Drake Law School recognized two outstanding faculty members for their contributions to the Law School’s teaching, scholarship, and research during the 2021–2022 academic year.

Allan Vestal, Dwight D. Opperman Distinguished Professor of Law, was recognized as the 2022 Stevens Faculty Scholar of the Year. The Stevens Faculty Scholar of the Year award honors the faculty member who made the most significant contribution to academic scholarship during the previous year. Professor Vestal published seven articles in the last three years on topics ranging from religious freedom to legal history. In addition, he completed an innovative new course book for Contract Drafting that promises to see wide adoption nationwide.

Matt Doré, Richard M. and Anita Calkins Distinguished Professor of Law, received the Student Bar Association’s (SBA) Leland Forrest Outstanding Professor Award. The Outstanding Professor award recognizes a faculty member for their contributions to the quality of legal education both in and out of the classroom. The recipient is chosen by vote of the third-year students and will lead the class in the graduation procession in May. Students selected Professor Doré for his extensive knowledge, passion for the subject matter, and willingness to go above and beyond to serve students and the Drake Law community. He has served on many crucial faculty committees including the promotion and tenure, and admission committees. He has coached Drake’s Client Counseling Team for 30 years, advancing to the national finals several times. “But most importantly,” noted Riley Noble, 2021-2022 SBA president, “Professor Doré is always there for his students. He is careful to make sure they are supported and that they always have the resources they need to succeed.”

Award winners were announced during the Drake Law Supreme Court Celebration in April. For a list of previous faculty award winners and this year’s Supreme Court Celebration student award winners, visit the Supreme Court Celebration website.

— Theresa Howard, Law School

Trevon Smith, HR generalist at Drake, is one of 12 College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) members selected to participate in the 2022–2023 CUPA-HR Wildfire Program, a 12-month leadership development experience designed for early-career higher education human resources professionals.

Participants were selected based on their HR strengths and areas for development identified on the program application as well as their interest in and commitment to the program. Throughout the year-long experience, Trevon and the other program participants will have the opportunity to develop their professional skills through tailored learning experiences including mentorship, learning events and courses, and the completion of a year-end project highlighting the insights they gain throughout the year.

“We are very excited to begin working with our ninth Wildfire cohort,” says CUPA-HR President and Chief Executive Officer Andy Brantley. “This program is an outstanding leadership development opportunity for these early-career professionals, and it’s also a great opportunity for our higher ed HR leaders to give back and help prepare the next generation of higher ed leaders.”

CUPA-HR’s Wildfire program is led by outstanding current and past CUPA-HR national board leaders and national office staff and made possible in part thanks to support from HigherEdJobs.

About CUPA-HR
CUPA-HR is higher ed HR. We serve higher education by providing the knowledge, resources, advocacy and connections to achieve organizational and workforce excellence. Headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, and serving over 33,000 HR professionals and other campus leaders at nearly 2,000 member institutions and organizations around the country and abroad, the association offers learning and professional development programs, higher education salary and benefits data, extensive online resources and just-in-time regulatory and legislative information.

— Maureen De Armond, Human Resources

The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences held its annual Recognition and Pinning Ceremony on Thursday, May 5, 2022. The Ceremony marks students’ transition to final year internships, fieldwork, and rotations for third-year undergraduate health sciences students, first-year master of athletic training students, second-year occupational therapy doctoral students, and third-year doctor of pharmacy students.

During the ceremony, Assistant Dean Michael Nelson announced the recipients of several prestigious awards:

• Delaney Goertzen (HSCI-JR) – Oustanding Health Sciences Student Award
• Connor Oetzmann (HSCI-JR) – Health Sciences Student Leadership Award
• Corby Roush (A1) – Athletic Training Emerging Clinician Award
• Rachel Stafford (O2) – Occupational Therapy Scholastic Achievement Award
• Jenna Lynn Willer (O2) – Occupational Therapy Leadership & Professional Development Award
• Molly Nelson (P3) – Iowa Pharmacy Association Jerry M. Karbeling Leadership Award
• Megan Hartle (P3) – Lon N. Larson Engaged Practitioner Award

Read more about the student awardees here.

— Kaylyn Maher, CPHS

Drake University’s Fraternity and Sorority Life commits to providing a collaborative, supportive community that offers students a unique, genuine experience at Drake University.

We challenge our members to embrace individuality, create a sense of belonging, encourage actions based on values, foster inclusivity and diversity, serve with the community, and grow intellectually.

This past week, the FSL community celebrated the successes of the student leaders, chapters, and councils for the 2021 calendar year at their annual FSL Celebration event. Award winners included:

Outstanding New Member Award:

• Thomas Karandjeff of the Iowa Delta chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon
• Stacia Humphery of the Eta Tau chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

Outstanding Philanthropy Award

• Iowa Delta chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon
• Gamma Omicron chapter of Alpha Phi

Outstanding Drake Spirit Award

• Kyle Tekautz of the Iowa Delta chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon
• Kiley Kahler of the Gamma Omicron chapter of Alpha Phi

Outstanding Community Service Award

• Iowa Delta chapter of Phi Delta Theta
• Theta Eta chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated

Outstanding Campus Involvement Award

• Erik Iverson of the Iowa Delta chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon
• Madyson Sklar of the Phi chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated

Outstanding Programming Award

• Gamma Tau chapter of Theta Chi
• Phi chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated

Outstanding FSL Leader Award

• Brian Orellána of the Iowa Delta chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon
• Claire Hill of the Gramma Omicron chapter of Alpha Phi

Outstanding Harm and Risk Reduction Program Award

• Iowa Delta chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon
• Gamma Omicron chapter of Alpha Phi

Outstanding Chapter Advisor Award

• Dr. James Albert, from the Gamma Tau chapter of Theta Chi

Outstanding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program Award

• Iowa Delta chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon
• Theta Eta chapter of Alpha Delta Pi

Highest Chapter GPA

• Iowa Delta chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon
• Phi chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated

Outstanding Drake Faculty or Staff Member Award

• Kristin Economos, Director of Student Leadership Programs

Outstanding Brotherhood and Sisterhood Program of the Year Award

• Theta Gamma chapter of Sigma Chi
• Beta Kappa chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta

FSL Hall of Fame Award

• Austin Ash of the Iowa Delta chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon
• Ashwin Sinha of the Iowa Delta chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon
• Layana Sariah of the Phi chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated
• Kandeija Bagurusi of the Phi chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated

FSL Chapter of the Year Award

• Iowa Delta chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon
• Gamma Omicron chapter of Alpha Phi

— Rudy Trejo, Assistant Dean of Students

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) announced that Drake has been awarded a $79,110 grant to improve the flow characteristics and water quality of campus runoff as part of campus-wide improvements in sustainability and stormwater management, with an additional $6,000 coming from the City of Des Moines. The grants will be used to build a bioretention and bioremediation system in the area between the agora and Harvey Ingham Hall. This system will capture stormwater running off from Helmick Commons and other parts of central campus. Using berms and native plantings, bioretention and bioremediation cells slow the movement of stormwater, allowing plants and soils to filter the water and remove contaminants. In this way, significantly cleaner stormwater is discharged to local streams at a more constant pace, reducing erosion and flooding problems downstream, while also improving soil moisture near the site during dry times.

This was a student-initiated project, with initial investigation of opportunities done by students in the Drake Environmental Action League, in particular Elly Flemming, who built it into her capstone in Environmental Science and Sustainability. Drake Facilities Planning and Management staff, including Sustainability Coordinator Sophia Seigel and Director Kevin Moran, then worked with students, faculty, the City, and IDALS to organize the application and plan the execution. An important part of the grant will be measuring and analyzing the discharge into the stream just north of the Tennis Center (Ravine Creek) to determine the impact of the improvements.

This work is part of a much larger campus effort to remediate stormwater runoff and improve water quality in Ravine Creek. Other projects have included permeable pavement and equisetum planting on 28^th Street going through campus, the prairie north of Meredith, native plantings as part of the Ray Promenade project, runoff collection built into recent parking lot improvements, rain gardens across campus, and capstone projects this spring and a Restoration Ecology class this fall that will focus on habitat improvements in the forested region through which the creek flows.

— David Courard-Hauri, Professor of Environmental Science and Policy

We are excited to announce that the following individuals and groups have been recognized with an award from Iowa and Minnesota Campus Compact:

• Presidents’ Student Leadership Award recognizes an individual student or a student organization that models a deep commitment to civic responsibility and leadership, evidenced by initiative, innovative and collaborative approaches to addressing public issues, effective community building, and integration of civic engagement into the college experience.
  • Brian Orellána, ‘24
• Presidents’ Civic Engagement Leadership Award recognizes a member of the faculty, administration, or staff or for a group (e.g., advisory committee, task force, project team) that has significantly advanced their campus’ distinctive civic mission by forming strong partnerships, supporting others’ civic and community engagement, and working to institutionalize a culture and practice of engagement.
  • Drake University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
• Presidents’ Community Partner Award recognizes a community-based partner or organization that has enhanced the quality of life in the community in meaningful and measurable ways and has engaged in the development of sustained, reciprocal partnerships with the college or university, thus enriching educational as well as community outcomes.
  • Above and Beyond Cancer
• Newman Civic Fellowship recognizes and supports community-committed students who are changemakers and public problem-solvers.
  • CJ Younger, ‘23

Nominees will be recognized at a virtual awards ceremony on Wednesday, May 4, from 11 a.m.–12 p.m. The event is open to anyone. Register.

Learn more about each awardee. Lists of awardees by award category with images and additional description of each recipient’s accomplishments are available on the Iowa Campus Compact website the week of May 2.

Watch Iowa and Minnesota Campus Compact social media (Facebook and Twitter @IAMNCompact) between May 6–19 for spotlights on each of the winners.

Congratulations to these changemakers!

Iowa and Minnesota Campus Compact’s mission is to support member colleges and universities as they fulfill the public purpose that is at the heart of higher education. Drake University is a member campus of Iowa Campus Compact.

— Amanda Martin, Community Engaged Learning

Three students at Drake University received Fulbright awards for the 2022–2023 academic year.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is an international educational exchange program that offers finalists a federally funded grant and the opportunity to spend a year researching, studying, or teaching abroad.

“We are so proud of our Fulbright finalists who have been chosen from among the country’s top candidates for this prestigious international scholarship,” said Karen Leroux, associate professor of history and the University’s coordinator for post-graduate scholarships. “Drake’s unprecedented number of Fulbright recipients reflects the University’s excellent academic programs and the unique learning experiences it affords to students, globally and locally.” Drake has been recognized as a top institutional producer of Fulbright recipients. The University has produced 46 Fulbright Students since 2000.

This year’s Fulbright finalists from Drake include:

• Emily Kellogg (SoE, Elementary Ed major; Spanish minor), Spain ETA
• Katie Lajoie (A&S, IR & Spanish majors; French minor), Mexico ETA
• Kathlyn Wagner (A&S, IR major; Japanese and East Asian Studies minor), Taiwan ETA

Alternate:

• Ben Schultz (A&S, Philosophy & LPS major; German minor), Belgium ETA

Fulbright recipients are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated service and leadership potential in their fields. According to Leroux, the Fulbright application process is extensive, and many of the candidates began working on their applications nearly a year in advance.

Drake University congratulates all of its Fulbright Students. For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit http://eca.state.gov/fulbright.

— Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost

Drake Law School once again earned a place on preLaw magazine’s list of “Best Law Schools for Practical Training.” Law schools were graded based on key offerings such as clinics, externships, simulation courses, and moot court participation. The annual rankings were featured in the Spring 2022 issue of the magazine.

“At Drake Law, we like to say that ‘practice makes professional,’” said Drake Law School Dean Jerry Anderson. “Practical training is key to ensuring that Drake Law students are ready to excel after graduation. In addition to an outstanding foundation in legal theory, students gain real-world experience through clinical programs, internships, and clerkships. At graduation, they have the skills and experiences they need to hit the ground running, making them strong candidates for many different employment opportunities.”

Drake Law School provides numerous experiential learning opportunities to students, beginning in their first year with two intra-school moot court competitions and the unique First-Year Trial Practicum. Drake is the only law school in the country where all first-year classes shift to a campus courtroom for a week, enabling students to view an actual state or federal trial. The Trial Practicum dissects every phase of a trial, from jury selection to verdict. Not only do students witness a trial, but they also have opportunities to discuss the proceedings with the presiding judge, lawyers and jurors.

Drake Law’s legal clinics give students the opportunity to build valuable professional experience by working with clients in real-world situations. Clinics include the Children’s Rights Clinic, Criminal Defense Clinic, General Civil Practice Clinic, Transactional/Entrepreneurial Clinic, Refugee Clinic, and Wrongful Convictions Clinic.

As the only law school in the capital city of Des Moines, Drake Law students have countless opportunities to participate in internships, externships, and clerkships. Students have served as legislative interns, drafted legislation, tried and won felony jury trials, interned for the Iowa Supreme Court, worked for government agencies and nonprofits, and more.

Drake Law students also develop practical skills in interschool competitions at the regional and national levels. The Law School sponsors nine Moot Court, Mock Trial, and skills teams, which annually are among the best in the nation.

“Many law schools like to say they teach students to think like a lawyer,” said Dean Jerry Anderson. “We teach them to be one.”

— Terri Howard, Law School

Drake University Law School announces that The Ones: Drake’s Campaign for the Brave & Bold has raised $11.8 million against the $20 million Law School goal. Gifts will enhance the Law School’s efforts to produce the next generation of outstanding Drake lawyers.

The Law School is celebrating several leadership gifts that will create new student scholarships, support clinical education, and establish an endowed professorship at the Law School.

“Thank you to the generous donors who have already contributed to the Law School through The Ones campaign,” said Drake Law Dean Jerry Anderson. “These resources are absolutely crucial to our ability to keep student debt down while continuing to offer the highest quality legal education in an ever-changing environment. Alumni support affirms the excellence of a Drake Law education.”

Leadership gifts to the Drake Law campaign so far include the following:

Sheldon (LW’75) and Terry Fleck (PH’74) have contributed $1 million to create the Sheldon T. and Terry K. Fleck Endowed Law Scholarship. The Fleck Scholar Program provides one renewable, full-tuition merit-based scholarship plus an annual stipend for an entering student each year. The Flecks have provided for two scholarships to be awarded in the inaugural year. In addition to the endowment, the Flecks intend to make annual contributions to fully fund this generous scholar program.

Karen Shaff, LW’79, and Steven Jayne, LW’78, have pledged $1 million to endow the Drake Law School Refugee Clinic. Through the Refugee Clinic, second- and third-year Drake Law students develop important lawyering skills while providing free legal services to individuals who are applying for asylum in the United States and other forms of humanitarian relief. Karen and Steve have previously endowed a scholarship fund at Drake Law.

Hon. Mark Wernick (LW’75) and Nancy Entwistle have made an estate gift commitment to endow the Law Opportunity scholarship fund, which provides scholarships to support students from underrepresented backgrounds.

A lead gift from McKee, Voorhees & Sease, PLC, has established an endowed faculty position, the Edmund J. Sease Faculty Research Scholar. This position will honor the contributions of Ed Sease, LA’64, LW’67, to the Law School’s Intellectual Property program. Mr. Sease practiced law for more than five decades with McKee, Voorhees & Sease, becoming one of the nation’s premier intellectual property attorneys. He has also served as a long-time adjunct professor at Drake Law School, and was instrumental in creating the Intellectual Property Law curriculum.

— Terri Howard, Law School