From an estimated pool of over 5,000 college sophomores and juniors nationwide, Drake had two recipients of the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship Program: Colton Sleister, chemistry and BCMB major, and Lorien MacEnulty, physics and astronomy major. Both students will receive scholarships of up to $7,500 a year to help cover costs associated with tuition, mandatory fees, books, and room and board.

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established in 1986 and is considered the most prestigious award in the United States to undergraduates in mathematics, natural sciences, and engineering. The award honors the excellence demonstrated by our students in the sciences as well as the University. Academic Institutions may nominate up to four students every year.

Kayla Jenkins, Assistant to the Dean, Arts & Sciences

Work by Drake students has advanced to the national competition in the Society of Professional Journalists’ Mark of Excellence contest. Honors include best sports reporting, best online student publication, and three photography awards.

The winners were announced at the SPJ Region 7 conference on April 6. Region 7 includes universities and colleges in Iowa, Nebraska, and Missouri. The first-place winners of all 12 regions will compete at the national level, and results will be announced in late spring. 

Five Drake regional winners that advance to national competition: 

• Jessie Spangler: Online Sports Reporting
• Urban Plains (the senior journalism capstone website): Best Independent Online Student Publication
• Lorien MacEnulty: Breaking news photography
• Grace Hulin: General News Photography
• JD Pelegrino: Sports Photography

Seven other projects were finalists at the regional competition:

• Samantha Ohlson: Online feature reporting
• Andrew Beall: Online sports reporting
• Jessica Spangler and Mitch Kedzior: Podcast
• Marie Nalan: Breaking news reporting
• Rachel James and Phong Ly: General news reporting
• Times-Delphic: Best All-Around Non Daily Student Newspaper
• Drake Magazine: Best Student Magazine

Kathleen Richardson, Journalism and Mass Communication

KayeLea Kautz, Drake undergraduate student in the School of Education and a leader in Drake’s Save the Children Action Network student organization on campus, had a chance to travel to our nation’s capital last week as part of the Save the Children and Save the Children Action Network (SCAN) Advocacy Summit.

In celebration of Save the Children’s 100th year of changing children’s lives, the global nonprofit is honoring changemakers for children—individuals who have raised their voices and used their influence to drive change for the world’s most marginalized and deprived children. Changemakers are an array of individuals such as policymakers, teachers, CEOs, philanthropists, advocates, and more. At the Advocacy Summit, attendees heard from a panel of changemakers, one of which was Kautz:

• Pat Daly, a global health worker who has dedicated her career to saving the lives of babies and their mothers worldwide
• Mark Geri, a veteran single father of twins in Washington who is helping ensure more children can access high-quality early childhood education
• Tasneem Ghogawala, a proud Pakistani American who is changing children’s lives through philanthropy
• Ruth Kagi, a retired Washington state lawmaker who advocated for the creation of both Washington’s Department of Early Learning and subsequently Washington’s Department of Children, Youth and Families and changed the lives of thousands of children
• KayeLea Kautz, a Save the Children Action Network Student Ambassador from Iowa who, as a mom, is ensuring children like hers get the early learning opportunities they deserve

The three-day event provided advocates the opportunity to attend in-depth advocacy trainings, hear from leading experts on issues impacting children worldwide, and meet with their legislators to advocate for investments in early childhood education in the U.S. and humanitarian support for the world’s children.

“Kids don’t vote, and they don’t donate to political candidates – that means elected officials aren’t often reaching out to them, listening to their voices about the world they live in,” said Mark Shriver, CEO of SCAN and Senior Vice President of U.S. Programs and Advocacy at Save the Children. “These advocates from across the U.S. – including more than 75 high school and college students – are actively engaged and dedicating their time and efforts to be that voice for kids on Capitol Hill and in their home communities. They took time from school and work to make this world a better and more opportune place for children.”

— Catherine Gillespie, Associate Dean, Professor of Education

Peter Levi, assistant professor of environmental science, and Drake’s Stream Ecosystem Ecology Lab (SEEL) were awarded a 3-year, $200,000 grant to collaborate with two local Watershed Management Authorities (WMAs) to research the impacts of current and future restoration work in Fourmile Creek and Walnut Creek. These streams flow through farmland and suburbs before reaching Des Moines—and they have impaired water quality as a result. The work by Levi and students in Drake’s Department of Environmental Science and Sustainability will track changes to the hydrology, chemistry, and biology of the ecosystems while the WMAs implement infrastructure and restoration activities in the watersheds. The study will provide a holistic assessment on the ecological value of watershed improvement investments and will offer guidance for watershed management efforts.

Tricia Atterberg, Sponsored Programs Administration and Research Compliance

Drake student Shameka Brown has been selected as a national Newman Civic Fellow for 2019–2020. She joins as one of 262 students from across the U.S. for next year’s cohort. 

The Newman Civic Fellowship is a one-year fellowship for community-committed college students from Campus Compact member institutions. The fellowship honors the late Frank Newman, one of Campus Compact’s founders, who was a tireless advocate for civic engagement in higher education.

Shameka is a third year at Drake University, studying Sociology and African American/African Diaspora Studies. For the last few years, she has worked in the community and with nonprofit organizations to advocate and increase the efforts of educational opportunities for high school and college students. She is currently working with the Iowa Department of Human Rights and local community members to help provide educational resources and opportunities to help students of color succeed academically.

Through the fellowship, Campus Compact provides a variety of learning and networking opportunities emphasizing personal, professional, and civic growth. The fellowship also provides pathways to apply for scholarship and post-graduate opportunities.

“We are proud to recognize each of these extraordinary student leaders and thrilled to have the opportunity to engage with them,” said Campus Compact President Andrew Seligsohn. “The stories of this year’s Newman Civic Fellows make clear that they are committed to finding solutions to pressing problems in their communities and beyond. That is what Campus Compact is about, and it’s what our country and our world desperately need.”

Amanda Martin, Assistant Director of Community Engaged Learning

Advertising and graphic design senior Josie Carrabine has won a gold award and two silvers in the regional American Advertising Awards contest, sponsored by the American Advertising Federation.

The student work was judged by professionals from Chicago, Denver, and Austin, TX. Josie’s work had previously been honored in the local contest. It will now advance to the national competition. Winners will be announced at the ADMERICA Conference in Florida in June.

Kathleen Richardson, Dean, School of Journalism and Mass Communication

The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences will award its highest honor, the 2019 Lawrence C. and Delores M. Weaver Medal of Honor, to Drake graduates and national pharmacy leaders Eugene (Gene), PH’66, and Susan, PH’68, Lutz of Altoona, Iowa. They will receive the Weaver Medal of Honor and deliver a lecture at 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 24, in Sheslow Auditorium. The lecture is open to all faculty, staff, and students.

The Weaver Medal of Honor is awarded annually to an individual who has advanced the college’s education, research or outreach mission for the benefit of human health; has made a substantial impact on the profession of pharmacy; or has provided financial support that has led to strategic change and progress in the College.

Eugene and Susan Lutz have a long-standing record of serving the pharmacy profession and their community. They owned and operated Lutz Pharmacy and Lutz Long Term Care Pharmacy in Altoona for 38 years, and now co-own Lutz Pharmacist Services, a consulting and relief pharmacist firm. The Lutzes are both past presidents of the Iowa Pharmacy Association (IPA) and have been inducted as APhA (American Pharmacists Association) Fellows. They have both received the IPA Bowl of Hygeia, the College’s Alumni Achievement Award, and the Altoona Chamber of Commerce’s Bill Newell Award. 

View the full news release

Maryah Klapprodt, M.S.T. graduate (ED), Jordan Holub, doctoral candidate (ED), and Kysha Van Buskirk, M.S.T. graduate (ED) co-authored a manuscript with Jesse Wilcox that was recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Science & Children. View the article.

Jerrid Kruse, Associate Professor, School of Education