-84-BEWELL (844-842-3935).

#4 Pregnancy Support Program

What it is: This site provides expecting parents with support by:

• Providing educational materials based on your needs
• Helping you understand if you or your baby are at risk
• Being available to answer questions whenever you have them

How to find it: Log into myWellmark. On the left side of the screen, you’ll see a column of tiles, the top one being “Home.” Go down to the “Well-being” tile and click on it. If you click “Learn More” on the Pregnancy Support Program tile, you will land on a new page with a number of resources—including a prenatal assessment, “Count the Kicks” and “Text4Baby”.

— Maureen R De Armond, Human Resources